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Florida Memory Project and Usability
The document discusses usability testing that was conducted on the older Florida Memory Project website. It provides an overview of four usability testing methods: heuristics, cognitive walkthrough, think aloud, and interviews. For each method, it describes the type of method, what it involves, and examples of findings from testing the old Florida Memory Project site. The interviews indicate that the new site addresses many of the issues found in testing the old site, such as unifying databases and standardizing metadata. Recommendations are provided to make the site more usable and "Florida friendly."
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Florida Memory Project and Usability
- 1. Florida Memory Project Florida’s Digital Archive Present Measures of Usability Future Site and Recommendations Vanja Anderson and Florence Paisey
- 2. The Golden Rule AWeb Site Should Never Get in the Way of the User
- 3. What is TheFlorida Memory Project? The Florida Memory Project is Florida’s Online Digital Archive http://www.floridamemory.com/
- 4. Myth Build It andThey Will Come – Not Going to Happen!
- 5. What is Usability? “Usabilityis the “basic ability of users to achieve their goals within a system. Usability should account for affective aspects of interaction.” Blandford& Buchanan, 2002
- 6. Usability and theFlorida Memory Project Marty, Alemanne& McClure (2010) identified a range of issues that affect the ability of the user to achieve their goals. As recommended, the development team at the Florida Memory Project have overhauled the site. However, the development team would like to conduct several usability tests on the older site. The purpose is to identify the targeted user reactions to the old site with a view to ensuring the same usability problems are not repeated.
- 7. Did you Know? A Homepage is Viewed More Than Any Other Page on a Website !
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- 9. Homepages are RealEstate •Home Page Architecture is your Identity •Central Issues: • A Logo for Identity • A Liquid Page • A Clearly Visible Search Feature • Multiple Navigation Menus • Harmonious Color – Websafe • Effective Use of All Space – Less is More!
- 10. The Florida MemoryProject Homepage
- 11. Site Identity? The Florida Memory Project Homepage Sponsor? Good Concise Core Menu! This is Valuable Space What does empty do for you? Does anything Page Layout and indicate the Content of 575,000 Information Architecture? Documents …Imagine… other Possibilities…
- 12. Screen Real Estate Unused Content of Interest Web 2.0 Navigation Advocacy Site Identity Advertisement External Linkage Information Architecture Represented in Percentage…
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- 14. Usability Methods Four Approaches •Heuristics •Think Aloud • Cognitive Walkthrough • Interview
- 15. Definitions of EvaluationMeasures •Heuristics •Evaluation of an interface by IT experts. Evaluators measure the usability, efficiency, and effectiveness of the interface based on 10 measures. • Think Aloud •Participants are asked to share their thoughts while completing specific goals. • Cognitive Walkthrough •A set of appropriate or characteristic tasks to be completed. Evaluators walk through specific tasks, noting problems. • Interview •Interviewsprovide details that users have experienced on the site.
- 16. Usability Evaluation Measures Method Methods Type Description Pros Cons Quick No Ten Analysis of Overview feedback Heuristic Performance User Ease of the on fixes Standards system Problem Conducted Cognitive Investigatio Ease of Task detection at any Walkthrough n Achievement not stage reliable Evaluators Sometime Express Few s hard to Think Aloud Testing express Experience Subjects problems Infrastructure, Detailed Often Design, information difficult to Interview Inquiry Metadata on topic sync
- 17. •Visibility • Match Betweenthe System and the Real World • User Control and Freedom • Consistency and Standards Heuristics • Error Prevention • Recognition rather than Recall • Flexibility and Efficiency of Use • Aesthetic and Minimalist Design • Help Users Recognize and Recover from Errors • Help and Documentation
- 18. Heuristic Findings 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% Nothing Available Failure 20% Success Rate 0%
- 19. Four Basic QuestionsFor Each Task 1. Will the users try to complete the task? 2. Will users notice the correct action? 3. If users find the correct action, is it clear? Cognitive 4 After the user takes an action, will they Walkthrough understand any feedback? Purpose: A cognitive walkthrough identifies salient problems in the interface and navigation – the learnability of the interface, its ease in navigation, and its functionality – Does it do what it says it will do?
- 20. Findings: Cognitive Walkthrough CWAssessment Questions Subject 1 Subject 2 Subject 3 Will users try to achieve the right Yes Yes Yes effect? Will user notice that the correct No Yes Yes action is available? Will the user associate with the No No No effect to be achieved? If the correct action is conducted, will the user see that No No No progress is being made?
- 21. Cognitive Walkthrough –Time Per Task 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% Failure 50% 1 minute 40% 11-30 seconds 30% 1-10 seconds 20% 10% 0% Task Task Task Task Task Task Task Task Task Task 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
- 22. • 3 Studentstested • Average time: 12 minutes • Prompt • To locate historic tourist destinations • Errors frequently occurred Think Aloud • Error Recovery/ Back button failed • Lack of information/content • Search tool – Search for current hotels resulted in Historic hotels and Historic Maps Prompt, Verbatim: Please search the Florida Memory Project website for historic tourist destinations that you and your family would be interested in visiting. Please say everything that goes through your mind. You may stop when you have come to a satisfying result or whenever you want to quit.
- 23. Interview New, completely overhauledFlorida Memory Project site is scheduled to be launched on July 1st. Direction for overhauling the site is based on the recommendations of Dr. Charles McClure, Nicole Alemanne, and Dr. Paul Marty. Discussed many issues…
- 24. Some Questions Posed Iunderstand that you have more than 550,000 documents that are difficult to access due to their storage in 9 different databases – have you had a chance to address this? Yes. We hired an IT expert. He has integrated all databases into 1 platform, Omeka – as recommended. All records have been migrated. How are you handing backup? The Raid or Buffalo system is under consideration now. How do you envision your target audience—your main users? Years of data collected through log analysis, user requests—email, phone, records. They are: historians, genealogists, teachers, archivists, publishers, students. The Homepage points out that ―selected‖ materials are placed online. What criteria do you use? The materials most requested by these groups – our new main navigation bar targets the 6 main collections. In order – Photography, Video, Audio, Collections, Exhibits, Class. We also have a new search feature that works across collections. What is your greatest challenge right now as you reconfigure the system and site? Borne digital materials are difficult. We need to establish guidelines and standards.
- 25. Improved! Core Issues: •Data has been migrated to a unified database – Omeka • Backup data – Raid or Buffalo systems • Collections can be cross searched • Option to select for photographs in color or B&W • Metadata has been standardized using MARC AMC • Subject access through LOC subject headings & folksonomy • Strategies for the preservation of borne digital • Quiet, Minimalist Interface Design
- 26. Recommendations To make sitemore Florida Friendly include: •Spanish Language Option • Create Personal Archive and Storybook • Embedded Video Tutorial for Using Archives and Site • Hurricane Digital Memory Bank • Online Archive Shop
- 27. References United States. StateLibrary and Archives of Florida. Florida Memory Project. Retrieved from http://www.floridamemory.org Fuhr, N., Giannis, T. Aalberg, T. et al. (2007). Evaluation of digital libraries. International Journal of Digital Libraries, 8, 21-38. Hoppmann, T. K. (2007). Examining the ―point of frustration‖: The think aloud method applied to online search tasks. Quality and Quantity, 43, 211-224. Marty, P., Alemanne, N., & McClure, C. (2010). Florida Memory Project—long range plan: Final report. Information Institute, Florida State University. FL: Tallahassee. United States. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Usability: Your guide for developing usable and useful websites. The Homepage. Retrieved from http:www.usability.gov Zaphiris, P. Kurniawan, S. (2007). Human computer interaction research in web design and evaluation. London: Idea Group.
Editor's Notes
- #4 The mission is to provide access to documents of Florida’s history for “historians, genealogists, teachers, and students from across the state and beyond.” It provides support for K-12 Education as mandated by the “Sunshine State Standards” …Sunshine State Standards identify the core knowledge base for K-12 education.
- #7 The Archives supervisor explicitly asked me if I would let her see the results of what we found.
- #15 Heuristics –Evaluation of an interface by one or more human experts. Evaluators measure the usability, efficiency, and effectiveness of the interface based on 10 usability heuristics originally defined by Nielson.Think Aloud –Cognitive WalkthroughInterview