[WEB4LIB] Surveys

[Susan Hensley]

We are also doing a much needed refresh of our site, and put up a survey
for users as a first step.  This had the ulterior motive of asking for
volunteers for usability testing, which has paid off very well.  We
received a very large, very useful response to the survey, and over 40
volunteers who were interested in coming in to participate in testing.

We have completed the user survey and staff usability testing.  We are
still surveying the staff about the web site, and we begin usability
testing with patrons next week.  Already from the staff tests we have a
lot of good information (which we "suspected").  

I wrote the survey instrument (I have been taking usability testing
workshops and reading everything I can) using the Zoomerang.com software,
which was suggested by Alison Head, a local usability guru.  You can use
their survey hosting free for 30 days - and design the survey pretty much
as you want (there is a limit to how long it can be).  It does assign a
cookie identifier to each person who takes the survey so that questions
can be cross-tabulated, and that might be a privacy concern for some.
(I have no affiliation with this company; I am recommending it based on
how easy it is to set up and use.)

If anyone is interested in the actual survey questions we have used for
the public or for staff, you can email me, I think I have a very ugly
plain text file of the questions somewhere. 

Susan Hensley
*******************************************
Sonoma County Library
http://www.sonoma.lib.ca.us/
hensley at sonoma.lib.ca.us
**************(707)545-0831*ext.525********