Usability evaluation of online terminology database

Marcos, Mari-Carmen Usability evaluation of online terminology database. Hipertext.net, 2006, n. 4. [Journal article (Unpaginated)]

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English abstract

In the day-to-day work with information retrieval tools, users are faced with systems that are difficult to understand and use. This is the case for linguists and translators, experts in language but not necessarily in the use of reference tools, designed in many cases from the viewpoint of their developers without considering the end-users. This gap between developers and users leads to incorrect use - or at least inefficient use - of electronic dictionaries, terminology databases, and other digital resources used by these professionals. In our daily work with linguists and translators we have discovered that these tools are difficult to use, and we believe that this is due to the fact that the aspects of usability are not considered during the design process and development. There are as of yet no definitive guidelines established to direct the presentation of these types of tools, only a few general recommendations for usability as applied to online terminology databases, such as those proposed by Marcos and Gómez (2006). In this article we present a study carried out between December of 2005 and March of 2006 by a group of researchers from the Pompeu Fabra University in which we established and applied a methodology to analyze the quality of terminology databases, with usability as the fundamental criterion. The ISO defines usability as the extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use (ISO 9241-11). This definition proves to be quite illuminating, as it divides usability into the different aspects to be considered: effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction. It also makes a distinction with respect to the goal, the user, and the context of use. Applied to the case of terminology databases, effectiveness refers to the capability of a system to offer the features for which it was designed. Efficiency is the effort required to use these features, and satisfaction - the most subjective aspect - is the feeling the user experiences during and after use of the system. This explanation infers that usability is not an absolute value intrinsic to a system, but rather a factor that can vary depending on the context. The ISO definition also clarifies that a product is designed for specified users and specified goals. A system cannot in itself be said to be usable or not; the variables mentioned must be specified. In our case, we considered as prototypical users of terminology databases the two following profiles: on one side, language professionals (translators, terminologists, correctors, etc.) and on the other, specialists in a determined field. In the case of language professionals, these types of resources are very useful tools when searching for conceptual equivalences in other languages, variants of a term, etc. In the case of specialists or trainees in a determined field, the use of terminology databases could prove to be helpful in acquiring or confirming the terminology that will advance their specialized knowledge. Once we had defined the potential users and features, we were able to begin to evaluate the system in terms of usability. The usability of a website can be evaluated using various methods and techniques. We began with a heuristic evaluation, followed by a card sorting study, a user protocol test, an interview, a questionnaire, and a focus group. Here we will present the findings of some of the more significant tests. The reason for making a preliminary evaluation before testing with users was to familiarize ourselves with the website and make a detailed and ordered assessment of all of the aspects of interest to usability. This first element must necessarily be complemented by the user observation tests. Without such tests we would be left with biased conclusions about the real problems of the systems.

Spanish abstract

En el trabajo diario con herramientas de recuperación de información, los usuarios se enfrentan a sistemas que les resultan complejos de entender y de utilizar. Es el caso de los lingüistas y traductores, expertos en lenguaje pero no necesariamente en las herramientas de consulta, hechas en muchos casos desde la óptica de sus desarrolladores sin considerar durante su diseño a los usuarios finales. Este gap entre desarrolladores y usuarios provoca situaciones de uso incorrecto -o al menos en las que no se saca todo el partido posible- de diccionarios electrónicos, bases de datos terminológicas y otros recursos digitales usados por estos profesionales. En nuestro trabajo diario con lingüistas y traductores hemos detectado que estas herramientas plantean dificultades de uso, y creemos que es debido a que no incorporan aspectos de usabilidad durante el proceso de diseño y desarrollo. Por el momento no existen unas pautas definidas que guíen la presentación de este tipo de herramientas, tan sólo algunas recomendaciones generales de usabilidad aplicadas a bases de datos terminológicas on line, como las que proponen Marcos y Gómez (2006). En este artículo presentamos un estudio realizado entre diciembre de 2005 y marzo de 2006 por un grupo de investigadores de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra en el que se ha planteado y aplicado una metodología de análisis de calidad de bases de datos terminológicas tomando como criterio principal la usabilidad. La ISO define la usabilidad como la capacidad que tiene un producto para ser usado por determinados usuarios con el fin de alcanzar unos objetivos concretos con efectividad, eficiencia y satisfacción dentro de un contexto de uso específico (ISO 9241-11). Esta definición resulta muy clarificadora, pues divide la usabilidad en los diversos aspectos que considera: efectividad,eficiencia y satisfacción; y hace una diferenciación en función del objetivo,el usuario y el contexto de uso.

Item type:	Journal article (Unpaginated)
Keywords:	semantic web, website, usability, database, oncology, documentation, library
Subjects:	A. Theoretical and general aspects of libraries and information.
Depositing user:	SLT Serginho
Date deposited:	11 Feb 2007
Last modified:	02 Oct 2014 12:06
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/10760/8945

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