California Digital Library Interface Design Project Task Analysis and Initial Sketches

Overview | Task Analysis | Suggested Solution | Experiment Outline

Suggested Solution:

[Go to sketches]

Our proposed solution is based on four simple principles:

1. Streamline and clarify paths through the CDL site for common user tasks.
2. Provide Site Map.
3. For clarity's sake, delineate the role currently played by Melvyl within CDL and describe the planned evolution.
4. Enhance and expand context sensitive assistance for the users.

On the Home Page, the Directory of Collections and Services will be replaced by a Gateway to Collections and will become the most prominent option. A brief text description will outline what those Collections are and how they relate to the other resources available in the campus system. The current Guides, News & Development Information, About CDL, and What's New that currently exist on the Home Page will be reformatted and moved to minor roles in the interface. [sketch] We also advocate that if and when the Profile option exists for CDL itself instead of Melvyl, it, too, should reside on the Home Page to set up prior to a search session.

Our interviews all indicated that the most immediate option that users need is some kind of orientation to the site and/or clear access to the Collection search tools. To answer this need, the Home Page leads to a Site Map or the Gateway to Collections. On the Gateway to Collections page, we have combined the options for Search and Browse (currently these are separate tabs.) We will allow the user to search by topic or keywords or both combined and have a choice of formats (not just one or all.) The Gateway to Collections page will also give them easy access to the catalogs and indexes to find books and journal articles (e.g., link to Melvyl as they do, but, again, make it more clear.)

Our third principle above (delineating Melvyl's role) will be addressed in part by the site map, and further by text elements not yet written.

Application to scenarios:

[Go to sketches]

1. [Sketch] Ken can immediately locate the site map link on the CDL front page, which is a familiar concept to him from other websites. The site map shows him where he can learn more about the search tools, the extent of the collections, and how to access the databases. He chooses to go directly to the search tools. He searches on his topic of interest, Art History. The result is very long and general, and he's confused and needs to find help about where to go next. He triggers the pull-down help menu along the left frame for assistance.

2. [Sketch] Phillipe enters CDL and goes directly to the digital collections, with which he is somewhat familiar. It is easier to make this link quickly, even for a somewhat experienced user such as he, because of the prominence of the Gateway to Collections link on the page-low cognitive/visual overhead. He drills down to the genetics category, and finds the specific journal he is looking for. From there, he exits CDL by choosing the link to the journals' own web page.

3. [Sketch] Drusilla opens the CDL website and goes straight to the Gateway, knowing that it offers access to the Search function. She formulates a query tailored to her needs. She follows the lead to a database. She saves it to her profile and is assured that the system will email her regularly with any updated articles on this topic. She returns to the query results and chooses another database to repeat these steps until she is satisfied she has covered all her bases to keep her "Current Awareness" alive.

Overview | Task Analysis | Suggested Solution | Experiment Outline

Updated: March 1, 1999