Library Website Usability

This week in class we were looking at usability of websites.  At first I was just focusing on library websites that I was familiar with, but having just moved to a new area I got curious.  What is the Burlington library website like?

Here are my notes regarding the website:

• Navigation is a little iffy; links are not located on a horizontal or vertical bar.  On the home page, they are located in the middle in 2 different columns.
• Design elements included: logo, contact information, link to search page (no search bar on home page).
• Color scheme: White background, yellow, green and red accents used.  Headers in green, text in red.  Could use more contrast between background and text.
• Links: Links all worked.  Relevant links such as computer workshops, teen space, about, search, databases, audiobooks, and reference desk are all posted on the front page.
• Social media: Links to FaceBook and Twitter handles were included.

Overall, the website was usable.  It had some great information linked on the home page.  There was also plenty of information regarding donations.  I think it could stand to be updated in order to increase user-friendliness and usability, but I other than the navigation bar (or lack thereof), it was relatively easy to use.

I think if I were to redesign it, I would include a basic search bar for the catalog at the top right of the page.  On the left, I would add a vertical navigation bar with the logo above it.  The links for donations could be included at the bottom of the navigation bar, as well as the social media links.  Instead of having two columns of links in the center, I would put the news box (which is currently on the bottom left) in the body of the page.  I would change the text to black, although I think the accent colors were absolutely fine.  I actually enjoyed the shades they chose, and they worked well with the logo (yellow and green).