What words and where? Applying usability testing techniques to name a new live reference service

Area of Science:

• Library and Information Science
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Usability Engineering

Background:

• Developing new services for academic libraries requires careful consideration of user needs and accessibility.
• The Health Sciences Library at the University of Saskatchewan sought to implement a "live reference" service to improve user support.
• Key design elements, including service naming, link placement, and graphical interface, were identified as critical for adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a new live reference service using a user-focused design approach.
• To determine the most effective service name, link placement, and button design for user recognition and engagement.
• To assess the usability and discoverability of the live reference service through task-based testing.

Main Methods:

• User input was solicited to select the most appropriate name for the live reference service.
• Text and graphical links for the service were tested in various locations on the library website.
• Task-based usability testing was conducted with users unfamiliar with the service to observe their interaction and identify the service.

Main Results:

• The chosen service name and link placement strategies resulted in high recognition and usage rates among library website users.
• Usability testing demonstrated that users could effectively locate and utilize the live reference service when presented with optimized design elements.

Conclusions:

• A user-centered design methodology is effective for increasing the visibility and utilization of new services on library websites.
• The successful implementation of the live reference service validates the user-focused approach for website development and service integration.