Working Title: SciTech Girls
Report Author: Debbie DeRoma
Date: 12/17/09
Brief Profile of
Users:
Three users were selected for the test. One of the users was an educator who works with the SciTech program. The other two users were members of the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center education staff who are familiar with the program, but do not work directly with students. One of the users previously participated in the alpha test.
Think Aloud Task:
The users were asked to perform the following tasks:
1. Locate information on the funding sources for the SciTech program.
2. Find a student-created video.
3. Locate links to other programs related to girls and science.
In addition, each user was asked to comment on the general layout of the site.
Summary of Think
Aloud:
All of the users quickly located the information about funding sources and other girls programs. The search for the student-created video caused the most confusion; however this is likely due to the phrasing of the instructions. Two of the users thought they were searching for a video about the SciTech program itself, and they both went to the ÒResourcesÓ page. The third user originally went to the ÒProjectsÓ page before locating the video on the ÒGalleryÓ page. Once they were given additional information about the task, all of the users agreed that the ÒGalleryÓ page was the most logical location for videos.
Interestingly, most of the users did not use the anchor links to navigate through the ÒAbout UsÓ page – even though one of the users was the same person who suggested these links during the earlier alpha test. When asked to explain, two of the users said that the scroll bar was just as effective for navigation. However, both of these users said they would likely use the anchor links if they needed to locate specific information in a hurry.
Summary of Post-test
Interview:
All of the users thought that the site was easy to navigate. They agreed that it contained sufficient information to meet the needs of different visitors. Users particularly liked the information on the ÒAbout UsÓ and ÒResourcesÓ pages.
Two of the users suggested adjusting the spacing in the ÒOur SchoolsÓ links to make them appear uniform to the ÒImportant LinksÓ section directly above. One user recommended a downloadable flyer for potential volunteers. Another thought it would be helpful to add a space for current news related to women in science. This user also suggested that the site include a mailing address in the ÒContact UsÓ section.
Findings to be
Implemented:
á I will create a PDF flyer for potential volunteers to download.
á I will adjust the spacing between the links in the ÒOur SchoolsÓ list.
Findings that will
not be Implemented:
á Although it would be nice to have current news about women in science, it would be too time consuming to constantly update this feature.
á I will not include a mailing address in the ÒContact UsÓ section at this time.