Access Lab 2020: Helping users get on the right path even if they start off on the wrong foot
Download as PPTX, PDF1 like171 views
The document discusses the challenges users face in accessing academic content, emphasizing a preference for free resources like ResearchGate and the limitations of library systems. It highlights user behavior during a mock search scenario, where graduate students exhibited variability in their search strategies and preferred familiar platforms. Key observations indicate that users often avoid complex logins and prefer straightforward access to PDF articles, creating difficulties for libraries and publishers in meeting user needs.
Access Lab 2020: Helping users get on the right path even if they start off on the wrong foot
- 1. Helping users get on the right path even if they start off on the wrong foot Scott Ahlberg | COO at Reprints Desk
- 2. o Users accessing content on sites that librarians, publishers and vendors don’t want them to use o Academic users don’t want to pay for content, but don’t seem to be thorough about searching for free content either o Users find library authentication & navigation cumbersome o Speculation that some users prefer ResearchGate while others may dislike the visibility of accessing content on the platform o Sci-Hub is a one-stop shop and easier to use than alternatives “Wrong Foot” Anecdotes:
- 3. oUsers should use the resources librarians pay for to access content oThe resources librarians pay for have added value (related content features, supplemental materials, controlled vocabularies, semantic searching) oSome free content is good. Other free content may be pirated or lack full legitimacy. Librarians and publishers would like experienced users to know the difference. oUsers shouldn’t treat interlibrary loan as a crutch “Right Path” Wishful Thinking:
- 4. We had a solution in mind. We intended to present a case study of a live trial of that solution here. But things didn’t work out that way. The technology components wouldn’t all fit together nicely. So we decided to mock up what the solution might have looked like, and we asked users on usertesting.com for their opinions. Some of the responses were not what we were hoping for. But we think you’ll agree that the feedback we received is valuable Reality Check
- 5. Lettie Conrad, Scholarly Kitchen Chef Conducted the core end-user testing which I’ll be presenting Michiel van der Heyden, SpringerNature Inspired some of this research through his speculations on when and why users might prefer ResearchGate Kieran Prince, Open Athens Inspired some of this research through his consideration of how users navigate through Google search results Article Galaxy customers of Reprints Desk Provided countless anecdotes of end-users not doing what Librarians want them to do Contributors and Inspirations 1 2 3 4
- 6. 14 post-graduate researchers at universities in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia participated via usertesting.com We presented a “Known-item search” scenario. We mocked-up results to look like Google search results, including relevant live pages from: o Pubmed o The journal websites (where the DOIs resolve to) o ResearchGate o An experimental Article Page with links to OA versions, rental and purchase options, and a pathway to navigate their institution’s authentication to access subscribed content Reactions to the search results were recorded (audio and video). They were also asked a series of questions at the end. Method
- 7. University of Manchester University of Melbourne UC Davis Michigan State University University of Oklahoma San Jose State University Users tested were all full time or part time graduate students from the following universities: Yale Harvard University of California Queensland University of Technology North Carolina State University
- 8. Sample search result page presented to testers
- 10. ResearchGate example “I will either request on Researchgate or ask my PhD colleagues to get the paper for free since they have full access”
- 11. Article Page example Note the OA link – this is to a 3rd party repository, which end-users often fail to find “I know I can buy the article, but that doesn’t suit me”
- 12. The variability of journal websites
- 13. oWhen you're searching for articles online, what website or service do you start with? oWere you familiar with the resources presented in these search result images? oWhat methods do you use to access the full-text articles you want to read? oIf you can't get to an article without paying, what do you usually do? Survey questions
- 14. oSome users were thorough, and tried almost everything. Other users either found what they wanted straight away, or gave up quickly. Because of this variability and the small sample size, we felt that compiling statistics from the results wasn’t the right thing to do. oInstead we pored over the written responses, and the audio and video from the user testing, to find what we felt were the most important quotes, observations, and highlights No statistical results - just quotes, anecdotes, and observations
- 15. o“I cannot find a website which consistently has the exact articles I want available for purchase.” o“If i can't find an article i need on that then i go on CORE. They're easy to use so i like them” o“Usually I try to find the article in a downloadable PDF form first, and then log in with my institution afterwards.” o“If I see a ‘download full text PDF’ button, I’m sold!” User quotes
- 16. oThe users we queried prefer to search Google, ResearchGate, and their library (in that order) oMany users try their library for full text access only if other options don’t work first oSome users lamented that there is no single source for all their content needs oResearchGate and Pubmed are preferred by many because the navigation is consistent and familiar, and there is usually a good abstract Highlights
- 17. oUsers don’t like logins (some will use Google or ask a colleague for a paper before authenticating) oSome users will opt for alternate articles rather than pay for their first choice oUsers like PDFs for familiarity, consistency, and ease-of-use oSome users gravitate towards the most recent date stamp More highlights
- 18. oMany users cherry-pick search results and go first to sources they trust or prefer (Pubmed, ResearchGate). oUsers will ignore unfamiliar sites even though they might offer a pathway to a free version of the article oNo users mentioned Sci-Hub or related pirate sites. We didn’t suggest these options, but the questions we asked were open-ended so we thought some users might mention them. Key Observations
- 19. Visibility on ResearchGate was NOT an issue for any of the users we surveyed Lessons Logins are unpopular. Too many clicks, confusing processes. Users are impatient. Even though they don’t want to pay, they won’t do an in-depth search for a free version Familiarity is important. Users confer “trust” on sites that have worked well for them in the past. This creates an advantage for aggregators and a challenge for publishers and libraries.