A comparison of usability techniques for evaluating information retrieval system interfaces

Purpose The purpose of this research is to compare the results of two different usability techniques in evaluating the Web of Science interface. Design/methodology/approach At first three human factors experts conducted a heuristic evaluation with the interface. Then, usability testing was conducted with 22 students recruited from various departments at Loughborough University, UK. Findings A comparison of these techniques showed that heuristic evaluation revealed qualitative information whereas usability testing uncovered mostly quantitative data about usability of the interface. Although heuristic evaluation found more problems than usability testing, it also identified complementary information. Research limitations/implications This paper recommends applying multiple usability techniques to ensure comprehensiveness in evaluating IR interfaces. Originality/value This paper shows that using multiple usability techniques resulted in a high degree of comprehensiveness in evaluating IR user interfaces.