Content area
Full text
Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the processes the UCLA Library Website Redesign Team used to develop a new library website responsive to the needs of the broad population of UCLA Library users.
Design/methodology/approach - Using a combination of structured analyses of the previous library website, user surveys, a card sort protocol and a think-aloud protocol, the Website Redesign Team procured sufficient information to meet its redesign goals: established clear site organization and navigation, utilized user-centered nomenclature, ensured easy access from the library homepage to relevant information, developed a unified institutional visual identity throughout the site, and enabled a content management system.
Findings - Standard usability methods such as surveys and the card sort and think-aloud protocols are essential tools for evaluating and redesigning complex multi-layered websites. Since the redesign process is not finite, these tools contribute to keeping a website current and responsive to the needs of its users.
Originality/value - This case study provides an example that the Redesign Team hope will empower readers with tools and knowledge that they can use to perform similar tasks in their own environment.
Keywords Worldwide web, Design, Academic libraries
Paper type Case study
Introduction
In 2003, the UCLA Library initiated a redesign of the UCLA Library website. The goals of the redesign were:
* to establish clear site organization and navigation;
* to utilize user-centered nomenclature;
* to ensure easy access from the homepage to information relevant to the entire user population;
* to develop a unified institutional visual identity throughout the site; and
* to enable a content management system.
The guiding principle throughout was to move from many individual websites representing units and departments to a single UCLA Library website with consistent design and information organized in as predictable a manner as possible.
The previous website (see Figure 1), which had been in place for about three years, had the following problems:
* Overall organization of the site reflected the library's organizational chart rather than the way users might look for information. The site modeled administrative reporting lines and the geographic distribution of library buildings, organizing information by department or the unit library responsible for collecting and maintaining it.
* A lack of consistency and standards for the...