Longitudinal evaluation of usability : New Zealand university library web sites

Abstract

Various studies have been carried out to assess library web site usability but there are limited studies that take a longitudinal look at the usability of university library web sites. Using Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, New Zealand university library web sites were analysed retrospectively to study the extent to which these web sites adhere to best practice in web site design guideline. An adapted usability checklist designed for usability evaluation of university library web sites was developed to evaluate archived instances of New Zealand university library web sites and calculate rough estimates of their usability. The research found that the usability of New Zealand university library web sites were progressively improved as the web sites evolved. The research also identified some major areas that affected the usability improvement of the university library web sites as well as issues relating to Internet Archive as a source for longitudinal study of archived web sites. Findings from this research can be helpful to webmasters in the design and evaluation process of university library web sites.