Avaliação de usabilidade em bibliotecas digitais: um estudo de caso

Abstract

The digital libraries aim to make available information to their users in a faster and easier way. In these libraries, the interactions of users with the collections is carried out by means of their interfaces. Bearing in mind the importance of the role performed by these interfaces, that is, as a link between user and system, this study proposes a case study about the usability of the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, which is maintained by the Brazilian Institute of Science and Technology (BDTD-IBICT). Thus, the main objective of his research is to study he usability of this library interface. The specific objectives are: to point out the contribution of usability principles to the improvement of interfaces of digital libraries; to map the problems of usability of the interface chosen for this study; and to propose solutions for the problems we have found. The question which was approached was how the assessments of usability can be applied in the evaluations of digital libraries in order to improve the interaction human-computer, enabling the users a more efficient information retrieval. The interface was assessed by means of an analytical method (heuristic assessment) and an empirical method (test with users). In the heuristic assessment, the data were collected using three appropriate forms for each of the three stages of assessment. The use of these documents guided the evaluators, and avoided losses of information during the assessment. For the empirical assessment, we have used questionnaires and notes about the observations made during the assessment. It is a qualitative research in which the data collected were assessed inductively by the evaluators. To reach these goals and to answer the proposed problem, we have made up a theoretical and methodological grounding approaching digital libraries, usability and interfaces. After the conclusion of this study, we had a list of problems related to the usability which interferes directly in the interaction of the user with the BDTD-IBICT. Besides numbering the problems found under the viewpoint of evaluators and users, we indicated a suggestion for each one of them. Finally, the study reveals the importance of observing the requirements of usability in order to guarantee the quality and satisfaction of use in the interfaces of digital libraries.