top of page
This project resulted from my participation in "Psychological Research Methods for HCI," a course taught by Dr. Carrie Bruce at Georgia Institute of Technology.
Team
2 User Researchers
2 Developers
1 UX Designer
Timeline
August 2023 - December 2023 (16 weeks)
My Role
User Research
Ideation
UX Design
want to get up to speed fast?
What did I do?
Optimized high-revenue tasks and streamlined user journeys from 'Seeking' to 'Doing' by by analyzing the current IA, understanding users' mental models, testing alternate abstract IAs, and ultimately making it easier and faster for users to accomplish tasks on mobile.
What impact did it have?
Tree testing demonstrated a significant improvement in find-ability across the board. Additionally, the introduction of an 'Actions' toolbar aimed at accelerating task completion showed very positive initial effects.
What did I learn?
This project emphasized the value of adapting strategies based on empirical results and user feedback, ensuring a continuous cycle of improvement for digital platforms.
Problem
WorldCat is a worldwide bibliographic repository that enables libraries, researchers, students, and the general public to search and find materials. While effective for locating materials (primary function), a significant portion of users leave after their initial search (48.67% single-page views according to SimilarWeb 2023). This suggests a potential disconnect between WorldCat's offerings and broader user needs, possibly a lack of features fostering continued engagement.
Our Industry Partner hypothesized that incorporating community features can help retain users, guiding our research question:
"How might WorldCat enhance its website features and content to encourage current users to use the platform more frequently?"
Initial Research
Our objectives included familiarizing ourselves with Worldcat.org, gaining an understanding of users' current perceptions regarding the platform, and evaluating WorldCat's competitors to ascertain their comparative standing.
site map
We conducted a comprehensive exploration of WorldCat.org's key features, navigational elements, and information structure, culminating in the creation of a structured chart for representation.
search-centric functionality
WorldCat prioritizes search, its powerful search engine is the core, with other features supporting this functionality.
inefficient IA
The item-detail page, being the most frequented on the website, requires clearer and more efficient information presentation.
limited community features
List feature is the sole community-oriented tool, but creating or modifying lists is currently not user-friendly.
general user sentiment
Delving into social media platforms - Reddit, Instagram, and X - offered real-time insights, though limited to specific subsets, allowing an assessment of the overall perception of WorldCat among various user categories, exploring both their preferences and criticisms.
mixed sentiment
Both positive and negative comments from users and occasional inquiries.
low user interaction
Limited user engagement, with few posts that include WorldCat tags.
user suggestions
Feature enhancements and competing tool preferences.
challenges
Frustration with redesign, navigation difficulties, and missing features.
bottom of page