News

ALA Web Site Usability Survey

A usability assessment of the ALA website is currently underway. The assessment is designed to thoroughly look at the website, including its problems and strengths, to guide ongoing improvements, development, and redesign.

The usability assessment includes interviews of major stakeholder groups, an online survey, hands-on usability testing, complaint and web log analyses, focus group discussions, and heuristic analysis (expert review of the site based on generally agreed-upon principles of usability). It began in July of 2006 and is expected to conclude late October 2006. UserWorks, a Maryland consulting firm, will conduct many of the assessment activities.

An online survey of user attitudes towards the website is now live and will remain accessible from the home page for one month. The survey includes questions from the last online survey in order to provide like comparisons. It includes new questions to determine user awareness of some of the newer features available on or through the website such as blogs, wikis and RSS feeds.

The survey also includes questions borrowed from Digital Equipment Corporation's "System Usability Scale" questionnaire, which has been used to measure usability since its creation in 1986.