Improving Independent Student Navigation of Complex Educational Web Sites: An Analysis of Two Navigation Design Changes in LibGuides

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Exploratory Usability Testing of User Interface Options in LibGuides 2

“…While some studies found that the tabbed layout rendered the navigation invisible to users, 27 others found that users recognized and liked the tabbed navigation. 28 What is clear in the literature, however, is that design changes to this default navigation such as reducing the number of tabs 29 or changing their visual design 30 can increase usage of the navigation menu (and thus of the guide's subpages). LibGuides 2 makes it possible not just to tweak the design of the menu, but to change its placement.…”

Results of a Usability Study to Test the Redesign of the Health Sciences Library Web Page

“…Based on the results of the usability testing, HSL modified its citation management tools guide to add a left-hand menu bar containing links to all of the guide's pages to the guide home page. This was found to be an effective improvement to navigation by Eastern Michigan University [13]. As these Guides are used system wide, this finding has implications for the wider library system.…”

Does course guide design impact student learning?

“…Guide design and best practices (for example, number of tabs, tab wording, white space, uniform fonts and colors) make up a large part of the literature (Gonzalez and Westbrock 2010;Hintz et al 2010;Little 2010;Mattson 2013;Pittsley and Memmott 2012;Sonsteby and DeJonghe 2013). Usability -how easily students are able to navigate online guides -is another large area of study.…”