Discovering Discovery: What we learnt about our students

(and ourselves!)

Elizabeth Gillespie & Jeff WoodsUniversity of Liverpool Library

Why we did it“to make informed, evidence based changes to the Discovery interface, improving it’s usability and effectiveness, and therefore the Library service and student experience, in line with Library’s strategic plan”

• How and to what extent our users engage with discovery• How easy, efficient and effective they find it to locate and access

content• If it meets their information needs• What they like and dislike

What we wanted to find out

EDS - “Discover”: implemented in 2010

Methodology: 3 stages1. Survey

719 responses:Library staff with iPads roaming library + online

Survey questions concerned with:Information seeking behaviour Use of Refiner/LimitersUse of Discover Future use of DiscoverEvaluation of Discover use Free text comments

Methodology: 2. Usability sessions

Semi-structured search tasksTask 1 – researching a topic using DISCOVER

Task 2 – searching for specific, known items

Task 3 – researching a topic using an alternate version of DISCOVER

Methodology: 2. Usability sessionsObservation checklist:Systematically recorded the occurrence of particular, pre-defined search techniques, the use of specific features, facets and functionality

Methodology: 3. Focus Groups

5 sessions

20 participants

Participants asked to reflect upon their typical information seeking behaviour both during the

session and in a wider, everyday context.

•85% used Discover to some degree•Most popular use of Discover was to research a topic or subject•88% agreed that Discover was easy to use 96% made use of Limiters •7% unlikely to use Discover in future

Little use made of advanced search.Little use made of more sophisticated search techniquesMost popular limiter: source type, followed by subject then date.

Findings

FindingsInterface:“It’s set out in quite a similar way to a lot of other websites … it all seems really familiar … you automatically know where to look for what you want.”

Role of Google:“I would search on Google Scholar … if you find a specific journal or a specific article or book then go and search on Discover to see if it’s available through that … so you’d combine the two. I’d start with Google … and then whenever I need access I’ll go through Discover”

Advanced Search“Sometimes I attempt to, but it’s usually a disaster”

Refining search:“I just think that it’s a rare occasion that you get something that’s so specific that you have to use all of those limiters”

Detailed record:“I go into the Detailed Record most of the time, just to make sure that it’s exactly the one that I want … I usually use the Detailed Record rather than just the front screen”

Accessing full text:“Going through all the different links can be really like a right pain”

Findings

AnalysisWhat we learned about the system

• Underused features and functionality

• Advanced search and search techniques

• Use of the detailed record

• Branding; just what are you searching?!

• Biggest Pain point: Accessing the full text (getting straight to the article)

Reflection

Lessons learned:• Rovers with iPads• Recruitment woes

• Tasks which allow for ‘natural’ searching behaviours• Focus group facilitation

• Challenging assumptions – branding & awareness• Technical knowledge within the team

Implementing changes

Aims for redesign:• For the system to stay ‘recognisable’

• Retain valued functionality

• Improve the aspects that had caused frustration

• Remove (or minimise) the undervalued / underused features

• Streamlining the layout and features

OLD NEW

The futureConsistent reviewResponsive to the developing and changing needs of students.Applying lessons to UX studies in other sections

Outstanding:Single sign onIncorporation of user library records into the EDS interface

IMAGEShttps://unsplash.com/Jeremy Thomas: https://unsplash.com/photos/E0AHdsENmDgJesse Sewell: https://unsplash.com/photos/q75_AMCgsZUGreg Rakozy: https://unsplash.com/photos/oMpAz-DN-9ILevi Price: https://unsplash.com/photos/8FwiZcXiX_gNASA: https://unsplash.com/photos/NuE8Nu3otjoRodion Kutsaev: https://unsplash.com/photos/OQ0zP6AS2DINASA: https://unsplash.com/photos/Yj1M5riCKk4Jeremey Thomas: https://unsplash.com/photos/kFy1Aip0eEo