The document discusses trends in mobile usage including the growing number of smartphone users and how people use their phones for various activities. It then covers past research on mobile usability which found issues like sites being difficult to use on mobile and content needing to be shortened for mobile. Finally, it proposes research questions and methodology for studying the usability of mobile library databases and websites.

1. Is mobile really necessary?
Aaron Tay & Tiffini Travis
#mbusability and #wlic2011

2. Trends in mobile
Trendspotting
One billion smartphone users by 2013
65% of teen mobile users access the internet
40% watching videos on their phone

3. 87% of blacks and Hispanics
own a cell phone
“they take advantage of a much wider
array of their phones’ data functions
compared to white cell phone owners”
Pew Research, 2010

4. The question is not is it necessary
Dean groom "Romantic Dinner"

5. What's the
best way to
design it
Dean groom no cell phones

6. Usability testing is a tool to
discover if users are using the
site as it was intended or if they
use it in unanticipated ways
Danielle Becker
Online June/July 2011

7. mobile usability
Past findings
Mobile activity is secondary
Users consult sites for quick information
Reading comprehension is diminished in
mobile format
Make an app instead of a mobile friendly site
Kreueger, M. Clickz.com

8. mobile usability
problems Past findings
Making it difficult to touch and manipulate
Trying to do too much
When it comes to copy, short is too long.
Kreueger, M. Clickz.com

9. mobile library users
Past findings
55% were in favour of being able to use the catalogue with their mobile phones (Mills,
2009)
University of Edinburgh survey of users search library catalogue was reported by users
as the 2nd most popular activity on their mobile phones next to check library opening
hours (Paterson, 2010).
users are likely to use their mobile phones to get “quick hits of data” only 10% were
reading academic content on their mobile (CDL 2010).
53% said they would like to search mobile databases from their mobile either “frequently”
or “occasionally” (CDL 2010)

10. 3 Types usability testing
Heuristic evaluation
Paper tests
Task oriented usability testing with users

11. Heuristic evaluation
Heuristic evaluation is a good method for finding
both major and minor problems in a user
interface.
the probability for finding a given major usability
problem at 42 percent on the average for single
evaluators in six case studies (Nielsen 1992).
The corresponding probability for finding a
given minor problem was only 32 percent.

12. Research
RQ1: What are the most popular
Question features included in mobile
Research
databases?
Question
Research
RQ2: How well do students
Question navigate mobile databases
to find information?
RESARCH
RQ3: What are student attitudes
QUESTION towards using mobile library
RESEARCH websites and databases?

13. Methodology
Develop a heuristic checklist for
mobile library site usability
Develop modified heuristic for library
databases- mainly context/scope
Conduct usability testing of two library
sites and two database sites

14. Methodology
Examined 13 mobile and app data
bases for interface design
Examined 40 library mobile sites
Extensive literature review of
library and mobile usability

15. 3 Heuristic Categories
Interface design
User characteristics
Content/purpose

16. 53% success rate for
mobile use of sites
64% success rate when
specifically designed for
mobile devices
Neilsen Mobile Usability

17. Interface Design:
the basic characteristics needed for users to
navigate the site, formatted for major mobile
devices, load time, designed consistently and
easily learned so it is familiar upon many
visits. For libraries, which are notorious for
horrible site design, the lack of physical
space on a mobile interface is a blessing.
Very few pages we examined had too many
links or text to space ratio.

18. 81% Browse the Internet
77% Search the Internet
Look for local
95% information
88% Take action
within a day

19. User Characteristics
Another element of design is making sure
your users can use the site. intuitive
labeling of links, learnability, predictability,
uses clear and concise language and
minimize the user error. The error rate of
formal usability testing with users is a key
indicator of the need to revise site design.

20. "There is no future for providing
mobile access on smart phones to
traditional library content in digital
form: electronic articles and ebooks"
Koster
networkedblogs.com 2011

21. Content/ Purpose
This last element is extremely important
for libraries as it directly relates to what we
do: provide content. As mobile learning is
increasingly the buzz in higher education,
the library needs to be ready and able to
provide access to all the content that can
be converted to mobile format.

22. Part one results Interface design

23. Part one results Interface design
Linked from home page?
Fits multiple formats?
Visual display?
Navigation?

24. Part one results Interface design

25. Part one results Interface design
Linked from home page?
Fits multiple formats?
Visual display?
Navigation?

26. Part one results User characteristics

27. Part one results User characteristics
Jargon free?
Users needs?
User feedback?
Task difficulty?
User attitudes

28. Part one results User characteristics
Jargon free?
Users needs?
User feedback?
Task difficulty?
User attitudes

29. Part one results Content/scope

30. Part one results Content/scope
Sufficient help?
Contact info?
Basic info?
Variety of links to
mobile friendly
content?

31. Part one results Content/scope
Sufficient help?
Contact info?
Basic info?
Variety of links to
mobile friendly
content?

32. Part one results Content/scope
Full citation on first
page ?
Links to articles are
mobile friendly
Help screens/
feedback?
Easily sent to PC?

33. Heuristic results
All had Basic services
100% displayed on avg screen size
50% link from home page
30% had auto-direct
50% link to full site
90% linked to library catalog
30% offer option for feedback from users

34. Implications
• Mobile library sites are including access to
additional content beyond basic services
• Most prevalent interface includes icons
and labelled links
• Research indicates there is a wide
variance on user preference for content on
mobile library sites

35. Next steps
• Task-based usability testing with
undergraduate students
• Compare heuristic analysis with actual
results

36. Selected references
Becker, D. (2011)Test-driving your website. Online, 38-41.
Griggs, K., Bridges, L.M., Rempel, H.G. (2009). library/mobile: Tips on designing and
developing mobile web sites. Code4Li Journal
Heo, J., Ham, D., Park, S., Song, C., & Yoon, W. (2009). A framework for evaluating
the usability of mobile phones based on multi-level, hierarchical model of usability
factors. Interacting with Computers, 21(4), 263-275. doi:10.1016/j.intcom.
2009.05.006
Ji, Y., Park, J., Lee, C., & Yun, M. (2006). A Usability Checklist for the Usability
Evaluation of Mobile Phone User Interface. International Journal of Human-
Computer Interaction, 20(3), 207-231. doi:10.1207/s15327590ijhc2003_3
Kreuger, M. (august 2011) Jakob Neilsen on usability for mobile sites and apps.
Retrieved from clickz.com
Mills, K. (2009) M-Libraries: information use on the move. Available: http://
arcadiaproject.lib.cam.ac.uk/docs/M-Libraries_report.pdf

37. Selected references
Nielsen, J. (2005). Ten Usability Heuristics. Retrieved Aug 1, 2011, from http://
www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html
Nielsen, J. (2009). Mobile Usability. Retrieved Aug 1, 2001, from http://www.useit.com/
alertbox/mobile-usability.html
Paterson, L. & Low, B. (2011) "Student attitudes towards mobile library services for
Smartphones", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 29
Pew Research. (2010). Mobile Acess 2010. Retrieved Aug 1, 2011, from http://
www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Mobile-Access-2010/Summary-of-Findings.aspx
Tay, C. H. A. (2010). What are mobile friendly library sites offering? A survey. Musings
about Librarianship Retrieved Aug 1, 2011, from http://
musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com/2010/04/comparison-of-40-mobile-library-
sites.html
Travis, T. & Elaina Norlin (2002). Testing the competition: Usability of commercial
information sites with academic library websites. College & Research Libraries 433-448.

38. Tiffini Travis ttravis@csulb.edu
Twitter: @Mojo_Girl
Info: www.csulb.edu/~ttravis
Aaron Tay aarontay@gmail.com
Twitter: @aarontay
Blog:musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com
Paper: Iflatravis.blogspot.com