User studies are essential investigations conducted by libraries and information centers to understand their clientele. The primary purpose of a user study is to gather information that is useful in the design, provision, evaluation, marketing, and management of specific information products and services geared to meet the needs of specific users. These studies are crucial for bridging the gap between the services a library provides and what users actually require.
Methods and Techniques for User Studies
The sources describe a variety of methods and techniques, which can be grouped into general (conventional) and indirect approaches, for conducting user studies.
General or Conventional Methods
These methods involve directly gathering data from users through surveys and observation.
- Questionnaire Method: This is the most frequently used method in user studies. It involves directly questioning users through a structured proforma to obtain information about their behavior, preferences, and needs. A detailed example of a questionnaire used in a survey of chemistry teachers and research scholars at the University of Delhi is provided in the sources. This method was also used in a pilot survey by INSDOC (now NISCAIR) to assess the information needs of electronics researchers.
- Interview Method: This technique involves an investigator sitting with a user and asking questions from a structured list. It is used to gather information about facts, beliefs, attitudes, and the reasons behind them. Like the questionnaire method, it was used in the surveys conducted by INSDOC and Krishan Kumar.
- Diary Method: In this method, users are asked to keep a record of their information-related activities over a period of time. While mentioned as a conventional method, it is not elaborated upon in the sources.
- Observation by Self: This involves making direct observations of the communication behavior of users in specific situations and time periods.
- Operations Research Study: This is listed as a conventional method but is not detailed further in the sources.
Indirect Methods
These techniques derive inferences about users by analyzing existing records rather than by direct questioning.
- Analysis of Library Records: This involves examining a library's internal records, such as circulation statistics, to understand user behavior and the use of the collection.
- Citation Analysis: This is a method for conducting information use studies by analyzing the citations in documents produced by a user group (e.g., theses, research papers). This analysis helps identify which sources, particularly journals, are most frequently used by a specific community, which can inform collection development policies.
- Computer-feedback: This is listed as a special and unconventional method, likely referring to the analysis of data generated from computer-based information systems.
Planning a User Study
Conducting a user study is a complex process that requires careful planning. The essential steps involved are:
- Defining Objectives: Clearly stating what the study aims to find out. User studies can be categorized based on their objectives, such as studying communication behavior, the use of a specific medium like a journal, the flow of information, or the use of a specific library's services.
- Sample Selection: Choosing a representative sample of the user population. Methods include convenience sampling, random sampling, and stratified sampling.
- Data Collection: Employing one or more of the methods described above, such as surveys (questionnaires/interviews), observation, or records analysis.
- Data Analysis and Evaluation: Analyzing the collected data to derive meaningful results and preparing a final report.
Evaluation of User Study Data
After data has been collected, it must be analyzed to be useful. The sources describe several methods for evaluating the data from user studies.
- Informal Analysis: This involves gaining a general impression or feeling of what the data indicates and the direction it points towards.
- Statistical Analysis: This formal method involves applying standard statistical techniques to numerical data to summarize, compare, and test for significance.
- Semantic Analysis: This is used for data expressed verbally, applying semantic techniques to summarize and compare the information.
- Psycho-social Analysis: This involves using psychological, sociological, or anthropological techniques to classify or describe the data conceptually or logically.
- Economic Analysis: This method applies macro or micro economic techniques to derive conclusions in economic terms from the collected data.
Limitations and Criticisms of User Studies
Despite their utility, user studies have faced criticism, particularly regarding their methodologies.
- Flawed Sampling: It has been noted that surveys often receive responses primarily from users who are methodical and cooperative, which may not be representative of the entire user population. The composition of the sample is as important as its size.
- Neglect of Variables: Critics argue that for findings to be valid and widely applicable, user studies must account for a range of variables, including:
- Environmental factors, such as the user's institutional setting (e.g., academia, industry, government).
- Demographic variables like age and education.
- Psychological variables such as motivation, persistence, and work habits (e.g., solitary vs. team worker).
By incorporating these variables, user studies can provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of information needs and behaviors.