Best Practices: LibGuides Usability

Usability Studies of LibGuides have found the following:

• "LibGuides users tend to be overwhelmed by clutter, and too many pages, boxes, and links." (Sonsteby and DeJonghe, 2013)
• Consistency in naming, labeling, and style is important
• Search box confusion arises from multiple search boxes
• Users expect the search box to act like their institution's discovery tool
• Inconsistent labeling, of tabs and of resources, and too many tabs confuse users
• Users become confused about how best to contact someone for help, particularly when there is a combination of profile box and an "Ask a Librarian" chat widget on the page (Sonsteby and DeJonghe, 2013)
• Users find multiple types of contact information overwhelming 
• Students often do not understand the tabbed interface and do not realize clicking on the tabs will lead to more information 

• Save the time of the reader! (Ranganathan) 
• Create guides around an information need specific to a course, rather than around types of content (e.g., Databases, Dictionaries, etc.)
• Limit the number of tabs you use and show the tabs to students when doing instruction sessions or one-on-one consultations
• Use consistent labeling within and among your guides 
• Use accurate descriptions of linked content (not "Click Here") 
• Consider making your homepage a table of contents to your guide, if it is complicated content or involves many pages