Usability Study Task List
June 1999
Scenario
You are a faculty member, staff member or graduate student at Washington State University Pullman. You have good Internet access and want to make full use of the electronic information provided by the libraries. You have come to the WSU Libraries’ web site to look for the answers.
Please go to the first task
Thanks for remembering to Think Aloud as you do these tasks!
When you have finished each task, please:
1. Verbally indicate you have completed the task
2. Stop and wait for further instructions
Task 1
You are working late one evening and find that you want to ask a librarian a question about locating some information. The reference desks have closed, but you want to make sure you don’t forget the question by the next day. You decide to visit the Libraries web site and submit your question that way. Find the electronic form for asking a question.
Task 2
You have determined that the library does not own the journal that has just the article you need. Find an electronic form that you can use to request a photocopy of this article from another library.
Task 3
The deadline for the grant proposal is Tuesday; Saturday is full of other commitments. Sunday is the first day you can get to the library to gather the information you need. What time does Holland Library open on Sunday?
Task 4
You have already found what the library owns in print and other media on your anthropology research. Find a page on the libraries’ web site that lists internet resources for anthropology that might also be of use.
Task 5
You need to talk to the librarian who serves as a liaison with the psychology department. Who is it?
Thanks for remembering to Think Aloud as you do these tasks!
When you have finished each task, please:
1. Verbally indicate you have completed the task
2. Stop and wait for further instructions
Task 6
You are new to campus and want to discuss a recent decision the libraries has announced with the Director of Libraries? Locate her name and phone number on the web site.
Task 7
A colleague from Europe wants to know if the library owns a particular book. The library is closed, but you want to let your friend know as soon as possible. Find the WSU Libraries online catalog.
Task 8
You want to see pictures of where WSU houses its manuscript collection. Find an online tour of the Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections section.
Task 9
You are going to visit Vancouver and want to know more about the library at WSU-Vancouver.
Task 10
You need to write an in-depth review paper and want to use as many relevant electronic indexes to locate publications on your topic as possible. Is there a list on the Libraries’ web-site that might help you find what is available on the Pullman campus?
Thanks for remembering to Think Aloud as you do these tasks!
When you have finished each task, please:
1. Verbally indicate you have completed the task
2. Stop and wait for further instructions
Task 11
You are curious about how the library decides what to buy. Find the libraries policy outlining the guidelines for purchasing material for architecture.
Task 12
You are thinking of recommending that a student take a General Education 300 class to help him with his research in a history course. Before making the recommendation, you would like some more information about the program. Find material that the libraries has developed for GenEd 300.
Task 13
You are feeling the need to learn more about the Internet. Find a list of the Internet classes offered by the libraries.
Task 14
You have been asked to find out which librarian would be available to teach library skills to a civil engineering class.
Thank you for your help!
This is the end of the evaluation.