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Assessment and User Experience Research Service Catalog

Assessment and User Experience Research Service Catalog

This is a list of the services AUXS offers related to assessment and user experience research. Staff from other departments in the Duke University Libraries should feel free to email Joyce Chapman if they have any interest in any of the following services.

If you’re not sure which method applies for your research needs, you can still reach out! We can consult with you to explore what might work best.

Surveys

Surveys can range from short feedback forms to long surveys with complicated logic. AUXS is happy to help with any and all survey efforts. (See reports from past AUXS surveys and staff-facing documentation for our biennial satisfaction surveys.)

  • Partner with staff to design and conduct a survey on a topic of interest, analyze the resulting data, and summarize the results in a report

  • Review and offer feedback on a draft survey, including question phrasing and settings for privacy and accessibility

  • Offer suggestions and help with survey distribution and incentives, including advice on which survey software to use, appropriate text for survey invitation emails, automation of survey invitations and reminder emails, and appropriate incentives for different participant populations

  • Coordinate large data-gathering efforts with the Duke Office of Institutional Research, including acquiring a sample if needed

Discussion sessions/advisory boards

For more detailed feedback than a survey can provide, AUXS can also help coordinate discussion sessions (also known as “focus groups”). These sessions could be developed with a particular patron group in mind, or the discussion could be scheduled for one of our student advisory board meetings.

  • Partner with staff to design and conduct a discussion session on a topic of interest, analyze the resulting data, and summarize the results in a report

  • Review and offer feedback on a draft script for a discussion session, including question phrasing and sequencing

  • Offer suggestions and help with recruitment and incentives

Usability studies

A usability study is a study that evaluates the design of a website or software application to see how users interact with the interface and whether they encounter issues accomplishing core tasks. (See reports from past AUXS usability studies.)

  • Partner with staff to design and conduct usability studies on a web platform of interest, analyze the resulting data, and summarize the results in a report. Platforms of interest could include both DUL-developed platforms and vendor-hosted platforms.

Observational studies

An observational study is a study that is conducted in a natural environment, where the purpose is to observe behaviors or outcomes without enacting change. In libraries, this is usually walking around the buildings at different times of day and noting patron behaviors in various physical spaces, such has how different types of furniture are used and how people act and interact in different spaces. (See reports from past AUXS observational studies.)

  • Partner with staff to design and conduct observational studies, analyze the resulting data, and summarize the results in a report.

  • Provide guidelines for protecting patron privacy during an observational study

  • Provide suggestions for data collection methods

Journey mapping

A journey map documents a series of user actions into a timeline in order to visualize the process someone goes through to accomplish a goal. Journey mapping seeks to uncover pain points and help create a better user experience.

AUXS can schedule a journey mapping workshop with staff and teams to learn more about their work processes and look for improvements that can be made.

In-depth qualitative studies

Qualitative research seeks to gain a rich understanding of peoples’ experiences, perspectives, and behaviors by speaking with users to collect data that can tell us the “how” and “why” rather than only analyzing quantitative data that tells us “how many/much.” (Read more about past AUXS in-depth user studies.)

  • Partner with staff to design and conduct an in-depth qualitative study on a topic of interest, analyze the resulting data, summarize the results in a report, advise on recommendations and next steps

  • Help determine the best research methods based on research questions

  • Train staff to conduct qualitative research (for example, how to lead a discussion group or conduct a one-on-one user interview), or lead sessions for staff

Data analysis and summary reports

If you have existing data but don’t know how to extract it from a system or analyze it to answer your research questions, our staff can analyze the data for you. This can range from answering a single question to creating charts and tables or writing a summary report.

Interactive data dashboards

A data dashboard visualizes different aspects of one or more data sources through graphs, charts, and tables. An interactive dashboard allows staff to explore different aspects of the data and filter the data in various ways. AUXS typically uses Tableau to create web-based interactive dashboards, but may also use other tools such as Excel, Google Charts, or Matomo.

  • Build one-time or ongoing dashboards for staff based on research needs

  • Help staff articulate their research questions and learn to use and interpret the dashboards