Jillian Griffiths - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Jillian Griffiths

Research paper thumbnail of The process of assessment of the quality, usability and impact of electronic services and resources: a Quality Attributes approach

Libraries Without Walls 7

Research paper thumbnail of A Novel Pandemic Delivery Pattern for a New Digital User Experience Degree Apprenticeship

The teaching and study of User Experience (UX) is relatively new compared to more established fie... more The teaching and study of User Experience (UX) is relatively new compared to more established fields. Additionally, the interdisciplinary nature of UX may make a consensus on teaching pedagogies and methods difficult to reach. To add to the complexity of teaching UX, is the emergence of the degree apprenticeship programme where apprentices study at a higher education university for 20% of their time while 80% is spent with their employer. This paper describes the process of launching a programme to respond to this unique and emerging context during a global pandemic. It focuses on reflections from lecturers on the challenges and reception of the programme and discusses the initial contributions this work can bring to conceptions of UX pedagogies, especially those delivered in an online delivery environment.

Research paper thumbnail of PATHS: Tools for exploring digital cultural heritage spaces

Significant amounts of digital material relating to heritage management and research have become ... more Significant amounts of digital material relating to heritage management and research have become available over recent years with the rise of online publications, digital archives, research infrastructures and aggregators such as Europeana. These large collections present challenges to users in discovering what items are present. Standard search paradigms for item discovery have worked well for those who are highly familiar with the collection being searched but as collections increase in size more powerful exploration systems are required. The PATHS project (www.paths-project.eu), funded by the European Commission's FP7 programme, brings together partners to research and develop a system to provide users with an environment in which they can successfully explore large, unknown collections. The project is applying language technologies to analyse and enrich manually created collection metadata, which is then exploited in the collection discovery environment. This paper will prov...

Research paper thumbnail of PATHS: Personalising access to cultural heritage spaces

2012 18th International Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia, 2012

Digitisation of the cultural heritage means that a significant amount of material is now availabl... more Digitisation of the cultural heritage means that a significant amount of material is now available through online digital library portals. However, the vast quantity of cultural heritage material can also be overwhelming for many users who lack knowledge of the collections, subject knowledge and the specialist language used to describe this content. Search portals often provide little or no guidance on how to find and interpret this information. The situation is very different in museums and galleries where collections are organized in exhibitions which offer themes and stories that visitors can explore. The PATHS project, which is funded under the European Commission's FP7 programme, is developing a system that explores the familiar metaphor of a trail (pathway) to enhance the discovery and use of the content made available in digital libraries. This paper will report on the findings of the user requirements analysis and the specifications for the first prototype of the PATHS system which is based on contents from Europeana and the Alinari Archives.

Research paper thumbnail of Hidden gems? The cultural contribution of independent libraries in the United Kingdom and the United States

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science

Independent libraries are important cultural assets for their communities yet have largely been o... more Independent libraries are important cultural assets for their communities yet have largely been overlooked in mainstream library research. This research seeks to bring these libraries into the limelight by building a profile of their cultural contributions. Through a content analysis of the websites of the libraries of the Independent Libraries Association (UK) and Membership Libraries Group (US), it demonstrates that independent libraries preserve and facilitate access to a variety of important cultural assets and, while often characterised as ‘hidden gems’, are proactively working to increase engagement beyond traditional audiences, whilst also making significant contributions to the cultural sustainability agenda.

Research paper thumbnail of Involving users in a technical solution to help assess the accessibility of websites

Libraries Without Walls 7

Research paper thumbnail of CD-ROM interfaces: full-text databases

Library Review, 1995

ABSTRACT Examines the growing, and diverse, full-text CD-ROM marketplace. Draws heavily on materi... more ABSTRACT Examines the growing, and diverse, full-text CD-ROM marketplace. Draws heavily on material from the 10th and 12th editions of TFPL's CD-ROM Directory. Uses various parameters to discover the extent of fragmentation within the full-text CD-ROM marketplace. Full-text CD-ROMs are designed for end-users and as such need an easy-to-use interface. However, the extent of proliferation and diversification of retrieval software brings into question ease of use of CD-ROM generally, and full-text products specifically. In spite of the diversification and complexity, areas of expansion in the full-text marketplace are identified. They are seen to be within the home and schools' markets, and also within specific subject areas; notably law, business and commerce and news information. As the market matures it will be interesting to note which interfaces survive, and why.

Research paper thumbnail of Cultural sustainability as a strategy for the survival of museums and libraries

International Journal of Cultural Policy, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Task dimensions of user evaluations of information retrieval systems

Ir, 2003

ABSTRACT This paper reports on the evaluation of three search engines using a variety of user-cen... more ABSTRACT This paper reports on the evaluation of three search engines using a variety of user-centred evaluation measures grouped into four criteria of retrieval system performance. This exploratory study of users' evaluations of search engines took as its premise that user system success indicators will derive from the retrieval task the system supports (in its objective to facilitate search). This resulted in the definition of user evaluation as a multidimensional construct which provides a framework to link evaluations to system features in defined user contexts. Our findings indicate that users' evaluations across the engines will vary, and the dimensional approach to evaluation suggests the possible impact of system features. Further analysis suggests a moderating effect on the strength of the evaluation by a characterization of the user and/or query context. The development of this approach to user evaluation may contribute towards a better understanding of system feature and contextual impact on user evaluations of retrieval systems.

Research paper thumbnail of A quality management approach to the evaluation of digital library services

Research paper thumbnail of Supporting Information Access and Sensemaking in Digital Cultural Heritage Environments

ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist... more ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist the wider information activities of users in cultural heritage digital collections is described. Extending beyond simple, standalone information seeking and retrieval tasks, the system aims to enhance content ‘findability’ and to support users’ cognitive processes of sensemaking, learning and creativity, by embedding tools for information use at the point of access. A generalized user interaction model derived from requirements analysis is shown to be compatible with models of exploratory interaction and information seeking support, illustrating potential for a single system that can adapt to diverse use case scenarios. Controlled laboratory evaluations, whilst demonstrating support for a variety of information tasks, also reveal variance in information seeking behavior by task type and user profile, indicating a need for a system that lets users select their preferred interaction mode in context. Interactions with the path creation functionality highlight potential for sensemaking and creativity support tools to be embedded within digital library collections.

Research paper thumbnail of Pathways to Discovery: Supporting Exploration and Information Use in Cultural Heritage Collections

ABSTRACT In this paper we compare the results of the user-centred evaluation of two iterations of... more ABSTRACT In this paper we compare the results of the user-centred evaluation of two iterations of the PATHS system, which aims at supporting exploration, navigation and use of information in cultural heritage online collections. We focus on two path creation exercises, and examine the format and content of the paths according to available functionality and different user attributes. We also present findings of the users’ interactions and response to the path concept as a means of discovery, and of meaning-making and information re-use in relation to curatorial, research, education and leisure contexts. Recommendations are made for further refinement and development of the path functionality, and for application within CH online collections, with regard to key use case scenarios.

Research paper thumbnail of An improved method of studying user-system interaction by combining transaction log analysis and protocol analysis

Ir, 2002

Information Research, Vol. 7 No. 4, July 2002,. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Student Searching Behavior and the Web: Use of Academic Resources and Google

Libt, 2005

This article reports results of two user studies of search engine use conducted to evaluate the U... more This article reports results of two user studies of search engine use conducted to evaluate the United Kingdom's national academic sector digital information services and projects. The results presented here focus on student searching behavior and show that commercial Internet search engines dominate students' information-seeking strategy. Forty-five percent of students use Google as their first port of call when locating information, with the university library catalogue used by 10 percent of the sample. Results of students' perceptions of ease of use, success, time taken to search, and reasons for stopping a search are also presented.

Research paper thumbnail of Student searching behaviour in the JISC Information Environment

... In addition, use of Quality Attributes as evaluation criteria allows investigation of what ha... more ... In addition, use of Quality Attributes as evaluation criteria allows investigation of what happens to perceptions of quality of service before and after use of the service. ... Search engines gain tools for sifting content on the fly. ... What do people want from Information Retrieval. ...

Research paper thumbnail of User satisfaction as a measure of system performance

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, Sep 1, 2007

It is evident from previous research that user satisfaction is a multidimen- sional, subjective v... more It is evident from previous research that user satisfaction is a multidimen- sional, subjective variable which can be affected by many factors other than performance of the system or searcher. This article draws on information retrieval and information systems literature in an attempt to understand what user satisfaction is, how it is measured, what factors affect it, and why findings

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding the information literacy competencies of UK Higher Education students

Information Literacy, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Development and Evaluation of a Generic Re-Purposable e-Learning Object on Data Analysis

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluation of the JISC Information Environment: student perceptions of services

Information Research, 2003

... demonstrated a preoccupation with search engines, preferring these as search tools even when ... more ... demonstrated a preoccupation with search engines, preferring these as search tools even when ... From a methodological standpoint, while the use of a technique to 'unpack' the ... Ellis, D. (1984).The effectiveness of information retrieval systems: the need for improved explanatory ...

Research paper thumbnail of Supporting Information Access and Sensemaking in Digital Cultural Heritage Environments

Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2014

ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist... more ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist the wider information activities of users in cultural heritage digital collections is described. Extending beyond simple, standalone information seeking and retrieval tasks, the system aims to enhance content ‘findability’ and to support users’ cognitive processes of sensemaking, learning and creativity, by embedding tools for information use at the point of access. A generalized user interaction model derived from requirements analysis is shown to be compatible with models of exploratory interaction and information seeking support, illustrating potential for a single system that can adapt to diverse use case scenarios. Controlled laboratory evaluations, whilst demonstrating support for a variety of information tasks, also reveal variance in information seeking behavior by task type and user profile, indicating a need for a system that lets users select their preferred interaction mode in context. Interactions with the path creation functionality highlight potential for sensemaking and creativity support tools to be embedded within digital library collections.

Research paper thumbnail of The process of assessment of the quality, usability and impact of electronic services and resources: a Quality Attributes approach

Libraries Without Walls 7

Research paper thumbnail of A Novel Pandemic Delivery Pattern for a New Digital User Experience Degree Apprenticeship

The teaching and study of User Experience (UX) is relatively new compared to more established fie... more The teaching and study of User Experience (UX) is relatively new compared to more established fields. Additionally, the interdisciplinary nature of UX may make a consensus on teaching pedagogies and methods difficult to reach. To add to the complexity of teaching UX, is the emergence of the degree apprenticeship programme where apprentices study at a higher education university for 20% of their time while 80% is spent with their employer. This paper describes the process of launching a programme to respond to this unique and emerging context during a global pandemic. It focuses on reflections from lecturers on the challenges and reception of the programme and discusses the initial contributions this work can bring to conceptions of UX pedagogies, especially those delivered in an online delivery environment.

Research paper thumbnail of PATHS: Tools for exploring digital cultural heritage spaces

Significant amounts of digital material relating to heritage management and research have become ... more Significant amounts of digital material relating to heritage management and research have become available over recent years with the rise of online publications, digital archives, research infrastructures and aggregators such as Europeana. These large collections present challenges to users in discovering what items are present. Standard search paradigms for item discovery have worked well for those who are highly familiar with the collection being searched but as collections increase in size more powerful exploration systems are required. The PATHS project (www.paths-project.eu), funded by the European Commission's FP7 programme, brings together partners to research and develop a system to provide users with an environment in which they can successfully explore large, unknown collections. The project is applying language technologies to analyse and enrich manually created collection metadata, which is then exploited in the collection discovery environment. This paper will prov...

Research paper thumbnail of PATHS: Personalising access to cultural heritage spaces

2012 18th International Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia, 2012

Digitisation of the cultural heritage means that a significant amount of material is now availabl... more Digitisation of the cultural heritage means that a significant amount of material is now available through online digital library portals. However, the vast quantity of cultural heritage material can also be overwhelming for many users who lack knowledge of the collections, subject knowledge and the specialist language used to describe this content. Search portals often provide little or no guidance on how to find and interpret this information. The situation is very different in museums and galleries where collections are organized in exhibitions which offer themes and stories that visitors can explore. The PATHS project, which is funded under the European Commission's FP7 programme, is developing a system that explores the familiar metaphor of a trail (pathway) to enhance the discovery and use of the content made available in digital libraries. This paper will report on the findings of the user requirements analysis and the specifications for the first prototype of the PATHS system which is based on contents from Europeana and the Alinari Archives.

Research paper thumbnail of Hidden gems? The cultural contribution of independent libraries in the United Kingdom and the United States

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science

Independent libraries are important cultural assets for their communities yet have largely been o... more Independent libraries are important cultural assets for their communities yet have largely been overlooked in mainstream library research. This research seeks to bring these libraries into the limelight by building a profile of their cultural contributions. Through a content analysis of the websites of the libraries of the Independent Libraries Association (UK) and Membership Libraries Group (US), it demonstrates that independent libraries preserve and facilitate access to a variety of important cultural assets and, while often characterised as ‘hidden gems’, are proactively working to increase engagement beyond traditional audiences, whilst also making significant contributions to the cultural sustainability agenda.

Research paper thumbnail of Involving users in a technical solution to help assess the accessibility of websites

Libraries Without Walls 7

Research paper thumbnail of CD-ROM interfaces: full-text databases

Library Review, 1995

ABSTRACT Examines the growing, and diverse, full-text CD-ROM marketplace. Draws heavily on materi... more ABSTRACT Examines the growing, and diverse, full-text CD-ROM marketplace. Draws heavily on material from the 10th and 12th editions of TFPL's CD-ROM Directory. Uses various parameters to discover the extent of fragmentation within the full-text CD-ROM marketplace. Full-text CD-ROMs are designed for end-users and as such need an easy-to-use interface. However, the extent of proliferation and diversification of retrieval software brings into question ease of use of CD-ROM generally, and full-text products specifically. In spite of the diversification and complexity, areas of expansion in the full-text marketplace are identified. They are seen to be within the home and schools' markets, and also within specific subject areas; notably law, business and commerce and news information. As the market matures it will be interesting to note which interfaces survive, and why.

Research paper thumbnail of Cultural sustainability as a strategy for the survival of museums and libraries

International Journal of Cultural Policy, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Task dimensions of user evaluations of information retrieval systems

Ir, 2003

ABSTRACT This paper reports on the evaluation of three search engines using a variety of user-cen... more ABSTRACT This paper reports on the evaluation of three search engines using a variety of user-centred evaluation measures grouped into four criteria of retrieval system performance. This exploratory study of users' evaluations of search engines took as its premise that user system success indicators will derive from the retrieval task the system supports (in its objective to facilitate search). This resulted in the definition of user evaluation as a multidimensional construct which provides a framework to link evaluations to system features in defined user contexts. Our findings indicate that users' evaluations across the engines will vary, and the dimensional approach to evaluation suggests the possible impact of system features. Further analysis suggests a moderating effect on the strength of the evaluation by a characterization of the user and/or query context. The development of this approach to user evaluation may contribute towards a better understanding of system feature and contextual impact on user evaluations of retrieval systems.

Research paper thumbnail of A quality management approach to the evaluation of digital library services

Research paper thumbnail of Supporting Information Access and Sensemaking in Digital Cultural Heritage Environments

ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist... more ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist the wider information activities of users in cultural heritage digital collections is described. Extending beyond simple, standalone information seeking and retrieval tasks, the system aims to enhance content ‘findability’ and to support users’ cognitive processes of sensemaking, learning and creativity, by embedding tools for information use at the point of access. A generalized user interaction model derived from requirements analysis is shown to be compatible with models of exploratory interaction and information seeking support, illustrating potential for a single system that can adapt to diverse use case scenarios. Controlled laboratory evaluations, whilst demonstrating support for a variety of information tasks, also reveal variance in information seeking behavior by task type and user profile, indicating a need for a system that lets users select their preferred interaction mode in context. Interactions with the path creation functionality highlight potential for sensemaking and creativity support tools to be embedded within digital library collections.

Research paper thumbnail of Pathways to Discovery: Supporting Exploration and Information Use in Cultural Heritage Collections

ABSTRACT In this paper we compare the results of the user-centred evaluation of two iterations of... more ABSTRACT In this paper we compare the results of the user-centred evaluation of two iterations of the PATHS system, which aims at supporting exploration, navigation and use of information in cultural heritage online collections. We focus on two path creation exercises, and examine the format and content of the paths according to available functionality and different user attributes. We also present findings of the users’ interactions and response to the path concept as a means of discovery, and of meaning-making and information re-use in relation to curatorial, research, education and leisure contexts. Recommendations are made for further refinement and development of the path functionality, and for application within CH online collections, with regard to key use case scenarios.

Research paper thumbnail of An improved method of studying user-system interaction by combining transaction log analysis and protocol analysis

Ir, 2002

Information Research, Vol. 7 No. 4, July 2002,. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Student Searching Behavior and the Web: Use of Academic Resources and Google

Libt, 2005

This article reports results of two user studies of search engine use conducted to evaluate the U... more This article reports results of two user studies of search engine use conducted to evaluate the United Kingdom's national academic sector digital information services and projects. The results presented here focus on student searching behavior and show that commercial Internet search engines dominate students' information-seeking strategy. Forty-five percent of students use Google as their first port of call when locating information, with the university library catalogue used by 10 percent of the sample. Results of students' perceptions of ease of use, success, time taken to search, and reasons for stopping a search are also presented.

Research paper thumbnail of Student searching behaviour in the JISC Information Environment

... In addition, use of Quality Attributes as evaluation criteria allows investigation of what ha... more ... In addition, use of Quality Attributes as evaluation criteria allows investigation of what happens to perceptions of quality of service before and after use of the service. ... Search engines gain tools for sifting content on the fly. ... What do people want from Information Retrieval. ...

Research paper thumbnail of User satisfaction as a measure of system performance

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, Sep 1, 2007

It is evident from previous research that user satisfaction is a multidimen- sional, subjective v... more It is evident from previous research that user satisfaction is a multidimen- sional, subjective variable which can be affected by many factors other than performance of the system or searcher. This article draws on information retrieval and information systems literature in an attempt to understand what user satisfaction is, how it is measured, what factors affect it, and why findings

Research paper thumbnail of Understanding the information literacy competencies of UK Higher Education students

Information Literacy, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Development and Evaluation of a Generic Re-Purposable e-Learning Object on Data Analysis

Research paper thumbnail of Evaluation of the JISC Information Environment: student perceptions of services

Information Research, 2003

... demonstrated a preoccupation with search engines, preferring these as search tools even when ... more ... demonstrated a preoccupation with search engines, preferring these as search tools even when ... From a methodological standpoint, while the use of a technique to 'unpack' the ... Ellis, D. (1984).The effectiveness of information retrieval systems: the need for improved explanatory ...

Research paper thumbnail of Supporting Information Access and Sensemaking in Digital Cultural Heritage Environments

Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2014

ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist... more ABSTRACT User-centered design and evaluation of a system to improve information access and assist the wider information activities of users in cultural heritage digital collections is described. Extending beyond simple, standalone information seeking and retrieval tasks, the system aims to enhance content ‘findability’ and to support users’ cognitive processes of sensemaking, learning and creativity, by embedding tools for information use at the point of access. A generalized user interaction model derived from requirements analysis is shown to be compatible with models of exploratory interaction and information seeking support, illustrating potential for a single system that can adapt to diverse use case scenarios. Controlled laboratory evaluations, whilst demonstrating support for a variety of information tasks, also reveal variance in information seeking behavior by task type and user profile, indicating a need for a system that lets users select their preferred interaction mode in context. Interactions with the path creation functionality highlight potential for sensemaking and creativity support tools to be embedded within digital library collections.