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Online catalogue research and the verbal protocol method Morrison, Heather
Abstract
The verbal protocol method is used extensively in computer usability studies. This study was designed to test the feasibility of using the verbal protocol method as a means of conducting field research on the online catalogue. Ten undergraduate students conducted their own research on DRA’s Infogate. As they searched, they talked aloud about what keys they were pressing, what was happening on the screen, and their reactions. Transcripts of sessions were analyzed. A total of 65 different problems or comments were noted during search sessions, with 11 problems or comments noted in three or more sessions. This supports the hypothesis that the verbal protocol method is a valuable means of identifying common problems for users. It is suggested that the verbal protocol method offers great potential as a research tool in librarianship, for example in the area of interface design.
Item Metadata
Title |
Online catalogue research and the verbal protocol method
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Creator | |
Publisher |
MCB University Press
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Date Issued |
1999
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Description |
The verbal protocol method is used extensively in computer usability studies. This study was designed to test the feasibility of using the verbal protocol method as a means of conducting field research on the online catalogue. Ten undergraduate students conducted their own research on DRA’s Infogate. As they searched, they talked aloud about what keys they were pressing, what was happening on the screen,
and their reactions. Transcripts of sessions were analyzed. A total of 65 different problems or comments were noted during search sessions, with 11 problems or comments noted in three or more sessions. This supports the hypothesis that the verbal protocol method is a valuable means of identifying common problems for users. It is suggested that the verbal protocol method offers great potential as a research tool in librarianship, for example in the area of interface design.
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Extent |
95805 bytes
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Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2008-06-26
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
All rights reserved
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0107431
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URI | |
Affiliation | |
Citation |
Library hi tech 17 (2), 197-206.
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Peer Review Status |
Reviewed
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Scholarly Level |
Faculty
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Citations and Data
Rights
All rights reserved