This one-day tutorial is an introduction to usability evaluation for Digital
Libraries. In particular, we will introduce Claims Analysis. This approach
focuses on the designers’ motivations and reasons for making particular
design decisions and examines the effect on the user’s interaction with
the system. The general approach, as presented by Carroll and
Rosson(1992), has been tailored specifically to the design of digital
libraries.
Digital libraries are notoriously difficult to design well in terms of their
eventual usability. In this tutorial, we will present an overview of
usability issues and techniques for digital libraries, and a more detailed
account of claims analysis, including two supporting techniques –
simple cognitive analysis based on Norman’s ‘action cycle’ and
Scenarios and personas. Through a graduated series of worked
examples, participants will get hands-on experience of applying this
approach to developing more usable digital libraries. This tutorial
assumes no prior knowledge of usability evaluation, and is aimed at all
those involved in the development and deployment of digital libraries
