Evaluating the user experience in a digital library

Abstract

Digital libraries (DLs) have been evaluated implicitly by analyzing the query behavior extracted from the log files (LFs), and explicitly by conducting user studies and usability tests. Unfortunately, such approaches do not fully assess the quality of the user experience (UX). Recently, UX is gaining momentum as a critical success factor across all sectors and became the ultimate criterion to guide user‐centered design. This is why we describe how the Mahlke's interaction UX framework can be adapted to the DL. We conducted a laboratory user study with 65 undergraduate students. Three data collection tools were considered: questionnaires, screen recording, and pick‐a‐mode scale. The findings of the study indicate that considering the UX when evaluating the DL provides useful insights of different aspects of the user interactions, perceptions and affective variables. The need to improve the DL system and simplify its interface still persists. Revisiting interfaces by implementing visualizing techniques is a possible solution.

Utilization of Alkin-WP-Based Digital Library Evaluation Software as Evaluation Tool of Digital Library Effectiveness

“…The constraint of Muglia et al's research was it had not shown the calculation process to determine the digital library effectiveness. Barifah et al's research [14] showed an evaluation activity on user experience in using digital libraries. The constraint of Barifah et al's research was it had not shown the calculation process to determine the effectiveness level of digital library services.…”

Do People in Low Resource Environments only Need Search? Exploring Digital Archive Functionalities in South Africa

“…Studies on user experience evaluation in digital libraries and archives exist in the literature. In Barifah et al [4], a laboratory user study was conducted with 65 participants to assess the experience of users with a digital library. The aim was to understand user experience in terms of the needs and expectations of users instead of usability.…”

“…In a recent work by Engerer [10], emphasis was on the necessity to understand users and the way they interact with digital information systems [4]. This emphasis was essential since understanding how users use the digital archive is crucial to improve affordance and optimise system functionalities [14].…”

“…This emphasis was essential since understanding how users use the digital archive is crucial to improve affordance and optimise system functionalities [14]. Digital archives contain important digital resources that attract different users for various purposes [4]. Therefore, it is essential to investigate how these users interact with them.…”

“…There is evidence of using the term "digital archive" interchangeably with "digital library" in this paper. This is because they are both digital information resources and exemplar digital information systems [4,23]. They are both built by the same theoretical, and reference models -either the DELOS or 5S model [1,7,15].…”