Denise A. Garofalo

Assistant Librarian, Systems and Catalog Services

Mount Saint Mary College

WEB PAGE + CATALOG = BETTER USE

For ALA Midwinter, PhiladelphiaJanuary 25, 2014

Main Points

�Background

�Redesign reasons

�Requirements

�Issues

�Questions?

BACKGROUND

Mount Saint Mary College

� Located on the Hudson River in Newburgh, NY

� 3200 FTE

� Library has 100K items

� 2012-2013 academic year

� 217K webpage views

� 108K OPAC searches

REDESIGN REASONS

Webpage stuck in the ‘90s

� Structure convoluted, look dated

� Project started in 2011

� Then stalled

� Discovery a possibility

� But $ situation = Discovery service not an option

� Restarted in 2013

� Library move impacted rollout timeline

One critical element must remain

REQUIREMENTS

Considerations for new webpage

� Required� Catalog access on home page

� Requested� Access to other resources from home page

� Easy navigation

� Site search

� Desired� Nice look

� Look like the library is a part of the campus web presence, but distinct

CONSIDERATIONS

Design

�Clear�Consistent�Communication easy� “direct access to salient features and

information is essential in an effective design strategy3”

3Lynch, P. J., & Horton, S. (2011). Universal usability sidebar: universal design principles.WebStyle Guide, 3rd Ed. Retrieved from http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/2-universal-usability/3-universal-design.html

Navigation

�Clear paths to the content that interests

�Labels are clear & concise

�Prominent site search--usability guidelines tend to prefer the upper-right corner of the page

Content

�Needs to be consistent, organized, and easy to skim through since,� “On the average Web page, users have time to

read at most 28% of the words during an average visit; 20% is more likely.”1

�Critical content above the “fold”

1Nielsen, J. (2008). How little do users read? Nielsen Norman Group, from http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/

Why the catalog on the library’s web page?

�To support access to our resources� Emphasize what your site does that's

valuable from the user's point of view2

�To increase user satisfaction and remove confusion

�To encourage use

2Nielsen, J. (2001). 113 design guidelines for homepage usability. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved from http://www.nngroup.com/articles/113-design-guidelines-homepage-usability/

Current libguides opac search widget

New webpage opac search widget

WHAT WAS INVOLVED?

From http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1999-12-03/

Thanks to Scott Adams for Dilbert® images

Usability

From http://www.bugbash.net/strips/bug-bash20050704.gif

Usability….

� “…means that a system has visible working functionality familiar to its users, maximum reliability, and useful content that is supported by its environment and aligned with context of use. In addition, a usable system accommodates the cognitive capacity and various needs of its users, so that they can easily understand, effortlessly learn, and dynamically interact with the system as well as its content, resulting in a satisfactory experience with a high level of productivity.”4

4Chen, Y. H., Germain, C. A., & Rorissa, A. (2011). Defining usability: how library practice differs from published research. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 11(2), p621.

Why?

�To provide “more emphasis on user attitude and satisfaction”5

�Wanted to make sure users would be able to use the new library webpage

5 Chen, Y. H., Germain, C. A., & Rorissa, A. (2011). Defining usability: how library practice differs from published research. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 11(2), p617.

From http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTuMGz2xvU3WNy8GxB_t0ZjBhRrHvPkJHyh7A85akBNi-zl2UOk3g

Result

FUTURE PLANS

From http://www.kiddokingdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/kiddo-kingdom-fingers-crossed-pray-we-open-this-weekend.jpg

Resources

� Chapman, S., Desai, S., Hagedorn, K., Varnum, K., Mishra, S., & Piacentine, J. (2013). Manually classifying user search queries on an academic library web site. Journal of Web Librarianship, 7(4), 401-421.

� Chen, Y., Germain, C. A., & Yang, H. (2009). An exploration into the practices of library web usability in ARL academic libraries. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 60(5), 953-968.

� Chen, Y. H., Germain, C. A., & Rorissa, A. (2011). Defining usability: how library practice differs from published research. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 11(2), 599-628.

� Emde, J. Z., Morris, S. E., & Claasen-Wilson, M. (2009). Testing an academic library website for usability with faculty and graduate students. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 4(4), 24-36.

� Fagan, J. C. (2012). Editorial: Connecting the dots between good Data and good Decisions. Journal of Web Librarianship, 6(2), 87-93.

� Krug, S. (2009). Don't make me think: a common sense approach to web usability. Pearson Education

� Lown, C., Sierra, T., & Boyer, J. (2013). How users search the library from a single search box. College & Research Libraries, 74(3), 227-241.

� Lynch, P. J., & Horton, S. (2011). Web style guide online. Web Style Guide, 3rd Ed. Retrieved from http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/index.html

Resources, cont.� Nielsen, J. (2000). Designing web usability: the practice of simplicity. Indianapolis, IN: New

Riders.

� Nielsen, J. (2000). Why you only need to test with 5 users. Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox. Retreivedfrom http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html

� Nielsen, J. (2001). 113 design guidelines for homepage usability. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved from http://www.nngroup.com/articles/113-design-guidelines-homepage-usability

� Nielsen, J. (2008). How little do users read? Nielsen Norman Group,from http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/

� Parker, R. C. (1997). Roger C. Parker's Guide to web content and design: eight steps to web site success. New York: MIS:Press.

� Spool, J. M. (1999). Web site usability: a designer's guide. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.

� WCAG 2 at a glance. (2011). WCAG 2.0 at a glance. Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/glance/

� Web site usability testing: recommended procedures. (n.d.). Web site usability testing: recommended procedures. Retrieved from http://www.webpagecontent.com/arc_archive/124/5/

Thank you!

Denise A. Garofalodenise.garofalo@msmc.eduMount Saint Mary CollegeNewburgh, NY