Usability Study to Evaluate a Transformed Library Website

In fiscal year 2016-17, University of Louisville Libraries began the transition from Plone Content Management System (CMS) to Springshare’s LibGuides CMS for websites hosting and management. This transition provided Kornhauser Health Sciences Library the opportunity to fully redesign our website to be more user-friendly, efficient, and visually appealing. To evaluate the efficacy of the new website in meeting these goals, we designed a usability study examining both versions of the site for efficiency and accuracy of information retrieval. Approved by the IRB, this usability study was primarily administered in survey format; as participants from multiple health science disciplines completed specified tasks, their accuracy, time to completion, and reaction to the sites were measured. This poster will explore the design and implementation of a comparative usability study and the resulting changes towards improving user web experience. This poster will showcase the transition process, constructing a comparative usability study, and visually illustrate the results of that study.