Chemical Supplier Website Comparison...Figure 8: Health and safety information Sigma-Aldrich: The...

Usability Study

Chemical Supplier

Website Comparison

A White Paper by Cameron Toskey

April 18th, 2015

Introduction: In many chemical labs, the need to reorder chemicals arises quite frequently. This

white paper compares Sigma-Aldrich and AK Sciences, two prominent chemical ordering sites.

These sites are frequently used by research lab to restock their chemicals supplies, which is why

their usability is being tested. The average user of these sites is assumed to have some technical

knowledge, and basic knowledge of chemical compounds.

Methods: The tests were conducted on an ASUS laptop running Windows 8. The browser used

to access the sites was the latest version of Google Chrome. I chose tasks that an average lab

technician would perform on the site. The tasks were performed on both sites and I compared the

results. In order to keep consistent results, the chemical toluene was used in the search functions.

Tasks: The following seven tasks were performed:

1. Creating an account.

2. Search for a compound by its common name.

3. Search for a compound by its IUPAC name.

4. Search for a compound using the structure search feature.

5. Set up a chemical order.

6. Search for a compound’s MSDS.

7. Contact the distributor.

Criteria: The sites were judged on the following criteria and quantified with the Likert Scale:

The task yielded satisfactory results

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

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The task was completed in a reasonable amount of time


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The user interface was easy to navigate


5 4 3 2 1

Results:

The screen capture images are shown with Sigma-Aldrich on the left, and AKSCI on the right,

unless otherwise noted.

Task 1: Creating an Account

Figure 1: Chemical interest screen

Figure 2: Company verification screen

Figure 3: AKSCI account setup screen

Sigma-Aldrich: Creating an account on Sigma-Aldrich was fairly straightforward. After

choosing to create an account, I was able to easily input my information to create an account. I

was surprised when one of the steps inquired about my interests. This made the site feel more

personal, and would help personalize my experience with the site. The process was fairly

straightforward. However, the task fully could not be completed. In order to finish the

registration, Sigma-Aldrich required verification that I was with a company that had done

business with them in the past. I was provided with instructions on how to bypass this function if

I was with a company not previously affiliated with Sigma-Aldrich. But since I did not fully

intend to purchase chemicals, I could not fully complete the task. However, the rest of the

process was streamlined and straightforward.



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AKSCI: Creating an account for AKSCI was extremely straightforward. After clicking on the

link I was allowed to enter in my information. Shortly after completing the application, I

received a conformation email. The registration process was much quicker and much more

streamlined than Sigma-Aldrich. However, it did not attempt to personalize my experience with

that site. I was also able to complete registration since AKSCI did not require affiliation with a

company that had previously done business with them before.



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Task 2: Searching for a compound by its common name

Figure 4: Toluene search results

Sigma-Aldrich: Searching for a chemical compound using the Sigma-Aldrich site was extremely

straightforward. The compound toluene was brought up immediately after typing it into the

search bar. The search also brought up the different grades of toluene that they sold, such as

laboratory or solvent grade. The search also provided links to the chemicals’ pricing and their

respective material safety data sheets (MSDS).



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AKSCI: While the AK Sciences had an easy to find search bar, finding the chemical toluene was

not an easy task. Searching for toluene brought up any compound that they stocked with toluene

as a substrate. While the results were returned quickly. Time was wasted sifting through the

results, only to find pure toluene was not there. One a more positive not, however, the pricing

data was listed with each chemical. So if toluene was returned in the search results, I would have

been able to see its price.



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Task 3: Searching for a compound by its IUPAC name

Figure 5: Methylbenzene search results

Sigma-Aldrich: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has named

most compounds based on the functional groups that they are comprised of. The IUPAC name

for toluene is “methylbenzene.” When I searched for toluene as methylbenzene, I was returned

the same result as if I had searched toluene. However, placing a space between methyl and

benzene yielded a different result. While I first found this strange, I realized that the function can

be applied for parts of molecules as well. So if I wanted to find molecules with a certain

functional group, this search function can be applied as well.



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AKSCI: Using the AKSCI search function for methylbenzene did not return the result of toluene.

However, the search did return the same set of results as when I had searched “toluene.” So

while the search did not return the compound toluene, the site does recognize that methylbenzene

is actually toluene.



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Task 4: Search for a compound using the structure search feature

Figure 6: Structure search

Sigma-Aldrich: One feature that I found interesting on both sites was that I could search for a

chemical by drawing its structure. The “Search by Structure” feature was very easy to find, since

it was located near the bottom of the login page. The structure function itself was very simple to

use. I clicked on the functional groups that I wanted until I had built toluene. However, it was a

little confusing that clicking drew a line and dragging between two points drew the currently

selected functional group. Hitting search returned the same compound as previous searches.



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AKSCI: The AKSCI structure search function was prominently displayed at the top of their

home page. The first time I tried to use it I was shown a blank page. However, restarting by

browser fixed the problem and I was taken to a similar search screen as Sigma-Aldrich. After

choosing a functional group, simply clicking placed it into the search area. While more clicking

was involved, I found this structure search function easier to use than the one used by Sigma-

Aldrich. After choosing “specific search,” the returned result was toluene.



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Task 5: Setting up a chemical order

Figure 7: Adding a chemical to an order

Sigma-Aldrich: Setting up an order was not as straightforward as I had hoped. After navigating

to their order center, I found that I had to go find toluene’s index number so I could start the

order. Once I entered the index number, I was able to choose the size and quantity that I wanted.



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AKSCI: Setting up and order from AKSCI was very straightforward. From the search screen I

could chose the quantity that I wanted and then added it to my cart. Checking out also appeared

to be an easy, straightforward process as well.



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Task 6: Searching for a compound’s MSDS

Figure 8: Health and safety information

Sigma-Aldrich: The MSDS provides all the hazard and safety warnings associated with each

chemical. The MSDS tab for Sigma-Aldrich was located at the top of the page and easily

accessible. After searching I was given the full MSDS for toluene.



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AKSCI: When I tried to find the MSDS for toluene using AKSCI, I could not find it. I used the

search function. I looked under their resources tab. I even consulted their Help tab. None of these

yielded any MSDS data. However, the search result for toluene did provide som health and

safety information.



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Task 7: Contacting the distributer

Figure 9: Sigma-Aldrich contact information (left) and online help form (right)

Figure 10: AKSCI contact information (right) and online technician status indicatior (left)

Sigma-Aldrich. Attempting to establish contact was fairly simple. After clicking the “Contact

Us” tab, I was given a phone number to reach an office in case I had troubles with the site or

with my order. I was also provided a link to an online help request form.



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AKSCI: It was very straight forward on finding contact information for AKSCI. After clicking

the “Contact Us” link, all of their contact information was shown. Not only did they provide a

phone number and email address, I was provided with a fax number and their office hours. One

feature that I found interesting was a little tab in the bottom corner that read “Email Us!” This

was the site telling me that customer service representatives were currently offline. If the

message had read “Chat with Us!” it would have indicated that any questions I had could be

answered immediately by a customer service agent.



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Recommendations:

Sigma-Aldrich

Satisfactory Time UI

32 31 32

AKSCI

Satisfactory Time UI

25 27 29

Comparing Sigma-Aldrich and AK Scientific has shown that both sites can perform most of the

tasks. However, Sigma-Aldrich had several more features than AKSCI. AKSCI’s lack of MSDS

sheets and a less accurate search function lead to a drop in task satisfaction. The time it took to

return results on both sites was comparable. However, since I had to search several different

areas of AKSCI for MSDS information, or to see if toluene was among the search results, its

time score was affected. When it came to user interface, I found the interface of both Sigma-

Aldrich and AKSCI to be very simple and straightforward.

My recommendation for most chemical orders would be Sigma-Aldrich, since the chemicals

were easier to find, and they provided more information on their products. However, if price is

an issue, I would recommend AKSCI, since their prices were found to be, on average, lower than

those of Sigma-Aldrich.

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