One Site to Rule Them All, Redux: The Second Round of Usability Testing of a Responsively Designed Web Site

ABSTRACT

This article examines the usability testing of a responsively redesigned library Web site. Responsive design provides a unified user experience regardless of the device used to view a site. The study's aim is twofold: to determine if the responsively designed site and its external online services support users’ information seeking needs, and to discover if there is a singular experience across different devices. A cognitive walkthrough was the main testing instrument used in gathering input. Over two rounds of testing, students of various class years and technological skill from the New York City of Technology (City Tech), CUNY participated in the study. The first round of testing for this usability study on the library Web site was previously documented (Tidal 2015). This article presents the findings and comparisons between the first and second round of usability testing. The study found not only numerous improvements that could enhance the library Web site, but also the lack of a unified experience between tablet, smartphone, and desktop users, despite using a responsive design. Smartphone users were at a disadvantage in utilizing library resources. The study also found there was a significant usability impact in using a mobile-optimized discovery tool among users in comparison to its Web OPAC predecessor.

KEYWORDS:

• academic library
• cognitive walkthrough
• mobile
• responsive design
• usability
• usability testing
• user experience

Funding

Support for this project was provided by a PSC-CUNY Award, jointly funded by The Professional Staff Congress and The City University of New York.

About the author

Junior Tidal is the Multimedia and Web Services Librarian and Associate Professor for the Ursula C. Schwerin Library at the New York City College of Technology, City University of New York. His research interests include mobile Web development, usability, and Web analytics.