Questions for Testing New Library Web Design



Web Redesign

Usability Testing Report

February 22, 2008

Charge:

The User Assessment Group (UAG) charged itself to gather user feedback on the top page of the redesign of the Libraries’ web site. The Group is looking to assess the overall design, its functionality, the clarity of terminology and users’ expectations for the web site.

Methodology:

|10 |Undergraduates (2010) |

|0 |Graduate students |

|3 |Faculty/Staff |

Introduction

We explained to each tester that the Library is in process of redesigning its web presence. We want feedback of all types from various students. We want to see how they like the new design, whether it functions well for them, if they can navigate the new site and if they have any suggestions for other information.

We created 13 questions to lead our testers through some of the typical uses the Library’s web site gets. The questions are listed as an Appendix to this report.

Results

As of this date, we tested 13 people, a combination of undergraduate students, staff and faculty. Several things became obvious immediately.

• Everyone liked the new site for a variety of reasons

• Everyone liked the new Search Box

• Not everyone noticed the “Ask A Librarian” or the “Off-Campus Access” buttons

• Not everyone understands that to access resources from off-campus, they need to use VPN or the proxy-server.

• The Media Center in the “Hours” table should be changed to Jones Media Center. Everyone looked for Jones, not just Media Center.

• Not all students know the difference between Search360, Borrow Direct and DartDoc.

• The Stacks Guide needs to be more prominent in the hierarchy

• The links to the various libraries needs to be more prominent on the page

Suggested Changes

• Generally, named spaces should have their names in the Hours table. For example, the Media Center should be the Jones Media Center.

• Consider making the “Ask A Librarian” and “Off-Campus Access” buttons more noticeable by making the text bigger or brighter for better contrast or relocating the buttons.

• Put a “Stacks Guide” link under “About the Libraries.”

• Change the term “Libraries@Dartmouth” under “About the Libraries.” The term made some people think it was an email link.

• Move the link “Libraries@Dartmouth” above Departments in “About the Libraries.”

• Move the Libraries’ links from the bottom of the page to a more prominent position on the page.

• Add explanatory text to DartDoc, Borrow Direct, DCAL and RWiT for clarification.

• Consider making the items under each of the categories the same number for consistency.

• Add link for GreenPrint locations

• Move “History of the Library” to the front page under “About the Libraries.”

• Combine Departments & Staff links to one line. When you click on Staff, you also get the departments.

• It is not clear to everyone that the default search in the Search Box is a keyword search.

Questions for Testing New Library Web Design

This section summarizes the answers we gathered so far for our questions.

1. What do you think of the overall design of the web page?

Everyone liked the new site. Many noticed the improvements in color scheme, clarity, comprehensiveness, easier navigation, similarity to the college’s web site, prominent search box and images of the libraries.

2. What is the first thing you notice about the new page?

The first thing noticed was different for several. Some noticed the picture first, then the banner. Others noticed the Search Box first. One person mentioned the overall layout. Another noticed its functionality and others noticed the new color scheme.

3. If you needed to ask a question, where would you go on this page?

Figuring out where to go to ask a question seems to be a problem. Few of the testers went directly to “Ask A Librarian.” Some went to Staff and others went to Libraries@Dartmouth. We asked several students why they didn’t pick the “Ask A Librarian” button. They said that is not what they would use that for. They had not noticed the button right away.

4. Do the items under each category (i.e. Find It, Resources by Subject, etc.) make sense to you?

The categories made sense to most everyone. There were some unknown or confusing acronyms and terms such as DCAL, DartDoc and Borrow Direct). Those tested wanted some type of explanatory text to make things clearer.

5. Is there something you think should be on the front page that isn’t there now?

Some testers said everything was there. Other students made suggestions such as GreenPrint, Course Reserves, Baker/Berry Stack Guide, Jones Media link, Hours and a history of the Libraries. One person liked “flurries” such as “Book or Databases of the Day.” Another person wanted a map of the libraries.

6. What do you think about the formatting of the search box?

So far, all the testers liked the Search Box. They each liked a different aspect of the Search Box. It was not clear to everyone that the default search is a keyword search.

7. You’re home for Thanksgiving and need to do research. You found an article for which Dartmouth has an online subscription. How do you get it? [If they need clarification--this is a question about access when you’re not on campus]

Some testers went directly to “Off-Campus Access.” However, not all of them were sure how to really use it. Several thought it needed to be highlighted better. Another tester thought the instructions needed to be reworded and VPN located higher on the page.

8. How would you find the hours for the Jones Media Center?

Almost every student went to “Hours” under “About Libraries.” However, finding the Jones Media Center was a little difficult. They all said the title needs to say “Jones.”

9. Can you go directly to the library’s catalog from this page?

They all found the Library Catalog either under “Find It” or the link in the Search Box.

10. Do you know the difference between Search360, Borrow Direct and DartDoc? [Does ILL mean anything to you? Does it help?]

Not all the testers knew the differences between each service. We explained the differences to them. Some of them suggested explanatory text to help distinguish between them.

11. You’ve identified a book you want from the library catalog. Its call number is BR 1725 .S735 A3 2007, located in Baker/Berry Library. Can you find help on this website for finding the physical location of the book?

Some of the testers used “Locating & Borrowing Materials” to help them answer this question. All of them said the Stacks Guide needed more prominence and perhaps be called “Stacks Map.”

12. Does Dartmouth College Library have the journal English Miscellany?

They all found the title either by using the Search Box or going to the online catalog via a link on the front page.

13. Where do you find a link to Paddock Music Library’s web page?

Some of the testers found the library links at the bottom of the page. Others used Libraries@Dartmouth to find Paddock. For many, “Libraries@Dartmouth” had no meaning. However, some of them thought the Libraries should be more prominent on the page.

Collected Answers to Test Questions for New Library Web Design

1. What do you think of the overall design of the web page?

The student liked it. The new design looks more like the College’s overall design. It looks easy to navigate, compared to the current web site, and you should be able to find things easily. He also liked the color scheme.

I like it. I’m not sure about the color scheme. It looks a million times better than the old site. The green color made it look more “Dartmouthy.” He first thought this was a new web site for the entire College. Once he realized it was a redesign for the Library he remarked that it was now more similar to the College’s. He also liked the “Ask A Librarian” and the “Off-Campus Access” buttons

The looks better than the current page. More in line with the College. With the other/old page, you had to think where to go. Trying to find something was difficult.

I like it better. It is similar to the Dartmouth College homepage. I like the tabs above the search box.

I like it a lot. It is better than the old one. It is better organized and looks more like the Dartmouth College web-site.

I like the color scheme. I like the spacing and the columns of topics. It's nice to have news and exhibits on the top page. I like the tabs. It looks clear. You don't have to decipher where to go. It's comfortable.

It's very eye-appealing, invites you. Categories are clear. Like black/bold/green colors, and visual differentiation. It's clean.

I like it.

I like it more than the old web page. The Search Bar is right there. It looks really simple. It is laid out and easy to use. I like the list of topics.

It is very nice. I like the web site looking like it’s a part of College’s site. I’m not a fan of the gray. It does need a grander title than the plain font already there. You can go straight to the library catalog or other searches. He did a search under “Course Reserves.”

She likes it. She said that the grey/green color scheme is a good contrast and results in a clean look. She also likes that the pages are similar to the Dartmouth College pages. She also likes the photos of the libraries in the banner.

Looks cooler. New age and high tech. Grey sleek look. Really organized. More like Dartmouth homepage.

I like it, I like the banner similar to the Dartmouth home page. I like the search function. It is easy to approach at first glance and clean.

Like the layout; lists look good

Likes the bottom section with the Libraries@Dartmouth b/c she often goes to the Jones Media site to look for DVDs

2. What is the first thing you notice about the new page?

The picture is right there and big. The title of the site.

He said the search box and its indexes. He scrolled down to see other things on the page.

The picture is the first thing I noticed. Then I noticed the search box.

"Ask a Librarian" link.

"? Ask a Librarian" link

I would look to contact a person, for phone numbers. Search "About the Library" and then "Staff". When I am really lost I look for a phone number. Perhaps I could find contact information under "Resources"? I like that the subject specialists have an area. [Finally he notices "Ask a Librarian"} Oh, I didn't notice "Ask a Librarian right away, and I'm not sure what that means. I might have noticed it sooner had it been on the left of the page. I see things left-to-right. I tend to take the long route when it comes to technology.

[Looked at 6 categories] I'd go to "Reference & Research Services" under "Services". [Missed "Ask a Librarian"] The dark grey is difficult to read text, not seen as prominently as the text below in the white area.

The question box at the top

The “Ask A Librarian” button. As a follow-up, we asked is it easy to see there. She said yes. It doesn’t pop up at you, but you see it when you are looking for something.

I prefer to come into the Library and have personal interaction.

Ask a Librarian or she would try Help Yourself.

"Ask a librarian"- easy to find with the big question mark. Stands out well (white icons on black background).

Ask A Librarian

Does it make sense what is presented? Yes. At first I was expecting to see an FAQ’s page, but this Ask A Librarian page works.

The banner reminds her of the Dartmouth home page

Nice search bos

Likes the colors

3. If you needed to ask a question, where would you go on this page?

The student went to the following links in this order

“Staff Link.”

“Get Research Help”

Email link at the bottom of the page

Ask A Librarian button

He mentioned that he liked FAQ’s. He skipped over the “Ask A Librarian” button. He didn’t see where he could go to find answers. He scrolled down the page, but didn’t seem to find what he thought would help him.

His first instinct is not to ask a librarian. His first instinct is to go to Staff, then Libraries@Dartmouth, which looks like an email (it’s not what he thought it was) and then Services. He missed the “Ask A Librarian” button. That seems to blend in with the background.

"Ask a Librarian" link.

"? Ask a Librarian" link

I would look to contact a person, for phone numbers. Search "About the Library" and then "Staff". When I am really lost I look for a phone number. Perhaps I could find contact information under "Resources"? I like that the subject specialists have an area. [Finally he notices "Ask a Librarian"} Oh, I didn't notice "Ask a Librarian right away, and I'm not sure what that means. I might have noticed it sooner had it been on the left of the page. I see things left-to-right. I tend to take the long route when it comes to technology.

[Looked at 6 categories] I'd go to "Reference & Research Services" under "Services". [Missed "Ask a Librarian"] The dark grey is difficult to read text, not seen as prominently as the text below in the white area.

The question box at the top

The “Ask A Librarian” button. As a follow-up, we asked is it easy to see there. She said yes. It doesn’t pop up at you, but you see it when you are looking for something.

I prefer to come into the Library and have personal interaction.

Ask a Librarian or she would try Help Yourself.

"Ask a librarian"- easy to find with the big question mark. Stands out well (white icons on black background).

Ask A Librarian

Immediately went to Ask a Librarian; the resulting page was what she expected

4. Do the items under each category (i.e. Find It, Resources by Subject, etc.) make sense to you?

Yes, the categories are self-explanatory. There are a couple of acronyms or initials such as DCAL that you may not know. You may also not know the difference between DartDoc and Borrow Direct.

We clarified the question by saying “Do the headings make sense for what’s under them?” The student said yes. He thought the categories looked good. He was tempted to look at the more. He said you could click on “more…” if you didn’t see what you wanted on the list.

They make a lot of sense. Libraries@Dartmouth is confusing. You need links to individual libraries on each page. He then found the links at the bottom of the page. He felt these were more important than the news. Maybe put the links on the side.

Under the "Help Yourself," RWIT is sort-of a resource or service.

The items under "Help Yourself" are random.

The groupings and the titles make sense. I particularly like the subject breakdown. I can find subject-specific resources.

Yes, absolutely. Everything under "Find It" is critical to me (the things I use)

Yes

Yes. I like that they are on the top. What doesn’t make sense? DCAL? What is that? Workshops? Are those for students or other people?

Yes. I do not use the site for searching by subject. I usually use Search360 or the library catalog.

Yes, the categories are self-explanatory.

I recognize the top 3 categories better, because I don't use the bottom three as much. I notice links to Borrow Direct in two places, and that's a good thing.

Yeah. She looked at Media Services (and said--oh this is Jones) and said it works but she might expect something more detailed

Looked them over—yes they looked good

5. Is there something you think should be on the front page that isn’t there now?

The page seems to cover what’s on the current page. He couldn’t think of anything else.

Thinking about how he approaches using the library, he didn’t think so. Actually, he asked how you would search for something in Jones Media Center. We showed him the audio-visual search. He also asked what was searched for the Library site. We told him everything in the web site. There is also less navigating than compared to the old site.

Page about the History of the Library. He found a speech from 1957 on Rauner’s site. Make it more like the Off-Campus Access.

"Course Reserves”; "Jones Media Center” in the "Hours" drop-down tab.

A link to GreenPrint locations on campus. A link to a map of the Baker Berry stacks.

This is a flurry- how about "books or databases of the day"? I like to know about new resources. How about "Fact of the day". I like the news feature. I like that there is access to libraries other than Baker-Berry.

Move "Ask a Librarian" down into the blank white space where it will be noticed

Not that I have thought of.

I like the “Find It,” DartDoc and Borrow Direct.

The things that are there are ones I use the most such as Course Reserves and Search360. The more I look the more things I see and how they are now accessible.

No.

Is there a link to a library map on here? It's seems to be hard to get to. I am having difficulty finding a stacks guide. Maybe make a direct link on the front page? perhaps under "About the libraries"?

No [thoughtfully] .Anything you currently use? Hours. Perfect the way it is presented.

Can't think of anything else

Said she would use Search360 for finding articles (that was there) and the eJournals link (that was there as well); so nothing she could think of to add

6. What do you think about the formatting of the search box?

Nice way to have it. It seems clear.

Good. 1 search box but several ways to search. The other search options are phrases. He didn’t notice the text in the box. He was looking for the “Advanced Search.” People are used to other search options. Catalog Home is not clear.

Great. Just put in what you want. Other options are clearly labeled. Type and go. Didn’t expect the text in the box to change. Looking for Reserves, he wouldn’t expect Course Reserves. He thought that was something like Special Collections.

I like it.

She likes the tabs above the search box. She likes the organization of the columns (categories).

I am always looking for reserves. I am glad that it is there. I like the delineation of different kinds of searches below. I don't mind going to the next page for the catalog, however. The categories are clear.

It's clear, you wouldn't miss it. But it doesn't have "Keyword" search on it. I always use the "Keyword search", so that should be possible in the search box.

Good, but the "more search options" are important

As a clarification, How it’s set up. I like it. It is simple. There might be an advantage to pull down menus. You can also pick other places to search. However, pull down menus would allow you to search other indices such as author or title from the Search Bar.

He did a search in the box. He realized that you can’t be too specific in the Search Box. He said he would go to the actual page, but it’s a good starting point.

She likes it except for the “Library Site” tab sits over the search button.

She would prefer that the “Library Site” tab be over the entry field like the other tabs (make the entry field longer.)

I like that it's dynamic and pretty straightforward. It's fast. I really like it.

I'd like to have an audiovisual search [we had to show him that it was right there]

It makes sense. She was reading the words in the search box. For the catalog search defaulting to the keyword search makes sense as she mostly does a keyword or subject search. Hasn't used an AV search yet, does not know what it would do.

When asked about what "Library site" would search she said it was probably like other site searches she'd seen on web sites. Her impression was that they didn't tend to be very effective.

Like that you can do so many different things

When asked about the Library Site search she said it expected to search the library website.

7. You’re home for Thanksgiving and need to do research. You found an article for which Dartmouth has an online subscription. How do you get it? [If they need clarification--this is a question about access when you’re not on campus]

He had a process, but the steps seemed out of order. He went to Search360 first and pretended to do a search. He then clicked on the “Off-Campus” button. I asked if the text for the “Off-Campus” button was too small. He said he just wanted to go down the categories first.

Off-Campus Access. This is nice and big. I guess I read and follow the instructions. It explains how and the importance of VPN.

Search360 to start. If that didn’t work or start with Off-Campus Access.

"Off Campus Access"

She clicked on "Off Campus Access." She was confused about need for IP address and VPN. She thinks the descriptions should be reworded (shorter) and VPN with a link (to instructions) should be located higher up on the page.

I haven't done this yet. I would ask a librarian. If I was in London (and I will be next year) - hmm what would I do? I know I saw something about this. Oh, dah, "off-campus access". I had difficulty finding that. I wasn't aware that a special connection was needed. I look at things from left to right- put in to the left? This is too easy.

It's too difficult to access databases from home [Did not see "Off Campus Access"]. "Off Campus Access" ought to be highlighted in the white area, where it could be seen better.

Turn on VPN?

She found “Off-Campus Access” under “Help Yourself.” She didn’t notice the button on the right.

He went to Search360 first and wanted to type in the title of the article. I pointed out “Off-Campus Access” button. He said he saw that, but he didn’t click on it.

Went directly to the “Off –c-ampus Access” icon.

I usually search through Search360, then go to online articles through Article Linker (sometimes there is no online version of an article).

[We asked about how he would set up his computer for off-campus access, and he was unaware that he would have to do anything]

Oh, there's the link to "Off Campus Access". Nice big button.

Clicked on Off campus access. Not sure what to do next [she spent a long time reading the text and still seemed pretty confused]. How would you get the VPN? Not sure, guess you can install it.

Immediately clicked on Off Campus Access link; said it was very helpful and that finding information about VPN was what she expected

8. How would you find the hours for the Jones Media Center?

He went directly to “Hours” under “About Libraries.”

Go to About Libraries and click on Hours. He didn’t see Jones. Jones is known as Jones and just the media center.

Hours under About Libraries. He went to Media Center after a while. It needs to say Jones. Map Room vs. Evans Map Room?

Under "Hours", "Media Center." This should be changed from “Media Center" to "Jones Media Center."

She clicked on "About the Libraries." Then clicked on "Hours." She thinks it should be listed as Jones Media Center, instead of Media Center.

Under "Hours", then "Media Center". It would help if it said "Jones Media Center". If it has a name, use it! What would the alums for whom it was named think?

Looked under "Services" and then "Hours". Had trouble finding "Jones Media Center" because it didn't have "Jones" in the title.

She went to “Hours” under “About the Libraries.” She found it very easily but thought that Media Center should be changed to Jones Media Center.

No response.

He went directly to “Hours” under “About the Libraries.” However, he did not associate “Media Center” with Jones Media Center.

She went directly to “Hours” under “About Libraries.” She mentioned that “Jones” should be added to the “Media Center” on the hours page.

About the libraries/Hours/Media Center [found it easily]

I would prefer a listed format of the hours rather than a calendar format. It's more compact and easier to read to have a list of all the hours on one page like it used to be.

Found Jones Media Center at the bottom. Then said there must be an easier way and went to main page, clicked on Hours.

Clicked on hours and chose Media Center from the drop-down menu

And then said she wondered if she could find it on the Jones Media Center page—she went to the Media Center link at the bottom of the page, looked over the page and found today’s hours listed at the bottom of the nav bar on the left of the page

9. Can you go directly to the library’s catalog from this page?

He said yes and went to the “Library Catalog” under “Find It.”

Catalog Home. Also you can go to Library Catalog under “Find It.”

Yes under “Find It.” Or Catalog Home above Search Box.

"Find It"; then "Library Catalog."

Yes, "Find-it"; then Library Catalog.

Sure, "Library Catalog" under "Find IT", or under the search box.

Yes, under "Find It". I am so glad it's the first thing, and you don't have to click to find it.

Yes I see how but I have a short cut on my desktop.

Yes, under “Find It.”

He went to the “Catalog” under “Find It.”

She went to “Library Catalog” under “Find It.”

Yes: Find IT/Library Catalog

Yes, she had already figured this out when she'd looked over the page in an earlier question.

Clicked on Library Catalog link and said she could also use the search box at the top of the page

10. Do you know the difference between Search360, Borrow Direct and DartDoc? [Does ILL mean anything to you? Does it help?]

He said he would use Search360 to find articles. He would use Borrow Direct to get books only and DartDoc for articles only. I explained the differences and similarities to him.

He didn’t know 2 of the phrases. He said some terms are not intuitive. Maybe you could have rollover text which explains each term or put an “I” for more explanations. He knows what Borrow Direct is. You could also put explanations under FAQ’s. We explained the differences between each.

He understands the differences.

Search360 - searches all the databases at once

Borrow Direct - not sure

DartDoc - not sure

ILL - not sure; not clear

Search360 - online resources

Borrow Direct - book from another library

DartDoc - no

ILL - "interlibrary loan?"

I think Borrow Direct and DartDoc should be called "Research Sharing."

I have used Search360. I have used Borrow Direct (for books only). I like the sound of the word "DartDoc", but I have no idea what it means (I haven't used it). I don't know what ILL is [He did know what "Interlibrary Loan" means]

I know what they all mean, and I use them all. ILL is meaningful to me, as well.

Yes

Yes, but not Search360 vs. eResources. We explained the differences. She knew what Inter-Library Loan was.

He knew that Borrow Direct allowed him to borrow books from the other Ivies. He also knew he could get articles from Search360. He did not know what DartDoc is. He knew that ILL meant Inter-Library Loan, but did not understand what it is.

She said No, but that “ILL” in parentheses helped (she knows what ILL is.)

[Knew what Search360 is; thought he knew what Borrow Direct and DartDoc were, but was not accurate in his understanding. Thought Borrow Direct was for borrowing books from any library, and thought DartDoc was for getting journal articles. Knew what ILL is]

Not really sure the difference, then described Borrow Direct (books from Ivy’s) accurately, then said DartDoc may be the article version. Then she clicked on "What is DartDoc."

Said she vaguely knew the difference, but wasn’t clear on the difference between Borrow Direct and DartDoc. When asked about ILL she said it meant Interlibrary Loan, but she still didn’t know the diff between Borrow Direct and DartDoc.

11. You’ve identified a book you want from the library catalog. Its call number is BR 1725 .S735 A3 2007, located in Baker/Berry Library. Can you find help on this website for finding the physical location of the book?

He didn’t find anything on the front page to help him. He looked around on the page and went to the “Help Yourself” page. On that page, he found a Stacks Guide for Baker/Berry Library.

Yes, but how. The question assumes the answer is there and you just have to find it. If he hears “Stacks” he thinks Baker/Berry. He then went to “Locating & Borrowing Materials” and found the Stacks Guide.

Locating & Borrowing Materials then Check Out Material then Stack Guides (with a prompt). It is not clear how to find that.

She clicked on, "Locating and Borrowing Materials"...she could not find it...

She clicked on "Find Your Book"...

She would like to be able to type in your call number and the location appears.

She clicked on "Locating and Borrowing Materials" then she clicked on "Stack Guide". This list should be reorganized and stack guide higher up on the page. Ideally, it would be good if you could click on the call number in the catalog record and the location given at that point.

Maybe it's on the cell-phone tour. It should be under "About the libraries" or "Services". I generally use my paper copy. This isn't obvious on this website to me. [We showed him "Stacks Guide"] He said: Wouldn't "Stacks floor plan" or "Stacks map" be better? Put it up to higher prominence on the webpage?

I don't use the website to locate physical items. I would ask a librarian in person. I don't use online maps.

Yes if I know something else like title.

She knew she needed a Stacks Guide, but she had trouble locating one. She found it eventually under “Locating & Borrowing.:

He usually uses the link in the catalog record to get to the stacks guide. I showed him where the Stacks Guide is under “Locating and Borrowing Materials.”

She first tried the Baker-Berry Call Number Locator in the News section.

Then she went to the “Library Catalog” link under “Find It” and then clicked on the “Stacks Guides.” She then mentioned that the “Stacks Guide” should be on the Home page.

Under "Find It"? Under "About the Libraries"? Maybe "Our Collections"? I am trying to find a stacks guide. It would be good to have a stacks guide on the top of the front page. Otherwise, I would come to Berry to pick up a printed map.

I usually go and get one of the papers (stacks map). Clicked on Locating and Borrowing materials. Clicked on Stack Guides and found item on Berry Lower Level.

She said that she had done this previously by going to the ref desk and getting a stack guide which she still had posted above her desk. To find it from the web page she clicked on Find It and scanned the page and eventually found the link to stacks guide.

She then tried finding it using the Library Site search. She typed into the search box and found it was the second hit

12. Does Dartmouth College Library have the journal English Miscellany?

Yes. He did the search in the Search Box on the front page. The results are a keyword search and gave him a long list. He redid the search as title one in the online catalog and that gave him a shorter list of 3 items. I did suggest he do that so that he could see the different results for each type of search.

He used the search box on the front page to find the journal.

He did a Search Box search. Perhaps a title search would be better or go straight to the catalog. Use the Limit button to limit to author, title, etc for a more powerful search.

She selected the Search 360 tab above the search box. She typed, English Miscellany, in the search box.

After some confusion, she clicked on "English (subject)." She typed, English Miscellany, in the Search 360 search box.

When she hears the word, journal, she automatically thinks of ejournals. She clicked on the tab, "Search 360" above the search box. She typed, English Miscellany, in the search box. No result...

She clicked on the tab, "Library Catalog" above the search box. She typed, English Miscellany, in the search box.

I would type it in under eJournals. If it was a film studies journal, I would go to the subject area for film studies. Or I would search in the search box/library catalog. I like it when the website tells you exactly where to go next.

Searched in search box and found it.

No response.

She used the Search Box to find the title.

He first clicked on “eJournals,” but realized that the title might not be electronic. He wavered between Search360 and eJournals. He then did a search in the search box for the title.

She first clicked on the eJournals link but then quickly clicked back to the Home page. Then she did a search in the “Library Catalog” category of the search box and found it.

Searched the catalog in the search box. yes, we own it.

She went to the library homepage. Clicked on eJournals, looked it over. Back to homepage. Clicked on all eJournals and eventually clicked on "All eJournals A-Z" and found the place where "English Miscellany" would be (it wasn't there). I'm not sure, I don't know where to search.

Put English Miscellany into the catalog search box (on the front page) and found it quickly

13. Where do find a link to Paddock Music Library’s web page?

He went down to the library links at the bottom of the page and clicked on Paddock Music Library.

Libraries@Dartmouth. We told him about the links at the bottom of the page. You have to scroll down to see key information. Maybe pull down menus with the library names would be better. Or put the specific libraries at the top or on the right. That is important information.

He remembered Libraries@Dartmouth. He thought about going to the bottom of the page, but knew of another way to get the information he wanted.

In the "Libraries at Dartmouth," bottom tool bar.

She clicked on "Paddock Music Library" in the bottom tool bar.

I have it on "Favorites";-)

[He looked around a lot at a lot of different places, and had trouble finding it]

Help Yourself? Library Service Points?

[Did not notice it on the bottom, or under "Libraries@Dartmouth".

Went to "About the Libraries", then "Departments", then to the bottom of the page.

"Libraries@Dartmouth doesn't make sense. Perhaps move the libraries at the bottom of the page higher (maybe to the grey area where "Ask a Librarian" and "Off-Campus Access" currently are, if those were moved to the white area). You shouldn't have to do more than a click to get to a specific library.

No response.

She went to “About the Libraries” and then clicked on “Collections.” She clicked on “Departments.” She didn’t notice the “Libraries@Dartmouth. She said she thought it was an email address. She also didn’t notice the links at the bottom of the page.

He went to the bottom of the page and clicked on Paddock’s link.

She went down to “Libraries at Dartmouth” and found it there.

"About the Libraries". then "Departments"? Did not notice "Libraries@Dartmouth" and didn't know what that means. Did not notice libraries at the bottom of the page. I would put the libraries up higher, perhaps under "About the Libraries"?

She went right to the listing at the bottom of the page.

Anything else? No.

Went directly to the link at the bottom of the library page (she had already pointed out that she liked this section)

14. Miscellaneous comments

I think the site looks better overall, but I'd like a search box that lets me search by author or title on the first click...that's by far the most common reason I head to the library's site. (Faculty)

Appendices to the Web Redesign Report

1. List of questions asked of each tester

2. Actual responses from each tester

Questions for Testing New Library Web Design

1. What do you think of the overall design of the web page?

2. What is the first thing you notice about the new page?

3. If you needed to ask a question, where would you go on this page?

4. Do the items under each category (i.e. Find It, Resources by Subject, etc.) make sense to you?

5. Is there something you think should be on the front page that isn’t there now?

6. What do you think about the formatting of the search box?

7. You’re home for Thanksgiving and need to do research. You found an article for which Dartmouth has an online subscription. How do you get it? [If they need clarification--this is a question about access when you’re not on campus]

8. How would you find the hours for the Jones Media Center?

9. Can you go directly to the library’s catalog from this page?

10. Do you know the difference between Search360, Borrow Direct and DartDoc? [Does ILL mean anything to you? Does it help?]

11. You’ve identified a book you want from the library catalog. Its call number is BR 1725 .S735 A3 2007, located in Baker/Berry Library. Can you find help on this website for finding the physical location of the book?

12. Does Dartmouth College Library have the journal English Miscellany?

13. Where do find a link to Paddock Music Library’s web page?

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