Mobile Stats Are Not Enough: What Do Mobile Library Site Users Actually

Do?

Online Northwest, February 8, 2013Hannah Gascho Rempel & Laurie Bridges

Oregon State University Libraries

Outline

• Demographics and Trends• Our Site • Our Survey• Analytics• Upcoming Site Redesign

Demographics

• 45% of Americans own a smartphone.

• 66% of young adults own a smartphone.

• 73% of college students own a smartphone.

• By 2016 it is projected 90% of college students will own a smartphone.

Source: Pew Internet and eMarketer

Transition to Mobile – Happening Fast!

• In Fall Quarter 2012, more people accessed Facebook on their mobile devices than from the web.

• 90% of people use multiple screens sequentially to accomplish a task over time.

Source: All Things D and Google

How likely Americans say they would be to use the following resources at public libraries

• A cell phone app for accessing and using library services: 63% somewhat/very likely

• A cell phone app that helps patrons find material in the library with GPS: 62% somewhat/very likely.

Source: Pew Internet

http://m.library.oregonstate.edu/

Survey Results

Other

OSU staff member

OSU Alumni

Corvallis Community Member (non-student)

OSU faculty member

OSU graduate student

OSU undergraduate

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

1

2

2

3

8

19

74

What is Your Affiliation with OSU?

Number of Participants

115 Total Respondents, Nov. 5 – Jan. 22, 2013

Survey Results

Daily

2-3 Times a Week

Once a Week

Once a Month

2-3 Times a Month

Less than Once a Month

This is my first time

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

0

1

5

7

11

16

69

How Often Do You Use the OSU Libraries Mobile Site?

Number of Participants

115 Total Respondents, Nov. 5 – Jan. 22, 2013

Survey Results

*Respondents could choose more than 1 item, n=112

Directions

A way to contact a librarian with a question

Java II Webcam

Staff Directory

Computer availability

Research on a topic

A book

Something else

Library hours

1%

2%

3%

4%

10%

21%

25%

30%

47%

What are you searching for on the library's mobile site?

Percent of Responses

Something elseNumber of Responses

Study room reservations 15My account (holds, overdue?) 4

Renewals 3

Course reserves 2

Interlibrary loan 1Availability of other technology 1

Jobs 1

Academic calendar 1

*Percent of responses (respondents could choose more than one response), Chi-Square = 38.78, Degrees of Freedom = 48

What are you searching for during this visit to the library mobile site?

Library hours

Computer avail-ability

A book

Topic Research

Java II Web-cam

Staff Directory

Direc-tions

Librarian Question

Something else N

OSU undergraduate 48.7 12.2 21.6 14.9 4.1 4.1 1.4 0.0 33.8 74OSU graduate student 47.4 5.3 31.6 31.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.3 26.3 19OSU staff member 0.0 0.0 0.0 50.0 0.0 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2OSU faculty member 12.5 0.0 25.0 37.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 37.5 8OSU Alumni 50.0 0.0 50.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2Community Member 100.0 0.0 33.3 33.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 1

Survey Results

Librar

ian Q

uestion

Directi

ons

Java I

I Web

cam

Staff Dire

ctory

Computer av

ailab

ility

Researc

h on a topic

A book

Someth

ing else

Librar

y hours

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

What are you looking for on the mobile library site (by time of term)?

During Term

Finals Week/Intersession

Perc

ent o

f Res

pons

es

Survey Responses - Books• Semiconductor• Oregon taxes• Pomerania• Textbooks• Beer and circus• Accelerated c++• Seafood quality• Writing a successful thesis and dissertation• Autism spectrum in children

Survey Responses – Research on a topic

• Social justice• Ecological anthropology shared governance college• NCAA history• World War 1• Procurement and contract processes• Seafood quality• Ethnobotany Oregon• Dye properties and peak wavelengths• Company info for Applebee’s

Survey Responses – Open Ended

Be able to pull up pdfs from an EBSCO search. If I could do this I would use it daily.

Love the computer map. Super helpful!

Would be nice to be able to pay a fine and renew a book simultaneously.

Need to be able to quickly navigate quickly for the first time user …it was frustrating.

I hate it. It’s not very user friendly.

Renew interlibrary loan.

Survey Responses – What do they want?

See what study rooms are available.

Get help from someone!

Select from multiple options in drop-down list.

Easier access to internet files.

It is very bland and basic.

Access to account would be great.

Make the search bar more prominent.

Survey Results – Open EndedIs there anything you wish you could do with the library’s mobile website that you can’t currently do?

11 of 21 respondents: study room reservations

Mobile Site Analytics(m.library.oregonstate.edu)

Avg Daily Visitors: 124 Page views:

37% Computer Availability Map

25% Mobile Homepage

3% Research

Browser:

42% Safari

39% Mozilla Compatible

5% Internet Explorer

5% FirefoxNov. 5 – Jan 5

Site Analytics on Mobile Device(library.oregonstate.edu)

Avg Daily Visitors: 54

Page views:

48% Homepage

8% /in-the-library

8% /study-rooms

7% /find-it

Browser:

72% Safari

15% Android Browser

9% Chrome Nov. 5 – Jan 5

Responsive Design

Responsive Web Design by Ethan Marcotte, 2010

“We can design for an optimal viewing experience, but embed standards-based technologies into our designs to make them not only more flexible, but more adaptive to the media that renders them. In short, we need to practice responsive web design. But how?”

Flickr: Axbom

Examples

• Lancaster University• Dakota State University Library• Canton Public Library• University of Virginia Library

3 Reasons You Should Know about Responsive Web Design (from SocialDriver)

• Connect with Your Audience• Stay Within Budget• Get with the Future

Source: Social Driver

Questions ???