Academic Libraries and the (Post)-Mobile World: Making Library Web Resources Future Friendly

Tara Newberry, Rachel Dols

Abstract


Mobile Web browsing is becoming increasingly pervasive, especially among younger Web users. Academic libraries are attempting to cater to this audience by creating mobile apps or full mobile versions of their websites. Usability of mobile websites is crucial to ensure users have a positive experience with the site, increasing the likelihood that they will use it again in the future. In this study, comparative usability testing of three academic library mobile websites was conducted with student participants using their own mobile devices. This presentation will discuss the results of the testing and explore which design principles work well for library mobile websites and improve their usability and sustainability.

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