Comments on: Hiding in Plain Sight http://www.onlineinsider.net/2007/02/23/hiding-in-plain-sight/ Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:02:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Gerard Bierens http://www.onlineinsider.net/2007/02/23/hiding-in-plain-sight/#comment-64 Gerard Bierens Fri, 23 Feb 2007 22:08:00 +0000 http://onlineinsider.onlineinc.com/2007/02/23/hiding-in-plain-sight/#comment-64 Research based on input of only 50 people between 17 and 24 years old, how representable can it be? Not very, if you ask me. Ask 50 others, and you'll have different results.<br/><br/>I'm working as a webcoordinator at a Dutch (higher education) library, we invest a lot in our digital library. I think that would be an interesting topic for an eyetracking study; see how long it takes students, teachers and staff to figure out the OPAC and other resources, how they read or scan the library blog and wiki. <br/><br/>But then again, the results of such a survey would probably be pretty predictable; They won't figure out the OPAC, will click on the top three results in every database and hardly navigate in a structured way through that big pile of library information. <br/><br/>These things most of us already know, but maybe such a study could of course come in handy for those who need some proof to slap their managers with.<br/><br/><br/>By the way, I was at the ILI2006, just didn't get a chance to meet you there. Research based on input of only 50 people between 17 and 24 years old, how representable can it be? Not very, if you ask me. Ask 50 others, and you’ll have different results.

I’m working as a webcoordinator at a Dutch (higher education) library, we invest a lot in our digital library. I think that would be an interesting topic for an eyetracking study; see how long it takes students, teachers and staff to figure out the OPAC and other resources, how they read or scan the library blog and wiki.

But then again, the results of such a survey would probably be pretty predictable; They won’t figure out the OPAC, will click on the top three results in every database and hardly navigate in a structured way through that big pile of library information.

These things most of us already know, but maybe such a study could of course come in handy for those who need some proof to slap their managers with.

By the way, I was at the ILI2006, just didn’t get a chance to meet you there.

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