Usability Evaluation: Heuristically and Subjectively Evaluating Web Portals

What is it about?

The increase in the number of HEIs has necessitated the need to comprehensively evaluate the usability of services offered via Library Portals. This paper outlines a study conducted to investigate and establish the relative usability of library portals associated with HEIs in Zambia. The specific objectives of the study were to establish the extent to which universities in Zambia have adopted library portals; to determine if key library portal features have been integrated into existing library portals in Zambia, and to determine the users’ perceived usability of library portals in HEIs. The study used a mixed-method design. Questionnaires were administered to all HEIs in Zambia to determine HEIs with functional library portals. A heuristic evaluation was carried out by 12 experts to ascertain the library portal services and characteristics.

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Photo by Taras Shypka on Unsplash

Photo by Taras Shypka on Unsplash

Why is it important?

From the results obtained in the study, only three (3) universities had Library Portals. There is a need for the 68 universities to take a keen interest in developing their Library Portals as this increases the provision of information and removes the distance barrier. The three universities that have Library Portals should take a keen interest in improving their existing portals so that they possess all the necessary characteristics that comprise Library Portals by understanding what the needs of the users are through a survey. Once this is done the patronage of the portals will increase if their services are also advertised and benefits shown to users. An increase in resource allocation by the respective University Management is required to improve the current existing portals in the 3 universities as this will enable them to procure powerful search tools and purchase various resources such as eBooks, articles, and databases. Library portals need to be mobile phone-friendly so that users can access them easily. The SUS scores show that the level of use of the Library Portals is low with the general SUS score for all three universities being ok to poor (adjective rating), marginal to marginally accepted (acceptability rating scale), and Detractors (NPS) scores. This shows that there is a need for improvement in the design and content of these portals to attract larger patronage.

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