User Experience & Web Services Research
MSU Libraries Usage Data During Initial COVID-19 Closure
Completed
July 2020 - September 2020
The UX unit gathered usage data and prepared a report to compare library usage during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic to the same months in the previous two years. The report establishes a "pandemic baseline" to compare future semesters to. Though this data is often not sufficient to determine causes and effects of increases or decreases in usage, it helps identify trends to watch as the pandemic continues and we chart our course to a "new normal" on behalf of the MSU community.
Library Homepage Comparative Analysis
Completed
August 2019 – October 2019
We analyzed library homepages to see how common elements are used and displayed.BackgroundAs preparation for an MSU Libraries website migration, we conducted research about other academic library homepages. We identified typical elements of library homepages, and completed a comparative analysis to see how our peers present those homepage and website elements to users.
Bento Box First Year Assessment 2019
Completed
December 2018 – April 2019
We looked at web analytics data to see how our new homepage search box and search results page were being used.BackgroundIn 2018, the Libraries launched a new universal search box on the homepage, and created a "bento box" layout for the search results. We looked at a year of data from Google Analytics and Search Plus (the previous default search box) to see how the new search box and search results page were being used.