Web Usability Testing

The Library's Web sites provide a key entry point for users to many of the Library's services, thus making it the hub of technology infrastructure. Ease of use and consistency in design and functionality are key ingredients to building a customer-oriented system. With this in mind, a Web usability team with representation from Management Information Systems, Digital Access Services, Communications, and other Library and UVa units exists to apply both heuristic and usability testing to Library Web sites.

Heuristic testing involves Web experts comparing a site to a set of 10 principles established for a well-running and well-designed site. The heuristic principles are grouped into three categories: info structure and navigation, content and design, and issues specific to search forms and data manipulation. In usability testing, actual users perform certain tasks on a site such as find a particular book, look up a library's hours, or ask a reference question. How quickly and easily the user is able to complete these tasks, or where they have difficulty, tests both the design and structure of a Web site.

The web usability team is responsible for assigning heuristic testing and arranging usability testing by library customers, both internal and external. This group also tallies and records the number of new websites receiving heuristic and usability testing and compares this number to the total number of websites under development or review. The Library's goal is to perform heuristic or full usability testing as appropriate on at least 80% of all websites under development or review.

Committee Members