Utilizing LibQUAL+® to Identify Best Practices in

Academic Research Library Web Site Design

Raynna Bowlby

Brinley Franklin

Carolyn Lin

Goals of LibQUAL+®

LibQUAL+® and Best Practices

“By relying on peer information, LibQUAL+® data leads eventually to an

understanding of best practices”

“A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my

own”

Among the top four ‘Desired’ mean scores for ‘All’ respondents from ARL libraries since the beginnings of LibQUAL+®

“A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my

own”

“A library Web site enabling me to locate information on my

own”In 2010, surpassed the highest ‘Desired’ score for the much-discussed “Print and/or electronic journal collections I require for my work” and scored second highest ‘Superiority Mean’ after “Library space that inspires study and learning”

We reviewed the scores on the Informational Control question (IC-2) for the 30 ARL Libraries that participated in LibQUAL+ in 2010

We evaluated the service superiority gap scores (i.e., the difference between the perceived score and the desired scores for the following participating libraries:

the five libraries with the lowest service superiority gap scores (ranging from -0.64 to -0.94)

the five libraries with the highest service superiority gap scores (ranging from -1.40 to -1.85)

We scored each library web site based on three functional criteria developed by the Head of the Communications Department at the University of Connecticut, a recipient of a University Distinguished Research Faculty award for her work in new media technologies

Methodological Approach

Libraries’ primary and secondary purposes underlying their web site design was unknown

We did not consult with or interview actual library web site users

Only the home page and some secondary pages were examined instead of all the pages on the entire website

We did not have access to Google Analytics data or other means of checking web sites’ usage patterns

Methodological Limitations

Each of the ten web sites examined in depth were evaluated based on the following three criteria:

Evaluation Criteria

1. Visual Layout

2. Information Architecture

3. Content

Each of the ten web sites examined in depth were evaluated based on the following three criteria:

Evaluation Criteria

1. Visual Layout

2. Information Architecture

3. Content

a) Color – Is there a primary color and a limited number of accent colors?

b) Space – Is white space minimized and is there clutter?

c) Focal Point & Visual Path – Where does one look first and where is one’s visual path headed?

d) Layout – Where are the highest priority tasks located?

Each of the ten web sites examined in depth were evaluated based on the following three criteria:

Evaluation Criteria

2. Information Architecture

3. Content

1. Visual Layout

a) Information Location – Related to the site’s purpose, does important information flow with the expected focal point and visual path?

b) Content Categories – Are the key content categories easy to access? Can you get to important information in two clicks?

c) Labels & Titles – Are they effective and easy to identify?

d) Functionality – Is the site easy to use, interactive, and functional?

Each of the ten web sites examined in depth were evaluated based on the following three criteria:

Evaluation Criteria

3. Content

2. Information Architecture

1. Visual Layout

a) Clarity – Has jargon been eliminated?

b) Instructions – Are they needed? Are there any missing instructions?

c) Writing Quality – Is it clear, concise, and straight-forward?

d) Readability – Did the designers think like a user?

Summary Findings

Visual Layout 5 Highest Scoring Web Sites

5 Lowest Scoring Web Sites

Color Used a limited number of colors

Three of the five used multiple colors

Clutter All five had minimal white space

All five had too much white space. Some exhibited display problems on a normal workstation and one had to scroll down to see the whole page

Focal Point Eyes were drawn to the search box

Issues in four of five cases, from eyes being drawn to a decorative image to multiple search boxes to search box competing with a graphic

Layout Search box was prominent on all five sites

Several had distractions like too large a central image or unnecessary graphics

Visual Layout Information Architecture Content

Summary Findings

Information Architecture

5 Highest Scoring Web Sites

5 Lowest Scoring Web Sites

Information Location Search box well situated and fairly easy to use

Search box was complicated on three of the five websites

Content Categories Discovery was emphasized, primary content was emphasized with secondary content off to the side

Various issues identified, such as secondary functions in prime locations, images that distracted from the sites’ discovery and service functions, and tabs stacked on top of each other

Labels and Titles Effective on all five sites Some labels used inconsistently; others missing or don’t visually stand out

Functionality Good on all five sites Generally okay, with one site having vocabulary issues

Visual Layout Information Architecture Content

Summary Findings

Content 5 Highest Scoring Web Sites

5 Lowest Scoring Web Sites

Clarity Four did not use jargon; one used WorldCat and ILLiad references

All five used jargon

Instructions Instructions not typically needed

Tended to have too many instructions; some were wordy

Writing Quality Generally concise, one was wordy, one not straightforward

Three were not concise; two were not straightforward

Readability Generally reflected thinking like a user and were readable

Various issues such as difficult for undergraduates to understand, didn’t think like a user, or made it too difficult for users

Visual Layout Information Architecture Content

If delivering a web site that enables users to locate information on their own is the primary purpose for libraries’ web sites, they should focus on doing that well.

Higher scoring libraries on LibQUAL+© question IC-2 satisfied more of the criteria for effective web site design than did the lower scoring libraries.

Based on preliminary findings using a set of effective web site design criteria adopted here, there are opportunities for lower scoring libraries to learn from higher scoring libraries to help deliver “a library web site enabling users to locate information on their own.”

Conclusions