User Interviews: Library Catalog Usability Testing
The UX Department at UNC-Chapel Hill Libraries conducted informal usability testing of our catalog in order to pinpoint common issues and confusions among students who use it. This mixed methods study involved conducting remote user interviews and coding search terms used on the catalog.
Purpose:
This project aims to assess the usefulness of our search catalog in preparation for a full website redesign.
Process:
First, we conducted remote usability testing interviews over Zoom to test how students use our search catalog on specific tasks. We reviewed those interviews to find common points of confusion and to critique our own interviewing styles. In the second part of the project, we took all search terms entered on library.unc.edu and subsequent search pages, sampled dates, and coded all the search terms into categories.
Outcomes:
We accumulated a list of common points of confusion with our search catalog and brainstormed solutions to present to the teams supporting the full website redesign.
Lessons Learned:
Through our analysis of the interviews, the UX Department will review the interviewers’ communication style with the participants, and I hope to learn from that more about how to be a more effective interviewer while maintaining compassion.