Conducting the card sort with four different groups provided some valuable insight to how students organize information as it pertains to the library. The first group was video taped as they organized items into categories. Here is short excerpt from the hour long video:

Whenever you are conducting research and gathering data there are always limitations and this exercise was no different. The limitations of this study are as follows:

• Only Juniors and Seniors volunteered to participate
• There were no first or second year students regardless of their degree status
• No graduate students participated
• There was no participation from the School of Education, which is one of the largest departments on campus.

The most frustrating part of the entire process was recruiting volunteers to participate in the card sort. I knew that it would be difficult to find participants, but I did not imagine it would be as difficult as it was. The whole process of designing and building a new website is iterative where you do something and then show what you have done to people to get feedback. As we move forward we will no longer need to recruit groups of people to participate at one time; However, we will still need to recruit people.

The next step in the process is to take the results from the card sort and start combining what each group of people did into meaningful categories. The card sort will segue into the next step which is to create the information architecture for the new website.

Here are the categories that each of the four groups created during the card sort.

Group 1 Categories

• About
• Citing a Source
• College Libraries
• Databases
• FAQ’s
• Library Catalog
• Policies
• Search by Subject
• Services

Group 2 Categories

• About Us
• Citing a Source
• Contact Us
• Databases
• FAQ’s
• Majors
• Policies
• Tehcnology

Group 3 Categories

• Libraries
  • Contact Us
  • AskUs 24/7
    • Reserves
    • Noise Policy
    • Borrowing Policy
      • Films On Demand
      • Books
      • Article
      • Subject Focused
    • Citing a Source

Group 4 Categories

• Citing a Source
• Research by Subject
• Library Facilities
  • Crumb Library
  • Crane Library
  • University Archives
• Databases
  • Library Catalog
  • Article
  • Streaming Music
  • Films on Demand
• Library Policies
  • Fines
  • Course Reserves Policy
  • Noise Policy
  • Collection Development Policy
  • Borrowing Policy
• Contact Us
• FAQ’s

The headings that appear in each column of the table below represents a different category that each group came up with.

Each group did not use all of the items that were on the index cards. In taking a look at how each group categorized the items on the index cards it is apparent that even though they thought they understood what a term meant in reality this was not the case. This can be seen by taking a look at the visual representation of the categories created by group 3. This group created two categories called AskUs 24/7 and Films on Demand. Films on Demand is a database the college libraries subscribe too and AskUs 24/7 is a chat based service.

The categories that group three created are the most difficult to understand. This group started with the main category of ‘Libraries’ and all items when appear under this main category. Under the category ‘Library’ the categories ‘Contact Us’ and ‘Ask Us 24/7’ would appear. The rest of the categories are placed underneath the heading ‘Ask Us 24/7’.

Group 3 Results

Here is a visual representation of the categories that group 3 created and how they organized the terms that appeared on the index cards.

If you having difficulty viewing this image and would like to see a larger one please go to the following URL: http://www.patrickrunfit.com/potsdamlibweb/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/group31.gif.

Group 4 Results

Here is a visual representation of the categories that group 4 created:

If you having difficulty viewing this image and would like to see a larger one please go to the following URL: http://www.patrickrunfit.com/potsdamlibweb/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/group4_categories1.gif.

After asking some general questions as stated in the previous post How Each Card Sort Was Conducted each group was asked an additional five questions. Here are the questions along with the responses that each group gave:

Are there any words or phrases that are confusing to you?

Group 1

Books 24×7, Credo Reference, NAXOS

Ask Us – The group did not know that this was a chat based service. Rather it was just an area that would allow you to find the information that you need.

Group 2

Ask Us 24/7, Films on Demand, NAXOS

Group 3

NAXOS

Group 4

Credo Reference, Books 24×7

Is there anything missing that did not appear on the cards?

Group 1

Printing Information – The group created two additional questions about printing and put them under their heading FAQ’s.

Group 2

No

Group 3

No

Group 4

Midi Lab

Would you rename any of the items that appear on the cards to become something else?

Group 1

No

Group 2

No

Group 3

No

Group 4

No

What do you think AskUs 24/7 means?

Group 1

A place to go to ask someone a question who works in the library. Only one person in this group new that Ask US 24/7 was a chat service.

Group 2

Made Ask Us 24/7 a category to start with, but than changed it to become FAQ’s

Group 3

A location where you can send an email or you can get the answer to a question by looking in a specific place. Another way it was described was a way to search through information to locate the answer that you need. This group used Ask Us 24/7 as a category.

Group 4

This group was not sure what the phrase meant; However, they thought that it was a place you could ask a question about the libraries regardless of its hours.

Is there anything that you think is important for us to know?

Group 1

Add some information about the reference desk

• What is it and where it is located
• Why would someone use or go to the reference desk

Group 2

no response given

Group 3

no response given

Group 4

no response given

Even though a group may have answered no to a question in reality it may have been really a yes. When taking a look at how the groups organized the items into categories they may not have been placed in the correct location. The majority of the items that were confusing to people happen to be the name of the databases or the phrase ‘Ask Us’. Based upon these results of the card sort having a list of databases by name would not be useful because a person would not know which one to select. The only way a person would know what database to select is if they had used it in the past to find information or if someone has told them the name of a specific database to use. For example, if a librarian mentioned to a student that JSTOR would be useful in finding peer reviewed articles then a person would be looking specifically for this database by name. On the other hand, if they are looking for useful resources looking at a list of databases would not be useful to them because it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

There were a few words that groups did not identify as confusing that surprised me. I expected to see more names of databases to appear along with BearCat and WorldCat to be mentioned; However, they were not mentioned. Using made up words is not a good idea in everyday life and especially as it pertains to the internet unless it is the name of your company. In talking with the groups it was not a surprise that Ask Us or Ask Us 24/7 were confusing to them or that they did not know what they mean.

One of the most significant usability problems is to make up a name for something that nobody understands. It would be similar for a person who speaks Gaelic to try and talk to someone who speaks Arabic. According to Nielson and Loranger

“Clever made-up words or category names are problematic because people don’t understand them. People tend to skip over meaningless words” (192).

Another usability problem that still occurs is to use the color blue for headings or text that are not links. These are two very simple principles that still get ignored by many organizations. Lets stop making up words and start eliminating the barriers that prevent people from accomplishing their task. If we really want our patrons to use the electronic services that the libraries have to offer we need to make them easier to use.

Nielsen, J., & Loranger, H. (2006). Prioritizing Web Usability. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.

A total of four different groups participated in the card sort and three of them took place on three consecutive days during the week of April 4th. To learn more about the details you will want to read through the post called Lessons Learned from a few days ago. I met the three groups that participated last week in the lobby of the Crumb Library at the agreed upon time and we either headed upstairs to Room 215 or to Room 117. The reason for using room 117 was that I was expecting anywhere from 5 to 12 people to show up, so a larger room was necessary; However, only a total of 5 people actual showed up to participate. In retrospect Room 215 upstairs in the library would have been large enough to accommodate the number of people that came, but it was nice to have the extra space. I met the last group at the Crane Library on Thursday, April 14th.

At the beginning of each card sort, I took a moment to briefly talk about why a card sort was being conducted. It was followed up by a description of what we would be doing. While talking with the participants, I told them that the I was in the process of redesigning and rebuilding the college libraries website (there is actually a difference between the two) and that a card sort will help me understand how people organize items into different categories. By having people that represent the target audience participate it will make it easier for people who use the libraries new website find the information they need.

Next we talked about what a card sort was and how it will be used to help people use the new website. A card sort is where you take words and phrases written on index cards and organize them into categories based upon similarities. Before the groups began working on putting the cards into categories, I gave a brief demonstration with a separate set of index cards. The important thing to note is that the example that was presented did not contain any of the words or phrases on the index cards that where given to the group. This was done on purpose so that the group would not be influenced by the demonstration. After the demonstration, I left the room and said that I would come back in about 20 minutes.

After coming back most groups where finished except for one, so I left and came back again. Once the groups were finished putting things into categories it was time to gather some additional information that would provide to be very useful. At this point, I asked two general questions

1. Was it hard to put things into categories?
2. Was this pretty easy to do?

Everyone who participated found it easy to put things into categories. Each group took a different amount of time to put things into categories and there was no relationship to the size of the group. The largest group of people fell right into the middle as far as the amount of time it took them to put things into categories. It took them about 25 minutes to put things into categories.

The next step in preparing for the card sort was to create a list of words and phrases that would be used for the card sort. A total of 64 items where created and written on index cards.

Card Sort Words

Music
Education
Math
English
Chemistry
Anthropology
Communications
MLA Style
APA Style
Chicago Manual of Style
Reserves
Library Card
Laptop Computer
Headphones
Digital Camera
Copiers
Hours
Group Study Rooms
Listening Rooms
Inter Library Loan
Library Catalog
Ask us (meebo)
AskUs 24/7
Audio Cd’s
Books
DVDs
Records
Citing a Source
Academic Search Complete
Books 24X7
Credo Reference
NAXOS
Films on Demand
JSTOR
PubMed
WorldCat
BearCat
44 Pierrpont Ave. Potsdam, NY 13676
library@potsdam.edu
315-267-2000
Borrowing Policy
Collection Development Policy
Course Reserves Policy
Noise Policy
Make Suggestion
Consultation Request
How do I get a library card?
How do I find a book on reserve?
Where are your copiers?
Can I sign out a group study room?
FAQ’s
Suggest an item for purchase
Jobs
Employment
Fines
Databases
Article
Do you have a Scanner?
Do you have a Fax Machine?
Print Poster
Crane Library
Crumb Library
University Archives
Electronic Books

After writing all of the terms onto the index cards it was now time to conduct the card sort.

Before even coming up with a list of words for the cart sort a list of items that should appear on the website was created. Here is the list of items that, I came up with:

• Hours for the Libraries
• Contact Information for both Crane and Crumb Library – address, phone, email
• Contact Form
• Libraries Catalog Access
• Electronic Database Access
• Inter Library Loan Access
• List of Equipment that can be borrowed – computers, digital cameras etc.
• Circulation Policy – for all items that can be borrowed from the libraries.

Crumb Circulation Desk.

This list of items came from working at the reference desk in the Crumb Library and talking to the circulation staff at both the Crane and Crumb Libraries. Talking to the circulation staff proved to be very important because they are the busiest service point in the library. Along with talking to staff, I spend a few days at the circulation desk in both libraries to observe and take notes about the types of questions people ask. It was like conducting data for a research project by observing human behavior.

In reading through the list that appears above you additional ideas to add or even take away items depending on your perspective. In looking back it would have been useful to talk with people who represent the target audience to find out what they need to have access too. This is something that you want to be careful with because a person may ask for things that in reality may not really help them with the task they are trying to accomplish. This reminds me of the Simpsons episode Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? where Homer gets the chance to design a car. During the episode he adds things to the car such as a large cup holder that gets in the way of the controls. The engineers are able to design the car and a prototype is built, but the cost bankrupts the company.

Circulation Desk

Desk at the Crane Library.

At the same time, I was contemplating what items should appear you may have additional ideas to add or may see a few things that you would take away. Every library would probably have at least a few of things on their list; However, each one is a little different serving a different community of patrons. What would your list contain? This was one of the most useful aspects in gathering information because the circulation desk is where we have the most interaction with the people who use the libraries.

The Crane Library circulation and reference desk are located next to each other at the same desk. After walking into the entrance of the library you see a large desk right in front of you. The first part of the desk that you see is staffed by someone who is responsible for circulation duties. The reference area of the desk is located at the far right of the desk. Essentially the desk in the Crane Library serves two service points one for circulation and another one for reference.

The view of the reference desk after you have just walked into the library and turned to your left or right.

On the other hand, the Crumb library has two different desks that are approximately 50 meters apart from each other. After entering the library the circulation desk is the first point of contact for people, so most questions often start here and than move to the reference desk. The reference desk is not in a persons field of vision because of its location unless a person turns to their immediate left or right after entering the building.

Most Common Questions

• May I have a laptop?
• Can I check this out?
• My professor put something on reserve – do you know where it is?
• The computer I’m using says it can’t find the printers. Why?
• The computer I’m using locked up. Why?
• Can I borrow a pair of headphones?
• Where can I find this book?/Ho do I find this book?
• What time do you open?/What time do you close?
• Dow you have a fax machine?
• Where are your copiers?
• Do you have a scanner?
• Are there any more computers?
• Can I sigh out a group study room?

Less Common Question

• Can you help me cite this?
• I’m looking for an article can you help me?

The questions that appear above are asked at both libraries; However, the Crumb Library receives a higher number of questions because it is the largest and busiest library on campus.

This week has been very busy with having three sessions of card sorts. In looking back at the week it was not a good idea to have three sessions taking place on three consecutive days. If you plan on doing a card sort with different groups, I would highly recommend that you allow for at least a day off in between each one or have schedule them take place over a two work period.

Here is what are schedule looked like for the card sort:

• Tuesday 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday 2:20 p.m. to 3:30 p.m
• Thursday 10 a.m to 11 a.m.

The reason for selecting three days in a row at three different times was to make it easier to recruit people and to schedule a group study room within the Crumb Library. About the only thing that made these times easy to work with was the ability to schedule a group study room. When taking a look at the dates it looks like things would not be all that time consuming; However, this was not the case.

I was the only person that was conducting the card sort which had the advantage of consistency. When talking to each group about the card sort allowed for consistency. After each group had completed the card sort my work really only just began. Once the participants where finished organizing the words on the index cards into categories we would talk for a few minutes about the terms and phrases on the cards.

Once the participants left it was time to take some pictures of the organization of the cards. Without having the use of a ladder it made taking pictures challenging because it was not possible to take a direct over head shot of the cards on the table. Instead all of the pictures were taken at an angle which presented its own unique issues.

Along with taking pictures it was time to collect the cards and keep them into categories. By keeping the cards into categories it made it easier to create an HTML document that represented the categories and items that belonged in each one. Future posts will contain the results of the card sorts. Most of my time was spent between taking pictures, keeping things organized, and recording the results by writing a web page. If the card sort dates were spread out over time it would have made it easier to upload pictures and record the results.