For my next assignment, let's take another look at my favorite local library, the Oxnard Public Library (OPL). We'll be returning once again to concepts from Steve Krug's Don’t Make Me Think, though we'll be focusing solely on usability testing. On usability testing, Krug states that:
If you want a great site, you've got to test. After you've worked on a site for even a few weeks, you can't see it fresh anymore. You know too much. The only way to find out if it really works is to test it (133).
and
Testing reminds you that not everyone thinks the way you do, knows what you know, uses the Web the way that you do (134).
This, essentially, means that designers and members of an institution that design and/or create the material for a website are too close to both the site and information it contains. None of these people are going to see a site the way a random visitor will, nor will they encounter the same delight or frustration that that same visitor will.
Usability testing is necessary to see your work how others will. Think of it as having a friend or colleague proof-read your report.
Step One – Develop a script
For the script, I decided not to stray too far from the tried and true script I downloaded from Krug’s website. I merely cut it down (by 351 words), removing references to a recording and a web design team, and changed the articles “we” and “us” to “I” and “me.” What remained, I believe, is a script that contained all of the important points the full script, but without all the confusing references to concepts or materials that I did not need or have.
My script can be viewed here (Test Script Revised: PDF) should you feel so inclined.
Step Two – Create three scenarios
For the scenarios, I chose three tasks that – I thought – were both typical to the OPL’s everyday website visitors and/or were tasks that they had emphasized through the deployment of huge banners on the home page (see: passport services).
Scenario #1: Placing a Hold
See if you can find a copy of Stephen King’s book The Shining at the South Oxnard branch and place a hold (reserve for pickup).
Scenario #2: Getting a Passport
Return to the main library page (home page) and find out what the available hours are for Passport Services on Saturdays and what any limitations on service might be.
Follow Up: How do you make an appointment?
Scenario #3: Checking Local History
Return to the main library page (home page) and see if the library has any historical photos of Oxnard’s previous mayors available for viewing online.
Step Three – Conduct the test
My three testers came from a pool of family members. Given the diversity within this particular sample group, I chose three wildly different testers (in terms of age and computer experience) in order to gauge how OPL’s site might be received by various demographics within the community.
Three testers is actually the amount Krug finds ideal:
In most cases, I tend to think the ideal number of users for each round of testing is three, or at the most, four. The first three users are very likely to encounter nearly all of the most significant problems... (138).
In this particular round of testing, my testers were:
Name: Vee
Age/Gender: 35 / female
Occupation: Transit Planning Manager
Hours/Week Online: 40+
Email v. Browsing: 33/67
Types of sites used: News, transit blogs
Favorite sites? Streetsblog, Newser, Huffington Post
Name: Tee
Age/Gender: 65 / female
Occupation: Childcare Provider
Hours/Week Online: 60+ (a lot of gaming on tablet)
Email v. Browsing: 10/90
Types of sites used: Decorating and Home Improvement sites, news.
Favorite sites? Houzz, Lowes, Home Depot, Dear Abby, Yahoo! News
Name: Add
Age/Gender: 13 / male
Occupation: Student
Hours/Week Online: 5+
Email v. Browsing: 80/20
Types of sites used: Homework related
Favorite sites? Typingweb
Step Four – Report what you observed
For this part, I think it best to give an idea of how each participant responded to each scenario and include any notable statements they made during each task rather than just reporting back my overall impressions. This way each distinctive voice is heard, and, as I’ve already formed my own opinions of these tasks, I don’t want to let that overshadow what my testers thought.
That said, this is how all three responded to OPL’s home page...
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| Oxnard Public Library's Home Page |
Vee: Thought the design was, overall, “pretty good,” but not as “clean” as she’d like. Noticed a lot of links available, and thought the banners were “nice.” She would have liked a bigger picture of the library itself so that visitors (who were going to the library for the first time) would know what to look for.
Tee: Felt the large banners caught her interest, but they seemed a bit too large and wanted to know if they could be toned down and made “easier on the eyes.”
Notable Quote: “That’s a lot of space for the WiFi banner – isn’t this understood already, that libraries have WiFi?”
Add: Thought the banners were eye-catching and that there was a nice balance between graphics and information. He was amazed that the OPL had a Facebook link.
Notable Quote: “It’s odd that learning things [libraries] use social networking.”
And now for the scenarios...
Scenario #1: Placing a Hold
See if you can find a copy of Stephen King’s book The Shining at the South Oxnard branch and place a hold (reserve for pickup).
Vee: Went right to the catalog search at the top of the page and chose both Title and South Oxnard Branch from the dropdown menus. Entered “The Shining” and found the correct item immediately. However, was confused about the options “Details” and “Keep” (the latter just bookmarks the item, while users must click on “Details” and then “Place a Hold” to reserve an item). Clicked Keep.
Notable Quotes: “Kept? [WTF] is ‘Kept’?”
Verdict? UNSUCCESSFUL
Tee: Went to the South Oxnard Link at the bottom of the page and read through the information there, such as a map and directions, and descriptions of events. After muddling through a few more pages, said that this was the point where she would have just found a phone number and called to get the information she needed, and that she was feeling increasingly insecure about not being able to find where to place a hold.
Notable Quotes: [after clicking Quick Links] “What the heck is that?!”
Verdict? UNSUCCESSFUL
Add: Went right to the catalog search at the top of the page and typed in “Stephen King.” This returned many pages (10+) that he manually sorted through. Eventually he went back through the results thinking he’d passed the item and found the Shining, but at the main branch. Clicked Keep.
Notable Quotes: “This writing is really small.”
Verdict? UNSUCCESSFUL
Thoughts on Scenario #1?
As none of the testers were able to complete this task successfully, it seems that the OPAC interface that the OPL is using is unwieldy and confusing. The inclusion of a KEEP option next to item entries is too similar to “Place a Hold” and leads users to believe that this is sufficient. KEEP could simply be changed to RESERVE and this problem would – for the most part – be solved. Of course, the actual function of the existing button would also need to be changed.
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| Keep what, exactly? |
Further, a link on the home page – perhaps asking users if they’d “like to reserve an item” – could be helpful. As is, users must understand that they have to find an item in the catalog first before doing anything else.
Scenario #2: Getting a Passport
Return to the main library page (home page) and find out what the available hours are for Passport Services on Saturdays and what any limitations on service might be.
Follow Up: How do you make an appointment?
Vee: As was the case with all three users, getting back to the home page was a problem. The links within the catalog -- Go Back, Home -- did not actually take users back to the main page. A bookmark had to be used. That said, V clicked the giant passport banner and found the information quickly. However, when asked how to make an appointment [the page says this is necessary] she was stumped (neither a link nor a phone number is shown on the page).
Notable Quotes: “Usually, you can just click the icon [to go back home].”
Verdict? MIXED
Tee: After getting back to the home page (via a bookmark), clicked the banner and immediately found the information. However, the appointment request was a stumper.
Notable Quotes: [not seeing a phone number] “That's weird.”
Verdict? MIXED
Add: After getting back to the home page (via a bookmark), clicked the banner and immediately found the information. However, the appointment request was, again, a stumper.
Notable Quotes: “It would be easier if they said to call, or come in.”
Verdict? MIXED
Thoughts on Scenario #2?
Getting a passport is clearly a service that the OPL means to emphasize, and they certainly make it easy to find the information on the site (the banner is HUGE). However, they make getting an appointment (necessary on certain days of the week) unnecessarily complicated by not also offering options for making said appointment.
Simply adding a phone number would fix this problem. The address is there, so why not the phone number? This is a minor oversight that has created a major issue.
Scenario #3: Checking Local History
Return to the main library page (home page) and see if the library has any historical photos of Oxnard’s previous mayors available for viewing online.
Vee: Went right to the Local History link. Clicked the left link second to the top [which happened to be the right one; the top one is actually a link to the same page she was already] because the page's text said to in order to view photos. This opened another catalog search. She typed "mayor" and found the photos. In all, this took about one minute.
Verdict? SUCCESSFUL
Tee: Went through a Catalog search for "oxnard mayors." Did not find what she was looking for. After a while, she went back to the FAQ page "just out of curiosity" and read some of the information. Clicked Resources, which brought up another page that "looked like ads." Eventually became frustrated because each of those databases required a library card number, which she did not have on hand.
Notable Quotes: "I do this a lot, clicking where I think it might be. Then I get frustrated.”
Verdict? UNSUCCESSFUL
Add: Went right to the catalog search at the top of the page and typed in “photographs of oxnard mayors.” This returned zero results. Then he clicked "change your search words" and nothing happened. He also never saw the Local History link on the main page, as the banners had knocked it below the fold (out of sight without scrolling down).
Verdict? UNSUCCESSFUL
Thoughts on Scenario #3?
The sketchy design of the Local History section is something I've already discussed. The links and information there leave a bit to be desired. However, it seems that even getting to this page is more difficult than understanding it when you do.
It is also worth noting that the first successful trial was made so by the fact that I had already tested the scenario on that computer and had enabled popups from that page. For whatever reason, the photos resulting from the search do not open new tabs or pages (or even display on that page) but open little pop-up windows which Chrome sees as ads and promptly blocks. When Tee eventually got to this part, she was using her own computer (and Firefox) and was also blocked and could not figure out why the photos would not show.
Final Thoughts?
I do not understand why the OPL would hide such a wonderful community resource (historical photos), much less not advertise its value on their home page like they do WiFi access which, as Tee pointed out, might be obvious. It seems as though the library is using valuable space to focus on only a few tiny bells and whistles (WiFi and Passport Services) rather than making simple the truly meaty offerings (reserving materials, local history collection).
That said, there's immense value to be found within the OPL's site, but one really has to be looking for it. Further, one has to be willing to put up with a lot of really questionable design and/or wording during this search. This seems highly unlikely in many cases, as non of my testers took the time to really read what was there (Krug affirms no one really does either).
In all, it seems as though the OPL has not done any usability testing, though they really -- as any commercial or public services website -- ought to. If so much work was put into getting the site together, why not make sure its meeting the needs of its users?
References
Krug, S. (2006). Don’t make me think!: A common sense approach to Web usability (2nd ed.). Berkeley, Calif: New Riders Pub.
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