Usability as a Method for Assessing Discovery, by Tom Ipri, Michael Yunkin, and Jeanne M. Brown

The  University  of  Nevada  Las  Vegas  Libraries  engaged in three projects that helped identify areas of its website that  had  inhibited  discovery  of  services  and  resources. These  projects  also  helped  generate  staff  interest  in  the Usability  Working  Group,  which  led  these  endeavors. The first project studied student responses to the site. The second focused on a usability test with the Libraries’ peer research  coaches  and  resulted  in  a  presentation  of  those findings to the Libraries staff. The final project involved a specialized test, the results of which also were presented to staff. All three of these projects led to improvements to the website and will inform a larger redesign.