Re: [CODE4LIB] Update Regarding C4L17 in Chattanooga
On Jun 7, 2016, at 11:26 AM, Brian Rogers <pqb...@mocs.utc.edu<mailto:pqb...@mocs.utc.edu>> wrote: We’ve determined that given this community’s commitment to providing a safe and accommodating environment for all attendees, it is morally and fiscally irresponsible to continue the effort of hosting the annual conference in Chattanooga. This decision was not an easy one, and there were hours of discussion as to the pros and cons of proceeding, informed by your responses to the survey, as well as our individual opinions. The survey results clearly show that the vast majority of respondents were not interested in boycotting Code4Lib Chattanooga. What number would have inclined you to proceed, if a 75% affirmative vote wasn’t positive enough? — Matt ----- Matt Connolly Applications developer, CUL-IT 218 Olin Library Cornell University (607) 255-0653
Re: [CODE4LIB] Screencasting Usability Studies
We use this approach as well here at Cornell. Our usability group has tried a variety of techniques, including using Morae and writing detailed reports for clients, but having clients observe live from a remote location seems to engage them more. It's become a popular means of testing. One note, though: this method gets called discount usability testing, but we found that label to be very inaccurate! We call it raw usability instead, which I think better describes the unprocessed flow of information from tester to client. By the way, we also use Macs for most of our testing, and I don't think that it's led to inordinate amounts of confusion. I would recommend running tests in Firefox or Chrome, though, and not Safari. And on a laptop, definitely plug in a mouse so that testers don't have to rely on the trackpad! — Matt Matt Connolly Application Developer, CUL-IT Cornell University Library 218 Olin Library | Ithaca, NY 14853 (607) 256-4209 On Feb 28, 2014, at 6:06 AM, Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit n...@nyu.edu wrote: Ronan- That's exactly what we do here at NYU Libraries and it works really well. We have observers in another room taking notes in real time as the tests are in progress in another part of the library, using GoToMeeting. Let me know if you want more details. On Fri, Feb 28, 2014 at 2:14 AM, Ronan McHugh r...@kb.dk wrote: Steve Krug recommends GoToMeeting in his book (Rocket Surgery Made Easy). They've got a 30 day free trial so we're going to try it out next week on some of our colleagues to see if it's worth the price. Basically what we want is the ability to capture the screen and sound and to play this live for the developers in another room, so that we can all observe together. I looked at Silverback, but I think getting users to do a usability test on an unfamiliar device (i.e. a Mac) can only lead to problems and confusion. I'll let you know how we get on. Cheers, Ronan McHugh Software Developer Royal Library of Denmark -- Nadaleen Tempelman-Kluit Head, User Experience (UX) Department Bobst Library, New York University n...@nyu.edu (212) 998-2469 Sign up to help us test our interfaces get an iTunes gift card! https://library.nyu.edu/ux/
Re: [CODE4LIB] Usability Person?
Here at Cornell, we have a usability group of about 15 people that includes librarians, developers, designers, and other staff. We serve as a centralized resource for usability testing for new or returning websites and other development projects. A few of the members have 10% of their time formally allocated to usability work, while the rest treat it as regular committee work. For many of our new projects, the developers and designers involved also serve in the usability group; since there's so much overlap, we're able to ensure that usability testing is kept a significant component of the development process. I think it's been a successful approach, and the team has done a lot of good work over the last few years. -- Matt Matt Connolly Software Developer, DLIT Cornell University Library On Oct 30, 2013, at 11:24 AM, Andrew Darby darby.li...@gmail.com wrote: Hello, all. This is perhaps a bit off-topic, but I was wondering how many of you have a dedicated usability person as part of your development team. Right now, we have a sort of ad hoc Usability Team, and I'd like to make a pitch for hiring someone who will have the time and inclination to manage this effort more effectively. Anything you'd care to share (on-list or off-) would be welcome. I'm especially curious about whether or not this is a full-time responsibility for someone in your organization or if it's shared with another job function; if you find this position is working out well or you wish you'd spent the money on more robots instead; where this person resides in your org chart; what sort of qualifications you looked for when hiring; etc. Thanks, Andrew -- Andrew Darby Head, Web Emerging Technologies University of Miami Libraries
