There are a number of usability tests of the division websites scheduled at conference. Interested members should contact their division web content manager to volunteer.
Members are also needed to help with ALA Connect testing on Saturday for about an hour between 1:30 and 3:30 PM. Testers will receive gift certificates to the ALA Store. If you are interested is volunteering for a test, contact me at lgruenberg@ala.org as soon as possible. Note that this is a new time, the previous test was set for Sunday.
Emily Woodward of Denver, Colorado was randomly chosen from the group of members who took the online Website Focus Group survey. She will receive a $50 certificate to the ALA Store, courtesy of ITTS. Congratulations, Emily! We hope you have fun shopping.
The twenty-eight members of ALA who participated in the Midwinter Focus Groups will also be receiving $50 gift certificates. Their participation in the 1 1/2 hour sessions was very helpful, and has led to several initiatives to reorganize portions of the website and to reduce the number of broken links. Certificates were mailed today, so keep an eye out for them in your snail-mail.
All of ALA is working hard to get everything ready on the new website. We’re still a couple of weeks away from “flipping the switch,” but you can see the progress at http://ala.org/preview. For updates on the progress as we near the launch, we’ve started a new page at http://itts.ala.org/update/current-website-progress/, which will be the official place to find the latest status report. The list of 10 key performance objectives are listed there at the moment, and we’ll start updating progress on them after Labor Day.
We’re just as excited as you are to be so close to the big event!
Cast
Billie Peterson-Lugo, Chair, ALA Website Advisory Committee
Michelle Frisque, Past Chair, ALA Website Advisory Committee, LITA Board Member, and LITA President-Elect
Karen Muller, ALA Librarian and Chair, ALA Web Editorial Board
Subject
The new ALA website will take a huge step in visual appeal and usability when it debuts at ALA’s Annual Conference next month. In this Website Redesign Podcast, Billie Peterson-Lugo and Michelle Frisque are interviewed by Karen Muller about their connections to the ALA site and the redesign. They discuss the process that was followed to perform the Website Usability Study, including contributions from the ALA Website Advisory Committee, which ultimately led to new information architecture and graphical design.
Program Length
13:58; 12.7 MB
Just a reminder that the graphic design concept description and survey will be coming down at close of business on Thursday, January 31, 2008. If you haven’t had a chance to look and comment, please do so soon. The URL is http://alamockups.luminanze.com .
We’ve had about 700 survey completions so far.
Rob Carlson
ALA Web Development Manager
800-545-2433 x3272
Most deliverables from the usability assessment have been received and will be reviewed with a panel of ALA members and staff on December 18, 2006, in Chicago. The result of the retreat will be a plan for moving forward with needed changes to the website. See http://blogs.ala.org/webplanning.php for more information.
UserWorks is analyzing the results of the online survey that came down October 2. Focus groups were held in Silver Spring, MD on October 10 and 11. UserWorks reports a lot of good information was received. Usability testing was done the week of October 16 – 20, and results are now being analyzed as well. A full report of the usability assessment is expected by mid-November
The website survey went live on September 5th and will remain up until October 2nd. Analysis of the survey results is expected to be completed during the first week of October. UserWorks is currently screening potential focus group participants. Two focus groups will be held, one consisting of 5-8 ALA members and one consisting of a similar number of non-members. Focus group sessions will take place in UserWorks state of the art facility in Silver Spring, MD.
March 2006
The Web Editorial Board is moving forward on plans for a usability assessment of the ALA website. Rob Carlson has begun drafting an RFP for the testing. The usability assessment will lead to redesign recommendations that we will implement as resources become available.
April 2006
An RFP for usability assessment was drafted and reviewed by the Website Advisory Committee. Their recommendations have been incorporated into the RFP. It will begin distribution May 1.