Usability Evaluation: MyLibraryNYC Website
Faculty Mentor
Qiping Zhang
Area of Research
Information Studies
Major
Ph.D. in Information Studies
Description
INTRODUCTION: MyLibraryNYC (https://www.mylibrarynyc.org/) is a collaborative initiative between the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, and the NYC Schools’ Office of Library Services. Serving educators across all five boroughs, the program allows K–12 teachers to supplement their curriculum with over 14,000 specialized teacher sets. While the program is a vital resource, user feedback regarding the website interface has historically been mixed.
METHOD: To identify barriers and successes, this study employed two primary usability evaluation methods: cognitive walkthrough and heuristic evaluation, which includes five core design principles: visibility of system status, user control and freedom, flexibility and efficiency of use, aesthetic and minimalist design, and help and documentation.
RESULTS: Results indicated three positive strengths: minimalist design (the website is clean and uncluttered, avoiding cognitive overload), straightforward navigation (most basic tasks are intuitive), and a resourceful landing page (clear overview for searching for teacher sets with quick access to additional educational resources). Three areas of improvement include onboarding hurdles (new users often struggle to grasp the site’s full functionality, indicating a need for better “Day 1” guidance), rigid error handling (when errors occur, users lack the “control and freedom” to fix them independently, often requiring manual intervention from program specialists), and accessibility issues (header font sizes are notably small, creating significant usability barriers for low-vision users and violating general accessibility standards used for headers).
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: To build on these insights, the next phase of research will involve a targeted survey of program personnel. This data will provide the qualitative evidence needed to prioritize specific interface updates and accessibility fixes.
Usability Evaluation: MyLibraryNYC Website
INTRODUCTION: MyLibraryNYC (https://www.mylibrarynyc.org/) is a collaborative initiative between the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, and the NYC Schools’ Office of Library Services. Serving educators across all five boroughs, the program allows K–12 teachers to supplement their curriculum with over 14,000 specialized teacher sets. While the program is a vital resource, user feedback regarding the website interface has historically been mixed.
METHOD: To identify barriers and successes, this study employed two primary usability evaluation methods: cognitive walkthrough and heuristic evaluation, which includes five core design principles: visibility of system status, user control and freedom, flexibility and efficiency of use, aesthetic and minimalist design, and help and documentation.
RESULTS: Results indicated three positive strengths: minimalist design (the website is clean and uncluttered, avoiding cognitive overload), straightforward navigation (most basic tasks are intuitive), and a resourceful landing page (clear overview for searching for teacher sets with quick access to additional educational resources). Three areas of improvement include onboarding hurdles (new users often struggle to grasp the site’s full functionality, indicating a need for better “Day 1” guidance), rigid error handling (when errors occur, users lack the “control and freedom” to fix them independently, often requiring manual intervention from program specialists), and accessibility issues (header font sizes are notably small, creating significant usability barriers for low-vision users and violating general accessibility standards used for headers).
DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: To build on these insights, the next phase of research will involve a targeted survey of program personnel. This data will provide the qualitative evidence needed to prioritize specific interface updates and accessibility fixes.