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Summary / Results
NYU Virtual Business Library
General Findings:
We were surprised at the various methods users employed
to get to the information that they needed. What we found was that no
matter what method was used, the desired information for each question
was usually found in 5 minutes or less. Many subjects used the "Find"
command on the tool bar and many used "Search this Site". The
subjects in this test proved to be wilier and more creative searchers
than we expected. Not only did they almost always find the answer, they
often found it in a way we had not even considered. They find the answers
their own way in spite of all our hard work to give provide them with
what we believe is an obvious path to the correct answer. Almost all subjects
considered themselves to be advanced Internet searchers. Library jargon
can be a problem. Most subjects did not understand what an "e-journal"
or a "library catalog" is.
Databases A-Z:
We need to put the alphabetical option at the bottom of
the page as well as the top. It might also be good to make the list continuously
scrollable, as users sometimes falter at the end of the A's.
E-Journals:
People do not understand what they are. Users often go to
ProQuest or other bibliographic databases to find articles online. There
is confusion about the term "e-journal". Perhaps the subgroup
on the Journal/Newspaper Articles page should be changed to Journals in
Electronic Format. (It now says "E-Journals").
Font:
I
s it possible to use a larger font, or would this completely screw up
the current layout? There have been comments that the font, especially
in the database listings is very small. This may just be personal opinion.
Color Intensity:
Could the colors in the words (not the images) be brightened
or darkened? After using a link, as usual it changes color, but in the
VBL it becomes too light, and is almost hard to read. The color intensity
problem might be due to the bad computer in the seminar room. When looking
at the VBL on a different computer, it does not look quite as pale.
Perhaps the color intensity for the links on the page would be better
if they were both brighter and bigger (unless this throws the whole page
off).
Library Catalogs:
Not a single person used library catalogs. When asked
about this, they admitted that they did not know what a catalog was and
had no idea what BobCatPlus was.
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