Usability Studies and Graphic Designers: Getting the OPAC Right

1
Usability Studies and Graphic Designers
Getting the OPAC Right

• Ellen Cordes Head of Public Services, Beinecke
  Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale
  UniversityNancy Lyon Archivist, Manuscripts and
  Archives, Yale University Library

2
Yale University Library

• 22 school and department libraries
• 10.5 million volumes
• 13 years as a NOTIS site (Telnet and TN3270)
• Various in-house designs for OPAC portal

3
Library Interfaces The Blue Person
4
Library Interfaces The Blobs
5
Library Interfaces The Quilt
6
Library Interfaces The Squares
7
Library Interfaces CrossPlex Screen
8
CrossPlex Issues

• Slow response time
• Not heavily used
• General negative PR about web interface
• First introduction to patron empowerment features

9
New Library Front Door in 2001

• Goal was to Promote the concept of unified,
  harmonious designs for all the librarys public
  interfaces to create a clear identity for the
  library

10
New Library Front Door in 2001

• Establish palette
• Use of medieval imagery to reflect Gothic
  architecture of the library
• But . clean modern design

11
(No Transcript)
12
Implementation of Voyager

• New OPAC design had to relate to the Front Door
  design
• Desire to make OPAC look familiar to ease
  transition from text-based to web version

13
Working with Graphic Designers

• Hired the same graphic design team that worked on
  the library Front Door
• Initial meeting to show generic Voyager interface
• Instructed design team where changes could be
  made
• and where changes could NOT be made

14
Preliminary design (1)
15
Preliminary design (2)
16
Design Problem Areas (1)

• Gold bands should encircle buttons
• Button bar should be designed as part of header
• Course reserve tab relates to Find Results in
• Position of Set Limits button does not convey
  important functionality

17
Titles Results Screen
18
Design Problem Areas (2)

• In the results screen, alternate color within a
  single entry rather than between entries
• Type should be consistently flush left in the
  table
• Should be able to remove double padding in
  tables single lines preferable

19
Designers Results Screen
20
Search Limits
21
Design Problem Areas (3)

• Standardized buttons are essential part of design
• Control typeface color throughout
• Margins shift from screen to screen

22
Search Page
23
Design Finalized

• But .
• How will readers respond?

24
Reasons for Usability Studies

• Designers raised questions about implementation
  teams choices
• Initial staff training sessions prompted more
  issues with labeling
• Disagreement amongst implementation team members
  

25
First Usability Study, April 2002Search Screen

• Question Which term is best for the
  multiple-term search screen?
• -Complex Search
• -Guided Keyword Search
• -Advanced Search

Recommendation Best choice is Advanced Search.
26
First Usability Study, April 2002Author Indexes

• Question Is it confusing to readers to offer two
  author indexes (NAME and AUTH) Author and
  Author/Composer (Sorted by title)?

Recommendation Add more description to labels to
distinguish the two indexes.
27
First Usability Study, April 2002 Keyword Indexes

• Question Should we offer both keyword indexes
• Keyword (MUST use and/or/not or ) and
  Ranked/Relevance Keyword?

Recommendation Offer both and call the second
Ranked Keyword.
28
First Usability Study, April 2002 Uniform Title
Main Entry

• Question Is Uniform Title Main Entry a good
  label or a useful search?

Recommendation Offer but label as Uniform Title
as Main Entry (e.g. Bible, Arabian Nights).
29
First Usability Study, April 2002 Buttons

• Question Is the concept behind the Set Limits
  button clear?

30
(No Transcript)
31
First Usability Study, April 2002 Buttons

• Question Is the concept behind the Set Limits
  button clear?

Recommendation Change name to More Limits and
physically disassociate from Quick Limits.
32
Second Usability Study, August 2002 Journal
Title

• Question Do readers understand the term
  journal?

Recommendation Use Journal/Newspaper/Magazine
Title as the label for the serial title search.
33
Second Usability Study, August 2002 Other
issues

• Quick Limits
• Login screen
• Place Requests screen

34
(No Transcript)
35
Orbis Login Screen
36
Orbis Place Requests Screen
37
Orbis Place Requests Screen
38
Conclusions

• Good professional graphic design can be done
  relatively inexpensively (5000) and promotes
  positive reactions from readers
• Usability studies can be used to resolve
  disagreements about what patrons do and do not
  understand

39
Conclusions

• Usability studies can be easily done even during
  the tightest implementation schedule
• Finally, they enlighten us as librarians about
  issues that we never conceived could be problems

and they help get the OPAC right!
40
Contact Information

• Ellen Cordes (ellen.cordes_at_yale.edu)
• Nancy Lyon (nancy.lyon_at_yale.edu)
• Orbis http//orbis.library.yale.edu
• A H Designs (ahdesign_at_snet.net)
• Angie Hurlbut
• Nilou Moochhala