King: Building the Digital Branch Handout 2

1. 1
Usability Test Examples
Question 1:
You want to check out the book Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. How would you do that?
Question tests the catalog. Successful answers include:
 Clicking the Catalog link at top of page
 Typing title in catalog search box on main page
 Clicking advanced search
 Changing top search box to Catalog and typing in title
Question 2:
You're at work, and have a question you need answered. You have Internet access, but can't use your phone. Where do you go to ask a question online?
Question tests the Ask a Librarian links and the Meebo widget. Successful answers include:
 Typing the question into the Meebo widget
 Clicking the Ask A Librarian link at the top of the page
 Clicking the Other Ways to Ask link underneath the Meebo widget
Question 3:
Yesterday, a friend mentioned an interesting magazine article that you’d like to read. You know that the library has access to online versions of magazines – how would you find a list of these magazine databases?
Question tests the library database links. Successful answers include:
 Clicking the journals link
 Clicking the Newspapers & Magazines link
 Clicking the Research link at the top of the page

2. 2
Question 4:
Does the Bookmobile stop at the Brookwood Shopping Center today?
Question tests the Bookmobile info. Successful answers include:
 Scanning the Bookmobile section on the main page
 Clicking the Bookmobile Today link
 Clicking the More link underneath the Bookmobile Today section
Question 5:
You have a friend who wants to work for the library – can you find a listing of current openings for her?
Question tests the Jobs link. Successful answers include:
 Clicking the Jobs link under the About Us section in the footer
 Clicking About Us then clicking the Jobs link
Question 6:
You’d like to call the library – can you find the phone number?
Question tests the Contact Us link. Successful answers include:
 Clicking Contact Us at the top of the page and finding the phone number
 Finding the phone number in the footer
_______________________________
Remember These Things:
 Ask 8-12 questions
 No more than 2-3 minutes on each question
 Ask about 5 people. Fix the problems they found, then repeat.
 There can be more than one “correct answer” – patrons are creative!
 Ask a question, then write down everything – what the person clicks on, what they hover over, if they click then go back, what they’re saying, etc.
 Tell the test taker that you aren’t evaluating them – you are evaluating the website. They can’t get a “wrong” answer.