SPEC Kit 341: Digital Collections Assessment and Outreach · 145
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
CAR Usability Study Brief
The about page is too wordy
Revise the facets to be more intuitive [not clear what was meant by this]
The name blocks are weird on the folder view
3. We began the study by performing a search in Google that led us to a resource on the
Rare and Unique Digital Collections site. Then, during the study, you performed a
search for that same resource. Can you discuss each experience, considering the
advantages and disadvantages of each?
“Google is easier to use” “Google opens it up to the public”
One participant noted the difference in context that you get from Google vs. the site itself
“Google is text based but the site is photo-oriented”
Searching from the site adds more context but many thought if some more orientation
information was added to the folder and image landing pages it would be just as easy to
come in from Google and know where one was on the site. There was a note to make the
left top corner navigation that you’re on an NCSU Libraries site a bit more obvious.
4. Based on your experience today, would you use this site again if it contained
resources pertinent to your field of study or recommend it to someone? Why or why
not?
All participants responded yes. The reasons varied but most noted that this made the
archives and special collections more accessible.
“I think this makes archives a lot more accessible…people are afraid of the archives.
They don’t know where to start. A website like this makes them a lot more accessible.”
“This site is useful to get an idea from home to figure out if coming in person is worth it.”
“Having a site like this could inspire researchers to come in.”
“Having this available saves lots of time” “I haven’t done a lot of historical research…
makes archival materials less intimidating.”
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