Online Reference Desk Implementation Group

Survey of Student Preference for Link Buttons

The Virtual Reference Implementation Team decided the chat reference service might be better advertised and marketed to patrons by moving the current text link for "Ask A Librarian" from the centre of the UW Library homepage to the right side of the page and converting the text link to a button. Mock-ups of a new library homepage incorporating these changes were made by Linda Hastings and two library groups, Web Ops and the VR Implementation Team, were asked to indicate their most popular choices. While there was general agreement between the two groups, it was felt that students should also be asked for their preference.

The two most popular mock-ups were selected for a student survey. It was decided to add one more for contrast.
A: Similar to the current homepage with Ask A Librarian added as a button below the other 4 buttons. Two text links remain below it.
B: A single column of text buttons with Ask A Librarian at the top and Connect from Home at the bottom.
C: Similar to the current homepage with the Ask A Librarian button in the middle and the remaining two text links also changed to buttons.

Marina Wan and Michele Laing devised a set of three questions to ask the students while they were looking at the 3 mock-ups.
" Which link would you choose to":

1. Renew you library books online
2. Get help beginning research on a new topic
3. E-mail a librarian with a question

These questions were meant to determine the usability of the mock-ups. The students were also asked if they had a preference for one of the 3 choices and why, if they were aware they could chat or e-mail a librarian, and what changes could be made to make that section of the homepage more efficient to use.

Eleven students (8 from Porter Library, 3 from UMD) were randomly selected for survey. The preferences were:

A=0
B=7
C=4

8 of 11 chose the Ask a Librarian button when shown A. 7 of these changed their answer to Research Starting Points when shown B.
No student was aware of the Ask A Librarian service.

Student Comments About Each Mock-up:

A:

• text links seem disconnected from the buttons above
• didn't see the text
• awkward looking
• doesn't read well

B:

• clearly laid out
• looks simple and ordered
• consistent - buttons appear the same size
• buttons run in same directions vs. 2 columns
• easier to read - can see all the buttons equally
• seems more organized
• looks more welcoming
• looks like long list
• buttons seem too skinny

C:

• looks more organized than A because the text links have been changed into buttons
• reads better than A - didn't see text links until changed into buttons
• too condensed with 2 columns
• different size buttons create lack of focus
• didn't like 2 columns
• looks too businesslike

Student Suggestions:

• make all the links buttons
• add mouseover text to explain what's under each button to enable better button selection
• put Connect from Home button at top (1); at bottom (2)
• put Your Library Account at top (4); lower down (2)
• put Ask A Librarian at bottom unless we want lots of questions
• put Research Starting Points at the top for undergrads
• top 3 buttons should be Ask A Librarian, Your Library Account, Course Reserves
• Ask A Librarian button seems larger than the others and throws off the balance

Conclusions and Action:

Students clearly preferred to have all links in button form and liked mock-up B the best. The VR Implementation Team decided to change the right hand side of the library homepage to reflect these preferences. In contrast to the button order on B, however, the top three buttons would be Ask A Librarian, Your Library Account, Course Reserves. These changes went into effect on Tuesday, October 28, 2003.