Open AccessUsability Testing of a Metasearch Interface: A Case Study
Author(s) -
Laura Wrubel,
Kari Schmidt
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
college and research libraries/college and research libraries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.886
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 2150-6701
pISSN - 0010-0870
DOI - 10.5860/crl.68.4.292
Subject(s) - metasearch engine , usability , computer science , ranking (information retrieval) , interface (matter) , task (project management) , information retrieval , world wide web , construct (python library) , search engine , human–computer interaction , engineering , systems engineering , bubble , maximum bubble pressure method , parallel computing , web search query , programming language
This study evaluated the usability of a metasearch, or federated search, interface used by the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions. The authors conducted usability testing of the metasearch system to understand student perceptions of metasearch’s usefulness and to learn if students could effectively complete research tasks using metasearch. Students determined when they had successfully completed the task. The study found that students perceived metasearch to be a useful tool but that they had low rates of success in completing some tasks. Technical limitations and interface design problems contributed to their difficulties. Students expected to be able to construct searches as they do in Internet search engines and, for example, expected results lists to have relevancy ranking and more descriptive information.