Usability Testing (Phase 1)

Reference Links

• Optimal Workshop Training

• Neilsen/Norman Group

• Previous User Testing for Digital Collections

• Planning Documentation

Study Overview

We want to preliminarily observe how users are navigating, searching, and interacting with the Digital Collections application. We want to have this information in order to inform our priorities for future development of the site, and which assets are the highest priority. There are two categories we want to investigate: the general use of the Digital Collection application, and the use of specific features.

Interviews will be completed and recorded using Zoom.

Test Protocols (Tasks)

Our tasks are divided into Protocols based on the category of website feature about which we want to learn.

Ask the test subject to browse the application for 5 minutes without a prompt. Observe the subject’s movements and decisions. Ask them to describe their actions aloud.

You’re an avid comic book collector. In your daily internet musings, you have stumbled upon this record in our digital collections from a rare comic book series. You notice that there is no artist listed, but you happen to know exactly who the artist is and you strongly believe this information needs to be supplied. What do you do?

→ Intended to test whether or not a user is able to find contact information.

You are writing a book about Ernst Stern and want to use this photograph in your publication, but you are concerned about copyrights. Can you locate the copyright status for this image?

→ A prompt about copyright. Will a user select the link to the informational pages?

[For researchers only] You are conducting a digital humanities project mapping the dates and location of the correspondence of James Curtis Booth. You would like to extract the metadata from this collection in XML format, but you’re not sure how. See if you can find information about extracting metadata.

→ Intended to see if someone can navigate to the FAQ section. Something that can only be answered in the FAQ section.

[For Public/Educators] You would like to cite this oral history for a project you’re working on/you’re having your students cite this oral history for a class project, but you’re not sure how. Where would you look for oral history citation information?

→ Will users look in the FAQ for citation information, or will everyone go to Google?

You have recently become very interested in food science, especially food additives, colorants, and vintage advertisements for these products. What can you find in the digital collection related to these topics?

→ How do users search for something related to a specific topic? (Do they use subject headings?)

You are working on a research project about the scientist Georg Bredig. You know that he wrote extensively to his colleague Svante Arrhenius between 1890-1920. Can you find these letters in our digital collections?

→ How do users search for something specific? Are facets used at all?

You’re looking for a science video to share with your classroom, but it can only be about 5 minutes long so it doesn’t throw off your lecture schedule. You decide to check Science History’s Digital Collections to see what’s available. Can you find any videos in the collection that are around 5 minutes in length?

→ See if they can a) find videos, and b) understand what the notation in the search results indicates

You’ve found a video of the length you need, can you see what the video is about? What are your options for presenting the video to your class?

→ Hoping to hear about whether the user would like to download the video and if they understand the metadata (esp. extent and medium).

Let the user click around on the side-by-side transcription and translation page, get impressions, and find pain points.

You’ve heard the Institute keeps a large collection of Oral History Interviews. Locate the collection of oral histories in the Digital Collections.

→ Intended to see if users are able to find and browse the oral history collection.

You are very interested in the history of climate science and specifically the ozone depletion theory. You would like to learn from the firsthand perspective of a scientist who works or worked in this field. Browse the oral histories in the digital collections to see if you can find any interviews pertaining to this goal.

Now that you’ve seen a few options, you decide to return to the interview with Mario J. Molina. You notice that this interview is nearly six hours long, but you really only want to hear Molina’s discussion on the development of the ozone depletion theory. What do you do?

→ Observe how the user interacts with the OHMS functionality.

Another scientist you were interested in regarding this topic was Dr. Ravishankara. Navigate back to his interview. How will you go about accessing the audio for this interview?

→ Does the user understand the request form and do they understand the email download options?

Budget

Incentive ideas:

• Amazon Gift Card

• Museum Passes

• Charity?

• Olde City Gift Card

Recruitment

Persona 1) The scientifically-curious public.

Persona 2) Educators: High School-level, Undergraduate-level

Persona 3) Researchers: Undergraduate, Graduate, Post-doc, Academic Professional