Website Usability: Making Content Easy to Find
Abstract
Usability rules the web. If a patron can't navigate your website, then he or she will not use your library to find information. The rest of the Internet is only a mouse click away. Participants in this four hour workshop will learn how to conduct usability studies without expensive consultants, how to create accessible web pages, and how to apply design simplicity to their websites. Workshop topics include integration of diverse resources, library websites as components of institutional websites, and Internet vs. intranet design.
Objectives
- Participants understand basic usability concepts (ie, what is usability, anyway?)
- Participants understand basic accessibility concepts (why it's important, what kinds of accessibility to be concerned about, web features that can be problematic to various groups, etc.)
- Participants learn about major sources of information about usability and accessibility (The really good stuff, mainly websites but also a few print works)
- Participants learn important ways to study usability (including inexpensive methods you can do yourself)
- Participants gain experience in analyzing websites for aspects of usability and accessibility (discussion session/activity)
- Participants gain experience in planning a usability study (small group activity with reporting back to the large group)
Course Materials
Continuing Education
This course has been approved for 4 hours of Medical Library Association Continuing Education Units.
Max Anderson, Technology Coordinator, max@uic.edu, 312-996-2008
Dana Abbey, Consumer Health and Colorado Liaison, dana.abbey@uchsc.edu, 303-315-4875
Maryanne Blake, Outreach/Evaluation Coordinator, blakema@u.washington.edu, 206-221-3405
Shikun (KK) Jiang, Technology Coordinator, shikun.jiang@exch.library.tmc.edu, 713-799-7880
J. Dale Prince, Technology Coordinator, dprince@hshsl.umaryland.edu, 410-706-2855
Developers
The instructors are members of the NN/LM Web Developers. In this role, they create and maintain web resources used by health professionals, librarians, and the general public.