Usability & the google generation access2010

Usability Testing
& The Google
Generation
Presented to Access 2010, October 14th, 2010
Library Technologies Conference
Lisa Fast lisa@neoinsight.com

2Copyright 2010 Neo Insight Inc.
What is this Talk About?
1.We are all the Google Generation
2.Google Expectations and
Behaviours observed in many
Usability Tests
3.Google Scholar versus Navigation
in a usability test
4.Approaches to Usability Testing

We are all the
Google Generation

The ‘Google Generation’
Broadly used to refer people born after 1993
“a generation whose first port of call for
knowledge is the internet & a search engine”
Stereotype may be fairly accurate:
 2% of students start their information search on
a library site - 89% use a search engine
 From the Perceptions of Libraries & Information Resources report
2005 http://www.oclc.org/reports/2005perceptions.htm
Are the rest of us that different?

78% of U.S. adult Internet users perform
online research before a product purchase.
No difference across
age groups except for
those 65 & over
n=2,065, Sept 2010
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Online-Product-Research/Findings.aspx

“…research-behaviour traits that are
commonly associated with younger
users – impatience in search and
navigation, and zero tolerance for any
delay in satisfying their information
needs – are now the norm for all age-
groups, from younger pupils and
undergraduates through to professors.
Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, January 2008.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/resourcediscovery/googlegen.aspx

More than 15 billion
Google searches per
month in the U.S.

The average person
spends 2 hours per
month on Google

Our brains like to build on
existing knowledge. It helps us
conserve our limited attention
resources for our tasks.

Google Expectations
& Behaviour Patterns
Trends observed in 150+ hours of
Neo Insight Usability Test Sessions
For more details, see:
http://www.neoinsight.com/newsletter/1009.html#iexpectations

Expectation 1:
If a field is labeled
Keyword or Search,
it will work just like
Google.

Recommendations for Field Labels
Don’t use broad labels like Keyword or
Full Text if the search is scoped by other
fields or is restricted in any way.
The label should clearly define the scope.
Don’t use sub-instructions in small font.
Don’t use a Search button for a scoped
advanced search.
Google labels their button Advanced Search

Expectation 2:
All search fields will
correct my spelling,
like Google does.

It’s More Than Spelling
 People focus on their task, not spelling
Hyphens and spaces cause problems
Synonyms cause problems
On the example site above, synonyms are
supported, but only if you get the hyphen
and space right!
Missing a space = No Results No Space – The Right Results

Recommendations
Ensure your search engine supports
spelling correction and plural versions.
And synonyms for top tasks
 Better yet, provide type-ahead –
people like it because they know it
helps them to avoid errors.

Expectation 3:
The search results
will appear as
quickly as Google.

“Zero Tolerance for Delay”
 What we see in tests: people abandon library and
site search if it’s too slow to respond.
 Google found that delays as short as 400
milliseconds caused a significant reduction in the
number of subsequent searches people made.
 The study also suggests that it’s better to delay showing the
page completely than to show some of it and then have a
delay
 Recommendation: Google is setting the pace. If
your search results aren’t presented quickly, they’ll
leave and go to Google.
http://code.google.com/speed/files/delayexp.pdf

Expectation 4:
If I can’t complete
my task easily &
quickly on the site,
I’ll google instead.

Recommendations
 Improve so people won’t feel compelled to leave
 Optimize your top task paths –start the task on Home.
 Ensure your site search is quick and google-like
 Make the best of it – make it easy for people to use
Google and then return to your site
 Make sure that people can copy & paste into fields in
wizards or search mechanisms.
 For deep sites, make sure page contents are
available to search engines, so people can arrive
directly at their desired content.
http://www.neoinsight.com/newsletter/1009.html#iexpectations

Comparing
Google Scholar to
Hierarchical Navigation

Many young people do not find
library-sponsored resources
intuitive and therefore prefer to
use Google or Yahoo instead:
these offer a familiar, if simplistic
solution, for their study needs.
Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, January 2008.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/resourcediscovery/googlegen.aspx

Google Scholar Comparison
Participants were asked to find the same
article two ways:
Could start at either Google Scholar or existing menu
No federated search in place at the time
Google Scholar improved performance
Median time was reduced by 80%
A Canada Research Chair faculty member dropped
from 198 seconds to 27 seconds to find his own article
Satisfaction improved by 50% (80% very satisfied)
 All but one said “Next time, I’ll use Google Scholar”

Why Did They Prefer Google Scholar?
-Seeing results so quickly helps users
refine their search, if necessary. With
the Journals route, it can >6 clicks to
see article titles.
- It’s familiar – they know how to use it.

Make Federated Search your Default
Don’t Do this (people won’t find it)
Do this!

No Federated Search Yet?
 Don’t Do This:
If the Selection menu is AFTER the search field, people
will hit Enter after their search term, and miss it.
Do This:
Put the menu BEFORE the search field, so that they
see it before they start their usual flow.

Approaches to
Usability Testing

The Testing Process
 Site designers aren’t site visitors
 Test the usability (effectiveness, efficiency and
satisfaction) of top tasks for target audiences
 Testing is qualitative
 it’s the WHAT & WHY not the HOW MANY
Task design is key – the right task in the right way
 Participants perform tasks on a screen-share
with a facilitator & observers
 Sessions are video-recorded, notes are synced
 Identify symptoms & root causes of usability issues
 Make design/redesign recommendations

Iterative Testing Will Find Most Problems
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html
3 tests with 5 or more users will find most problems
Participants should perform your top tasks
– E.g. Find a book/journal article/, Hours, Locations

Advantages of Using Professionals
Experience with task identification
methods results in the right tasks
Process is streamlined & well-defined
Statistical expertise for quantitative analysis
Recommendations are based on:
experience with many sites, knowledge of
conventions and latest techniques
Can apply different types of tests to fit
the particular need of the site & team

Do It Yourself
Any tests are better than none
except if you use the designers as participants!
easier to do iterative testing & make changes
Scale of testing can range from:
Complete set of tests
To mini-tests – sit beside the person, take
notes, screen snapshots
Recruit on your site to build a pool of
participants for when you need them
Follow your ethics guidelines!

Some Great Resources

New Quantitative
Methods

New Options for Testing: Unmoderated
New tools run the tests for you
Examples: Loop 11, UteTool, User Zoom
Reference book: Beyond the Usability Lab, by
Albert, Tullis and Tedesco
Tasks need very careful design
Risk: Garbage in, garbage out!
Need lots of people - recruit on your site
Tells you What and How Many - combine
with a few moderated tests to get the Why

Popular Option: A/B Testing
 Use Google’s Website Optimizer to test
two versions of a page
See which page is more successful
Takes careful design
 Change just a few things to identify the issues
Need enough traffic
Use online resources to learn more
 http://www.google.com/intl/en/websiteoptimizer/tutorials.html
 Try tests at http://whichtestwon.com/

Learn From Other People’s Tests
Version A
Version B
Version A boosted Library newsletter sign-ups by 52.8%.
http://whichtestwon.com/email-newsletter-opt-in-test?pollid=73

Summary
 People use Google 2 hours per month
They will transfer that learning
You’re not Google
but you can act like them or use their tools
 Usability testing identifies problems
Do it! Hire professionals or do it yourself
Fewer problem calls, better self-service
 New testing methods answer more
questions, with quantitative data

Contacts
Phone(613) 271-3001
Email info@neoinsight.com
Web www.neoinsight.com
Mail Suite 374
300 Earl Grey Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K2T 1C1
Gord Hopkins
Mike Atyeo
Scott Smith
Strategic design
(613) 599-7470
mike@neoinsight.com
User Experience Specialist
(613) 836-0660
gord@neoinsight.com
Competitive strategy
(613) 271-3004
scott@neoinsight.com
Lisa Fast
Experience Designer
(613) 686-6672
lisa@neoinsight.com

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