Comments on: world usability day is tomorrow http://www.librarian.net/stax/2520/world-usability-day-is-tomorrow/ putting the rarin back in librarian since 1999 Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:14:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: don warner saklad http://www.librarian.net/stax/2520/world-usability-day-is-tomorrow/comment-page-1/#comment-122831 don warner saklad Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:03:28 +0000 http://www.librarian.net/?p=2520#comment-122831 Our city public library's website and library buildings fail when it comes to usability. Navigating Boston Public Library buildings' floor, departments, collections, curatorial experts sets up BPLusers for repetitive back and forth catch 22s. Add to that the lack in a good customers services approach, routine supervision and routine training. Our BPL website has features that are not universal, not compatible will all operating systems. When feedback is offered it's received dismissively, deflected by BPLers, wrongfully perceived as adversarial. Communications failures results in usability failures. Our city public library’s website and library buildings fail when it comes to usability. Navigating Boston Public Library buildings’ floor, departments, collections, curatorial experts sets up BPLusers for repetitive back and forth catch 22s. Add to that the lack in a good customers services approach, routine supervision and routine training. Our BPL website has features that are not universal, not compatible will all operating systems. When feedback is offered it’s received dismissively, deflected by BPLers, wrongfully perceived as adversarial. Communications failures results in usability failures.

]]> By: Auntie Nanuuq http://www.librarian.net/stax/2520/world-usability-day-is-tomorrow/comment-page-1/#comment-121090 Auntie Nanuuq Thu, 13 Nov 2008 19:04:31 +0000 http://www.librarian.net/?p=2520#comment-121090 The statement on what Technology should be is great! "Technology should enhance our lives, not add to our stress or cause danger through poor design or poor quality. It is our duty to ensure that this technology is effective, efficient, satisfying and reliable, and that it is usable by all people." It is a shame that SirsiDynix only provides enhancement for the public who use our online catalogs, but stress through poor design and difficulty of use for the library staff. One would hope, when spending boodles of cash on a new automated library system & public catalog, that ease of use would be considered for both sets of users! It is embarrassing that after 5 months of having SirsiDynix in our library, that I am still unable to successfully place a hold on materials for a customer using the staff's program on the first try! "Human error will occur if technology is not both easy-to-use and easy-to-understand. We need to reduce human error that results from bad design." Thank-you for the article. The statement on what Technology should be is great!

“Technology should enhance our lives, not add to our stress or cause danger through poor design or poor quality. It is our duty to ensure that this technology is effective, efficient, satisfying and reliable, and that it is usable by all people.”

It is a shame that SirsiDynix only provides enhancement for the public who use our online catalogs, but stress through poor design and difficulty of use for the library staff.

One would hope, when spending boodles of cash on a new automated library system & public catalog, that ease of use would be considered for both sets of users! It is embarrassing that after 5 months of having SirsiDynix in our library, that I am still unable to successfully place a hold on materials for a customer using the staff’s program on the first try!

“Human error will occur if technology is not both easy-to-use and easy-to-understand. We need to reduce human error that results from bad design.”

Thank-you for the article.

]]> By: Casey Bisson http://www.librarian.net/stax/2520/world-usability-day-is-tomorrow/comment-page-1/#comment-121086 Casey Bisson Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:01:41 +0000 http://www.librarian.net/?p=2520#comment-121086 But this year's theme is transportation, focusing on the environmental aspects. I can see a connection between that and usability, I guess, but the the WUD website doesn't seem to complete the circle. But this year’s theme is transportation, focusing on the environmental aspects. I can see a connection between that and usability, I guess, but the the WUD website doesn’t seem to complete the circle.

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