Understanding audiences for online collections resources
Understanding audiences for online collections resources
By
Morris Hargreaves McIntyre
SUMMARY
This report provides digital resource managers across the East Midlands with:
- Evidence of the motivations, expectations, needs and current levels of satisfaction of online audiences.
- Insight into why users are using sites, how resources are meeting their needs, and how current and future resources could better meet needs.
Findings are intended to help make the case for investment in online collections resources, and help inform improvements and new initiatives based on users’ needs.
Recommendations addressed include use of web statistics, online surveying, user testing and evaluation. A detailed checklist is provided to aid embedding user needs in online collections resources.
User testing is often the part of the process that gets squeezed out in tight budgets and timescales. However, including visitors’ opinions can be done efficiently and effectively, especially if it is planned into the process from the beginning.
Consultation with users can be carried out by your staff with some basic training, and there are many guides available on this topic.
Whilst it is a good idea to offer participants some incentive if you can, this could be relatively low cost – like good cakes, coffee and sincere thanks, plus an invite to the final launch or similar – for a short session.
Resource type: Research | Published: 2013
