Top 3 usability problems that exist on this site in my opinion
The title of the site as a library instantly
tells a user what the site is about – I was more concerned with the lack
of valuable content that could have been placed in this area along site
the current content to make the site more accessible to its users.
Basically the info found in the Books and Reading section could easily
be put onto the home page…
Here are my three points. I wrote this before I read the current entries
to keep my ideas unbiased.
Visuals:
•Visuals – unusual alignment for navigation bar. It’s confusing and not
predictable. The visual/aesthetic of this website does not have a
typical/predictable layout, which can confuse a user. It seems like the
designer has tried to create a clean original site, but has not
considered navigation.
•Colours used within the Teens and Children section make the page hard
to read.
•The site is lacking graphically – it has no content related images and
the resolution of the few images on the Teens and Children’s page is poor.
Navigation:
•Apart from the above mentioned right hand side navigation bar…
•‘Find a Book’, ‘Renew a Book’ and ‘Catalog’ are not identified as
external links and when the user is directed to the other site
traceability becomes very difficult. The HOME is not the home of Warwick
Public Library, so a user can easily get lost. There is also a feeling
of discomfort for the user seeing that there is no indication that they
are leaving the site and the visuals do not match and it may come as a
shock – even a reason for a user to leave the site entirely and
discontinue their search.
•Teens and Kids section has accounted for the different audiences, but
the navigation style is entirely different within these pages, because
the navigation bar has not been kept the same, some links have been left
out making traceability back to the homepage is impossible.
•The site provides two/four ways to enter the catalog; this being from
the links at the top of the page and within the navigation bar. It does
not have the same accessibility for the other categories listed at the
top of the page.
Language:
•Language used for Labels is not clear:
Top labels are ambiguous, and seem irrelevant in this location. It seems
strange that priority has been given to ‘catalog’ in the most expected
place to have a link to ‘home’.
Side labels are too long; shorter more familiar terms could easily
replace the current ones making users navigate the site quicker and easily.
•Terms are not consistent, when referring to the same sections of the
site: Kids/Children
