Do you want to improve the usability of your library website, but feel that it is too difficult, time-consuming, or expensive? Usability Testing: A Practical Guide for Librarians will teach you how to make the case for usability testing, define your audience and their goals, select a usability testing method appropriate for your particular context, plan for an in-house usability test, conduct an effective in-house usability test, analyze usability test results, and create and implement a plan for ongoing, systematic usability testing. Step-by-step instructions, along with a myriad of examples, allow you to use this book as a practical guide, and adapt the techniques for your own context. Techniques are appropriate for libraries of all types, including academic, public, and special libraries.
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: Why Usability Testing Matters
Chapter 2: Conducting Your Own Usability Testing
Chapter 3: Identifying Your Audience and Their Tasks
Chapter 4: Selecting a Method
Chapter 5: Planning a Usability Test
Chapter 6: Conducting a Usability Test
Chapter 7: Analyzing Your Findings and Making Improvements
Chapter 8: Ongoing Usability Testing
Chapter 9: Keeping Up the Momentum
Appendix
Index
About the Author
Rebecca Blakiston has been a librarian at the University of Arizona Libraries since 2008, and the website product manager since 2010. She provides oversight, management, and strategic planning for the library website, specializing in guerilla usability testing, writing for the web, and content strategy. She chairs a website steering group and meets regularly with staff from across the library to facilitate communication, training, and collaboration. She developed a process for in-house usability testing, which has been implemented successfully both within website projects and in an ongoing, systematic way.