This is a brief presentation of a usability study on Serials Solutions Summon. A full paper, detailing all the findings, has been submitted for publication and is expected to be published by Emerald Publishing later in 2010.

1. Library One Search
the student experience
Julia Gross & Lutie Sheridan
ECU Research Week August 2010

2. Library usability research objectives
1. How easy was it to navigate on the new
library website
2. How did students use Library One Search
3. How did they approach the search topics

3. Methodology
• Usability study with 5 ECU
students
• First year students
Computing & Library
• Students 4 search tasks
• Typical library searches

4. Methodology
• Observed students
• Captured screen action
• Verbal comments
• Microphone, webcam

5. What did our students tell us?
• Library One Search easy to use
• Students mostly confident
• Some particular problems we need to address
– Terminology
– Access via Portal

6. What did
we learn?

7. What did we learn?
• Observing users is wake up call for us
– vital for continuous improvement
• Some difficulties with understanding different
formats
• Need to do more usability with students
• Hope to repeat this with new website

8. Acknowledgment and thanks to
ECU lecturer, Barbara Coombes, and students