What is usability?

Usability refers to the ability of an artefact (physical or digital) to allow the user to achieve their desired outcomes and provide a good user experience. In the context of LibGuides, this means ensuring the design, layout, navigation, and content are created in such a way as to allow our users to easily find and use the information they need.

Usability recommendations

To ensure your LibGuide has a satisfactory level of usability, it is important to follow the recommendations from the literature on LibGuides usability.

The most identified usability issues found in the literature include:

• Inconsistent design from page to page and from guide to guide
• Confusing terminology and overreliance on library jargon
• Cluttered pages lacking a focal point
• Too much content, not appropriately scoped to the task at hand
• Excessive tabs in the navigation

To avoid the usability issues outlined above, consider the following points when editing/updating guides:

Navigation

• Avoid using an excessive number of tabs – positioning pages as sub-pages of other pages instead of as new menu items can help keep the overall navigation menu width to a minimum
• Ensure text in navigation tabs is indicative of the underlying content (e.g., Find resources vs Catalogue)

Layout and design

• Keep the layout clean and uncluttered by only using three columns when necessary
• If using three columns, do not use the third column for the most important content as content in this column is less likely to be noticed
• Ensure guide design and formatting is consistent across all pages
• Make use of white space to make the layout less cluttered
• Consider the appearance of sites on mobile devices and try to minimise scrolling for important information 

Content

• Avoid using library jargon or potentially unfamiliar terms and give clear definitions where this is unavoidable
• Place the most important content at the top of the page
• Keep text uncluttered by using shorter paragraphs with white space between them, avoiding using an excessive number of links, and limiting the use of images for solely decorative purposes
• Make the purpose of the guide clear by using descriptive headings and keeping the text concise
• Ensure the language style is consistent across all pages

Assessing the usability of your LibGuide using Google Analytics

The LibGuides page on the Google Data Studio Dashboard contains some useful data from Google Analytics that can be used to assess the usability of your LibGuide. While the number of page views tells you how widely viewed your page is, metrics such as bounce rate, exit rate, and average time on page can give you an indication of how usable your guide is.

Bounce rate

The bounce rate of a page is the percentage of users who visited that page and left without visiting another page. A high bounce rate can indicate a usability problem that is causing users to close the page without going on to view any other content on LibGuides. When considering the bounce rate, it is important to consider the function of the page in question. If a page serves as a gateway to other LibGuides content, a high bounce rate is problematic as it can mean the page is not driving users to the other content. However, if most of the links on the page are to external content (e.g., other University web pages or external resources), it can simply mean the page is doing its job well.

Exit rate

The exit rate for a given page is the percentage of views of that page that were last in the user's current session on LibGuides. As with the bounce rate, a high exit rate is not always problematic but if you would expect users to continue browsing to other content rather than exit at that page, it may be worth assessing the content of the page and considering whether it needs to be redesigned to ensure it drives users to the information they need rather than causes them to exit.

Average time on page

When assessing the usability of a guide it is also worth considering the average time spent on each page. Does it seem like a reasonable amount of time for someone to have engaged with the content fully? If the average time seems too short, it may be that users are not finding the content engaging. Try following some of the recommendations above to see if you can increase the average time spent on the page.

LibGuide usability checklist

Have you:

1. Ensured the text in your navigation tabs reflects the underlying content?
2. Avoided using library jargon and clearly defined potentially unfamiliar terms?
3. Avoided clutter by making use of white space and keeping the text concise with clear headings?
4. Avoided using an excessive number of tabs?
5. Made the design consistent across your guide?
6. Checked your guide is mobile friendly?
    

Useful Resources

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