Information Literacy/Information Architecture: Lessons Learned from a Card Sort Exercise
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The document outlines the consolidation process of Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences University libraries, detailing the formation of a consolidated libraries sub-committee and their plans for merging library websites. It highlights the importance of user feedback and presents lessons learned from a card sort exercise aimed at improving library website usability. Key challenges included navigation complications and library jargon, leading to recommendations for better categorization and user-centric design approaches.
Information Literacy/Information Architecture: Lessons Learned from a Card Sort Exercise
- 1. Information Literacy/Information Architecture: Lessons Learned From a Card Sort Exercise Virginia Feher, Kim Mears, Autumn Johnson Georgia Regents University
- 2. Augusta State and Georgia Health Sciences (MCG) Universities announce plan to consolidate
- 3. Consolidation Moves Forward JANUARY 12, 2012 University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents approve merger of Augusta Sate and Georgia Health Sciences University Summer- Fall 2012 Library Work Team submit regular updates to University Consolidation Working Group. Updates are made available to public December 11, 2012 SACS approves consolidation January 8, 2013 Consolidation takes effect after approval from USG Board of Regents Fall 2013 Inaugural class of GRU enrolled
- 4. Consolidation of Libraries University Libraries Reese Library Undergraduates liberal-arts Teaching-focused Greenblatt Library Graduates and Clinicians health and science Research-focused
- 5. Consolidated Libraries Sub-Committee Formed “to consolidate the Reese and Greenblatt Libraries websites into one Libraries website to best meet the needs of the students, faculty, clinicians, researchers and staff of New U by mid- January 2013 when SACS approves consolidation”
- 6. Consolidated Libraries Sub-Committee Formed Librarian Library Systems Greenblatt Library Librarian Research and Education Greenblatt Library Staff / Librarian Research and Education Greenblatt Library Librarian Reference and Education Reese Library Staff Library Systems Reese Library Librarian Reference and Education Reese Library
- 7. Early Research and Review
- 8. Early Research and Review Lehman, T., & Nikkel, T. (2008). Making library Web sites usable: A LITA guide. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers. Cockrell, B., & Cockrell and Elaine A. Jayne. (2002). How do I find an article? Insights from a web usability study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 28, 122-132. Davidsen, S., & Yankee, E. (2004). Web Site Design with the Patron in Mind : A Step-by-step Guide for Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association Norlin, E., & Winters, C. (2002). Usability testing for library websites: A hands-on guide. Chicago: American Library Association Smith, S. S., & American Library Association. (2010). Web- based instruction: A guide for libraries (3rd ed.). Chicago: American Library Association. Tolliver, R. L., Carter, D. S., Chapman, S. E., Edwards, P. M., Fisher, J. E., Haines, A. L., & ... Price, R. M. (2005). Website redesign and testing with a usability consultant: lessons learned. OCLC Systems & Services, 21(3), 156-166.
- 9. Early Research and Review
- 10. Early Research and Review
- 11. Gaining User Perspective: Survey “It is too complicated navigating through, it should be more like common sense” “lack of visual appeal” “too many links” “cluttered” “(needs) better link to news and events”
- 12. Gaining User Perspective: Survey ASU users indicated that GALILEO, GIL-Find, and eJournals were the most important v.s. GHSU users indicate eJournals list and Database list most important.
- 13. Early Research and Review
- 14. Gaining User Perspective: Next Steps • Sub-Committee formed • Committee review of professional literature and aspirational sites • Committee review of existing websites • Gather user perspective • Horizontal navigation bar solution • Card-sort exercise
- 15. The Card Sort
- 16. Overview Materials Setting • Reese – Study Rooms • Greenblatt – Lobby of the Health Sciences Building – Library Study Room • Script • Index Cards • Sign in Sheet • Incentives • Camera • Notepad Type of Card Sort • Closed Cart Sort
- 17. Script & Instructions • Script • Provided example • Follow-up Questions Vegetables Fruits Dairy Broccoli Celery Apple Orange Cheese Lettuce Yogurt Carrots
- 19. How did we find participants? • Flyers • Snacks • Walk-ins • Liaisons/embedded librarians
- 20. Results: Participants 3 2 9 3 2 17 FACULTY STAFF STUDENTS Participants Greenlbatt Library Reese Library
- 21. Results: Compiling Data HELP ABOUT FIND INFORMATION SERVICES LIBRARIES & COLLECTIONS HOW TO… ORGANIZATIONAL CHART CATALOG COMMUNITY SERVICES REESE LIBRARY LIBANSWERS/FAQS DIRECTIONS/FLOOR PLAN DATABASES A-Z FACULTY SERVICES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS TUTORIALS PHONE GIL EXPRESS BORROWING/CIRCULATIO N CURRICULUM CENTER ASK A LIBRIARN EMAIL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS DOCUMENT DELIVERY/ILL EJOURNALS CHAT STAFF DIRECTORY/DEPARTMENT LIST LIBGUIDES AUDIO/VISUAL EBOOKS TEXT/SMS POLICIES RESEARCH CONSULTATION SCHEDULE A ROOM HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS/ARCHIVES EVENTS CALENDAR OFF CAMPUS ACCESS GREENBLATT LIBRARIES SUPPORT THE LIBRARIES STRATEGIC PLAN Terms which needed clarification User Remarks LIAISONS/SUBJECT LIBRARIANS SMS STRATEGIC PLAN and ORGANIZATIONAL CHART not specific enough – thought org chart was about floor plans. I would move text/sms to “Help” and combine it with chat, making it one card instead of two. I have absolutely no idea what to do with liaisons/subject librarians. I would not have both “Help” and “Ask a Librarian” – Instead use “Help” then have subgroups, such as “Ask a Librarian” then chat, etc. under that. To me ask a librarian means that you have questions about the library. Change “find information” to “research” or “research online.” Tester Remarks Near the end subject moved items to “Find Information,” which seemed to be the most confusing header. Would ORDER BY IMPORTANCE.
- 22. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 TotalNumber Resource/Service Number of Questions per Resource/Service (Term)
- 23. Find Resources Services Get Help Libraries & Collections About Us Contact Us Catalog Borrowing & Renewal LibAnswers Curriculum Center Floor Plans eBooks For Community Patrons LibGuides Government Information Give to the Libraries eJournals For Faculty Off-Campus Access Greenblatt Library Maps & Directions GALILEO For Patrons with Disabilities Research Consultation Historical Collections & Archives Organizational Chart Health Sciences Databases GIL Express Tutorials Reese Library Policies Interlibrary Loan Special Collections Staff Directory Strategic Plan
- 24. Lessons Learned “There are often unforeseen results, though, depending on the perceptions and experience of the users” (Brucker, 2010, p. 42) Photo credit: Creative Commons
- 25. LESSON #1 Library Jargon archives citation bibliography boolean operators catalog circulation interlibrary loan database liaison subject specialist government documents course reserves reference edition ezproxy endnote ejournals microforms primary source organizational chart strategic plan GALILEO GIL universal catalog borrowing renewing my library account institutional repository research consultation repository curriculum materials special collections learning center citation style guides data services patrons users discharged call number stacks OPAC digital information literacy embedded librarian resources collections users library instruction scholarly commons LibGuides scholarly voyager serials bound volumes document delivery content management index patrons OCLC worldcat
- 26. “Some of these cards, when taken out of the context of the Web site, may convey little meaning to users” (Brucker, 2010, p. 43).
- 27. LESSON #2
- 28. Closed card sort: “…there is a real danger of skewing the results, guiding users into categories that might not actually make any sense to them, or categories they never would have created on their own” (Brucker, 2010, p. 43).
- 29. “A closed card sort can be helpful in determining where someone would place an item, but that doesn’t mean that it illustrates which categories users will look at in order to find information on an actual Web site” (Brucker, 2010, pp. 47-48).
- 30. LESSON #3
- 31. • Qualitative versus quantitative. • Observational data (take good notes). • Keep track of terms that confuse users. • Follow up questions and discussion. • Different users have different needs (faculty/student/staff). • Choose your software before you plan and perform the sort.
- 32. • “Dedicated statistical software could be used to uncover patterns in the data” (Brucker, 2010, p. 49). o Statistical cluster analysis (XLSTAT) o http://www.boxesandarrows.com/files/ban da/card_sorting_a_definitive_guide/Card_S ort_Analysis_Tmpl.xls (enhances observational data; does not provide robust statistical data)
- 33. No matter how much you plan, there will be unforeseen results.
- 35. Find Resources Services Get Help Libraries & Collections About Us Contact Us Catalog (GIL) For Students A-Z Index Greenblatt Library (Health Sciences) Floor Plans eBooks For Faculty & Staff Ask Us! Reese Library (Summerville) Give to the Libraries eJournals For Clinicians Liaison/Subject Librarians Curriculum Center Maps & Directions GALILEO Databases For Community Patrons LibGuides Government Information Organizational Chart Health Sciences Databases For Patrons with Disabilities Off-Campus Access Historical Collections (Greenblatt) Policies Mobile Resources Borrowing & Renewal Research Consultation Special Collections (Reese) Staff Directory GIL Express Tutorials Strategic Plan Interlibrary Loan
- 36. Find Resources Services Get Help Libraries & Collections About Us Contact Us GALILEO Databases For Students Ask Us! Greenblatt Library (Health Sciences) Maps & Directions Health Sciences Databases For Faculty & Staff Liaison/Subject Librarians Reese Library (Summerville) Floor Plans eJournals For Clinicians LibGuides Government Information Staff Directory Catalog (GIL) For Community Patrons Library Instruction Historical Collections (Health Sciences) Organizational Chart eBooks For Patrons with Disabilities Off-Campus Access Special Collections (Reese) Policies Mobile Resources Borrowing & Renewing Research Consultation Curriculum Center Strategic Plan GIL Express Site Index Give to the Libraries Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) Tutorials
- 37. Find Resources Services Get Help Libraries & Collections About Us Contact Us Databases A-Z Students Ask Us! Greenblatt Library (Health Sciences) Maps & Directions eJournals Faculty & Staff Liaison/Subject Librarians Reese Library (Summerville) Policies Health Sciences eBooks Clinicians Research Consultation Government Information Organizational Chart Catalog (GIL) Community Users LibGuides Historical Collections & Archives (Health Sciences) Staff Directory GALILEO Users with Disabilities Library Instruction Special Collections (Summerville) Strategic Plan Borrowing & Renewing Tutorials Scholarly Commons Give to the Libraries Interlibrary Loan Off-Campus Access Curriculum Center A-Z Index
- 38. Rewind Photo credit: Charles Grier
- 39. What we Would do Different • Practice. Practice. Practice. • Have a plan for analyzing data. • Tell participants to go with first reaction and don’t overthink. • Don’t provide category headings (ask participants to suggest heading names). • Let them duplicate terms in different categories. • Have definitions ready for each term (put on back of index card using natural language).
- 40. “…observational data that might be more useful than any statistical results” (Brucker, 2010, p. 51). Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanielhebert/5783879702/
- 41. Navigational Bar in Context
- 45. References Brucker, J. (2010). Playing with a bad deck: The caveats of card sorting as a web site redesign tool. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 10, 41-53. Cobus, L., Dent, V., & Ondrusek, A. (2005). How Twenty-Eight Users Helped Redesign an Academic Library Web Site. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 44(3), 232-246. Cockrell, B., & Cockrell and Elaine A. Jayne. (2002). How do I find an article? Insights from a web usability study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 28, 122-132. Davidsen, S., & Yankee, E. (2004). Web Site Design with the Patron in Mind : A Step-by-step Guide for Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association. Lehman, T., & Nikkel, T. (2008). Making library Web sites usable: A LITA guide. New York: Neal-Schuman. Norlin, E., & Winters, C. (2002). Usability testing for library websites: A hands-on guide. Chicago: American Library Association Smith, S. S., & American Library Association. (2010). Web-based instruction: A guide for libraries (3rd ed.). Chicago: American Library Association. Tolliver, R. L., Carter, D. S., Chapman, S. E., Edwards, P. M., Fisher, J. E., Haines, A. L., & ... Price, R. M. (2005). Website redesign and testing with a usability consultant: lessons learned. OCLC Systems & Services, 21(3), 156-166.
Editor's Notes
- #3: Why did we redesign the website now? What was our motivator? “Next Great American Research University” http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2012-04-23/jobs-new-names-parking-housing-concerns-aired-asu-and-ghsu-forums ZACH BOYDEN-HOLMES/STAFF JANUARY 12, 2012 University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents approve merger of Augusta Sate and Georgia Health Sciences University
- #4: Announcement of consolidation Spring 2012. Proposed timeline. Research I aims. Over 50 work teams, and numerous other taskforces. Each step of the consolidation brought significant changes to the library.
- #5: *THIS PAGE NEEDS WORK” LIBRARY WORK TEAM, Subcomittees- promotion and tenure, Content Management Peer Working group, (ibrary Work Team IT sub-committee) The Policy Peer Working Group, Library Work Team Governance sub-committee
- #6: Please also think about questions we should ask our users in a survey to determine what they like and what/how to improve. You may want to look at library literature or other library websites to see the survey questions they ask their users to improve their website. Our first meeting goal is to create the questions for web surveys for both libraries websites (many questions will be the same but some may be unique to Reese or Greenblatt) so the surveys can be reviewed by library leadership and we can put online to start getting user feedback. Please let me know if there are other crucial items that should be added to the agenda.
- #7: Sub-Committee formed in June 2012 to analyze website and offer recommendations. Good cross section of library to staff, reese to greenblatt, and library systems to reference and education. One member became earned her MLIS during process. Another new librarian joined. Early on committee members realized the uniqueness of their two user bases. Ginny joins in September
- #8: Looked towards comprable and aspirational schools. Buffalo ohio, miami and unc. Elements we like -> aesthetic, images, prominent search box, horizontal nav bar, consolidated singular page, and subpages for the library. Prominent Social Media
- #9: Review of library and website related literature. http://www.alastore.ala.org/images/nsimages/making-library-web-sites-usable--a-lita-guide-gallery-1-240x350.png
- #10: Discuss issues with Reese Library’s original website. Aesthetics, Nomenclature, format, static pages, multiple versions of website, old slideshow. Difficult to update
- #11: Discuss issues with Greenblatt’s original website Aesthetics, static pages, static image, too many links. Difficult to update
- #12: Users have problem finding links to the library websites from the university homepages. Reese users liked multi-tab search box GHSU users like the Quick links Both cmapus request updated website links Difficulty getting GALILEO password Difficulty getting to ILL Both mobile sites need more visibility
- #13: Survey reaffirmed early suspicions of issues such as aestheVast majority of ASU users indicated GALILEO databases, GIL, and eJournals were a priority. GHSU users indicate eJournals and databases were priority. Seldom use of GIL and GALILEO. tics, navigation, etc. “user-centered, intuitive, and user-friendly consolidated libraries web site”
- #14: HORIZONTAL Navigation Bar Solution
- #17: Type of Card sort Pre-determined category headings. Pre-determined terms. Group terms under category headings.
- #18: Script for consistency. Asked participants to think aloud. Asked them to select category that best describes the term in hand. Discard cards that are not important to Web site. Set aside cards with no meaning – ask questions. Follow-up Questions Would you change any of the terms that appear on the yellow cards? Do you have suggestions for other categories? (Provide marker and yellow cards) Would you change any of the terms that appear on the white cards? Do you have any suggestions for other resources and services? (Provide marker and white cards) I see under the “services” category you have listed [7] cards. In what order would you put these terms if they appeared in a drop-down menu? Do you have any remaining questions about the exercise or the redesign process?
- #19: Categories/headings in a different color to differentiate them from the links
- #21: Faculty: 3 GHSU; 3 ASU Staff: 2 GHSU; 2 ASU Students: 9 GHSU; 17 ASU Total: 36
- #22: This is an example of how we compiled our data for each users. It’s important to note that we did not have this before we started the card sorting activity. It was only after we started that we realized we needed a better, systematic way of organizing the data we collected.
- #23: Terms that needed clarification with total number of instances (total number of participants: 36).
- #24: As a committee we reviewed data and decisions regarding our final categories and resources & services (terms) Order of links in the drop downs-majority said A-Z
- #25: Be aware that your results may surprise you.
- #26: Every profession has its jargon; communicating with users;
- #29: Context – creating context with the categories; forcing items into these categories; too much context with headings; lack of context with cards.
- #30: During the card sort, everything is out there. In reality, on a website, the user only sees the headings, and if the headings don’t make sense to them, then they will get frustrated when looking for what they need. Is JSTOR under services or resources? Users don’t think like we (librarians and educators) do.
- #31: Plan ahead. Card sorting for library websites is not as cut and dried as say for a grocery store or bookstore.
- #32: We found that the qualitative data was extremely useful; take good notes. If you can, record the process. Your memory isn’t the most accurate tool.
- #33: Brucker recommends designing the card sort for the statistical tool that you have access to. Even then, “card sorting is an imprecise tool for libraries.” Why? Multiple user groups; jargon; vague terms (what is a resource to a patron?)
- #35: Lesson: Even if you come up with information architecture that you think will best represent what the users need, that doesn’t mean that it will be the final product.
- #36: What we presented to Library Work Team in December; order is alphabetical.
- #37: Revised dropdown based on meeting with Library Work Team; order is a combination of alphabetical and prioritization.
- #38: What we sent to the contractors and are still refining.
- #39: If we could go back and do it all over again.
- #40: First gut reaction, like when surfing on the web.
- #41: We found the comments extremely helpful. Again, qualitative data.
- #42: The nav bar on the home page in many forms. Our original mock-up based on what we thought the university template was going to be. Mock up we gave to contractors.
- #43: First and second mock-up from contractors
- #44: Third and last mock-up from contractors before they programmed the page. Live page after more changes requested.
- #45: Live home page; not done; show live page via internet.