UW-Madison Libraries
Web Services Usability and Assessment Team
About: UW-Madison Libraries have the 11th largest research library collection in North America and serve over 45,000 students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Web Services Usability and Assessment Team helps assess and coordinate usability research for the library website, which receives over 5 million visits each year.
Role: UX Student Assistant
Institution: UW-Madison Libraries
Team: Web Services Usability and Assessment Team
Tenure: September 2019 - May 2021
My Contribution: I conducted primary research that explored the behaviors and motivations of library website users through usability testing, accessibility assessments, and analytics projects.
Usability Testing
I helped design, conduct and analyze usability tests and assist with compiling final reports that were shared with library stakeholders. I facilitated several usability tests that focused on Article Search, the Locations page, UW Digital Collections, Advanced Catalog Search, and the Find It feature. In the 2019-2020 academic year, I facilitated in-person usability testing sessions. During the COVID-19 pandemic, WSUAT began conducting usability tests remotely, and I facilitated remote usability testing sessions.
Research Methods and Process
Based on information gained in interviews and meetings with Web Services Management Team subcommittees, we formulated research questions and tasks and then facilitated the usability tests with library website users.
The user feedback, observations and other data that is gathered during this process was then shared with library stakeholders in our final reports in order to make the library website more accessible, responsive and inclusive for students.
Accessibility Assessments
I conducted accessibility reviews of library website pages, focusing on keyboard navigation and screen reader technology.
Analytics
Hotjar: I analyzed session recordings on various library website pages in order to gain insight on user behavior and interaction patterns.
Google Data Studio: I have worked on data visualization projects to help effectively display analytics data for the websites of different libraries on campus.