OPAC USABILITY STUDY -- DRAFT TEST QUESTIONS 10-3-01

PROBLEM STATEMENT 1: Should the advanced search screen be our front screen? Would naïve users think they needed to fill out all the boxes? Do users understand search limits? (PLEASE NOTE: For each of these questions, the library limit should be set to ALL.)

All Scenarios below will have searcher start at the Advanced Search Screen

Scenario I: You are interested in Indiana authors, specifically Gene Stratton-Porter

How can you see a list of any books in the IU Libraries system written by Gene Stratton-Porter?

Scenario II: You are teaching a Shakespeare class and want to show a film version of Romeo and Juliet.

Do the IU Libraries own video copies of Romeo and Juliet?

Find one copy that you like. Print off the description that includes the call number.

Scenario IV: Your instructor would like you to find materials about nuclear energy policy written in 1998 or later.

Find materials in the IU Librareis about nuclear energy policy that were written in 1998 or later?

Mark 5 interesting titles to print. Print off only those 5 records.

PROBLEM STATEMENT 2: Will users understand new Library Groupings?

Scenario I: You have a paper due tomorrow about anxiety disorders for your psychology class. You have to find a book somewhere in Indianapolis about this topic. How would you look for materials on this topic anywhere on the Indianapolis campus?

Scenario II: You are taking a sailing class. How would you search IUCAT to find out what the Bloomington HPER Library has on sailboat racing?

PROBLEM STATEMENT 3: Do users understand what exact and browse searches are? Do they see options to use those searches on the screen?

Scenario I: You are an English professor teaching a course on women in literature.

How can you see a list of subject headings related to this topic? (NOTE: This search can be done in most libraries without changing the default library.)

Scenario II: You decide you want a list of all materials by Sylvia Plath that the South Bend Schurz Library owns. What steps would you take?

Scenario III: You need to find an article in the latest issue of the journal Allergy in the Ruth Lilly Medical Library in Indianapolis. How will you find it?

PROBLEM STATEMENT 4. Do users understand what it means to sort results? Can they figure out how and when to do it?

Scenario: You are writing a paper about the Internet. You aren’t sure what part of the topic you would like to focus on. You would like to look at the most recent books the library owns about the Internet.

How would you set up your search so that you could see the most recent books on the Internet?

PROBLEM STATEMENT 5: Can users find anything in the Reserves Module?

* Can they figure out where to go in the catalog to find items on reserve?

* Do they know how to enter a course number or course name?

* Can users figure out how to get back to IUCAT?

Scenario I: You are a student at IU Southeast taking Plant Sciences B203, a class called the Survey of Plant Kingdom. Your instructor is David Taylor. Your syllabus says that you are to read materials on reserve. There are three ways to look up materials on reserve. What are they? Try each one.

Scenario II: You also have reading to do in your Psychology P319 class on Psychology of

Personality. Can you find materials on reserve for this class?

Scenario III: You are a student at IU Bloomington. You are taking English W231 (Professional Writing Skills) and your instructor told you to find his materials on reserve in the Main Library. You can't remember your instructor's last name, but his first name is David. You are supposed to read a chapter from a book about business writing.. What is the call number for this book?

When you are done with this search, how would you go back to the regular part of the catalog to find the latest issue of the Journal of Sociology?

....

Later in the session: Go to the advanced screen and scroll down to the bottom.

What does "Sort Results By" mean? When would you use this?

Is there another term that you suggest this is called, other than "Sort Results By"?