KonSearch Usability Study : evaluation of the new literature search engine of the University of Konstanz

Abstract

This report describes the background, methods and results of a usability evaluation, which was conducted in the summer semester of 2011 in the course of the introduction of the KonSearch literature search engine at the University of Konstanz. The new search engine is based on the Resource Discovery Service Summon by the company Serials Solutions. It aims to offer the users of the University of Konstanz Library an effective, efficient and satisfactory search for academic information, which should at the same time be easy and intuitive to use and correspond as far as possible to the search habits and preferences of the users. The usability study was performed in collaboration with the Human-Computer Interaction working group in the Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Konstanz. Different usability research methods were used: a focus group and an online survey, a summative and a formative user test as well as an eye-tracking study.Students from the University of Konstanz were selected as test subjects. The results of the evaluation suggest that the new search engine has a relatively high usability. Specific problems concerning the search with KonSearch were also identified, and this report demonstrates specific recommendations for action to solve these.