Benefits of conducting a usability study: the University of Leicester experience with Sirsi Rooms

This paper examines how the Library at the University of Leicester has been implementing the Sirsi Corporation’s new information management and presentation platform, Rooms, and why it decided that a usability study was essential to ensure Rooms’ success. It examines the reasons for undertaking a usability study and how it can be fitted into a wider evaluation programme including focus groups and online feedback. The practicalities of organising usability studies in an academic environment and the overall benefits of conducting such studies are also discussed.