Project#4 :Prototyping and Evaluation
Introduction
This prototype was developed focusing on designing a user-friendly integrated library system that simplifies how the users search, borrow and reserve library facilities. The goal of this prototype is to demonstrate how effective this proposed interface design and interaction principles can enhance overall user experience in a digital library system.
Usability testing for the proposed Integrated Library Interactive System was conducted in several sessions with different users. Each session was carried out at a suitable location chosen by the participant to ensure a comfortable testing environment.
The prototype was tested using an iPad for all the task. Screen recording with audio was used to capture users’ interactions with the prototype and their thinking-aloud feedback during the tasks.
Testing responsibilities were divided among group members as follows:
Testing for Educator was handled by Lau Zhi San
Testing for Freelancer was handled by Koh Zi Qian
Testing for Parent was handled by Koh Zi Qian
Testing sessions were conducted on:
Freelancer: Tested on 31/12/2025 (Wednesday), 3:00pm at User’s Working Space
Educator: Tested on 30/12/2025 (Tuesday), 4:00pm at N23a IDB UTM
Parent: Tested on 31/12/2025 (Wednesday), 6:00pm at User’s Home
Screenshot of Prototype
Briefing Note - prepared by Souh Xin & Yi Wen
Before the testing session began, each participant was given a short briefing. The purpose of the briefing was to explain the objective of the prototype, the task involved, and to obtain verbal consent for usability testing and screen recording. Participants were informed that they were not being tested, and that all feedback collected would be used for academic purposes only.
Participants were given the following briefing before the usability testing session:
Hi, thank you for participating in our user testing session.
We are developing a proposed interactive library application for our course project. The purpose of this application is to improve library services for users, especially in three main areas which are Searching for books, Borrowing books and Reserving library facilities such as study rooms or discussion spaces
During the session, we will give you a few tasks related to the three functions mentioned. We are observing how you navigate the interface. This is not a test of your ability, but a test of the system.
Your participation is voluntary, and the session will be screen-recorded for academic purpose only. Do we have your verbal consent to proceed?
Testing Video with Target Users
Task 1: Search & Borrow Book
User 1: https://youtu.be/xTYn_7FE95E
User 2: https://youtu.be/1dePXLP8uzA
User 3: https://youtu.be/KAhlKP1kaY8
Task 2: Renew Borrowed Book
User 1: https://youtu.be/nixzuG4guqo
User 2: https://youtu.be/kYHhwELZJCA
User 3: https://youtu.be/X1P1w8yWtUI
Task 3: Reserve Library Facilities
User 1: https://youtu.be/gVGVlLhhv64
User 2: https://youtu.be/dAkccjrcExg
User 3: https://youtu.be/xnAWKkQVdnw
Observation
During the briefing, Janice Tan acknowledged the purpose of the test and gave verbal consent.
Task 1: Search & Borrow Book
Miss Janice started by searching for the book Alice in Wonderland to find its location. She used the AR navigation to locate the book without checking each shelf number individually. After finding the location, she selected the date and time for borrowing, and chose the collection method as self pick-up. She had no major difficulties and the process was straightforward and easy to follow.
Task 2: Renew Borrowed Book
Miss Janice wants to renew the borrowed book. She clicks the profile picture and selects “My borrowed book” to view her borrowed lists. She noticed that the book that she borrowed before was due in one day. She opened the book details and clicked the renew button. The renewal was successful after she extended the loan period. The process ran smoothly as the previous task.
Task 3: Reserve Library Facilities
Miss Janice planned to book a study room for herself. She clicked the facilities icon on the task bar, then selected the study room option. She chose the date and time for her booking. The system displayed a list of available rooms along with their details. She selected the first room, entered the duration she wanted, and applied her choice. A confirmation message appeared, and after checking the details, she clicked the confirm button. The booking was successful , and she checked it in “My Reservation”, which showed the reservation details. She mentioned that the process was clear and easy to follow.
User 2: Educator: Nurul Aida binti Mahmood - prepared by Lim Bei En
During the briefing, Nurul Aida binti Mahmood acknowledged the purpose of the test and gave verbal consent.
Task 1: Search & Borrow Book
After the test began, Ms Aida started on the homepage and immediately selected the Search button from the bottom task bar. She used the search bar and immediately selected “Alice in Wonderland” from the recent searches list. Before reserving the book, she said aloud that she wanted to check where the book is first, and tapped the Location button. The AR navigation screen appeared, and she commented that the route display helped her understand the exact shelf location. After reviewing it, she tapped the back button to return to the details page. Ms Aida then selected the start and end dates without difficulty. At the borrow method screen, she chose Pick Up, noting that she already knew where the book was located. Finally, she tapped Reserve, and the system displayed a “Reserve Successful” confirmation.
Task 2: Renew Borrowed Book
During Task 2, Ms Aida navigated to her profile from the homepage by tapping the Profile button in the top-right corner. She scrolled through the list and selected “My Borrowed Books”. On the borrowed books page, she immediately noticed that one of her books was marked overdue under the All tab. She tapped “Click for Details” to go to the Return & Renew page. She chose the Renew option, then selected to extend the loan by 7 days, stating that she preferred this duration. The system then displayed a “Renew Successful” confirmation.
Task 3: Reserve Library Facilities
During Task 3, Ms Aida tapped the Facilities button from the bottom navigation bar on the homepage. The facilities page displayed four options: Discussion Room, Study Room, Computer Room, and Kid’s Room. She stated that she wanted to book a Study Room and selected it. On the Study Room Details page, she chose her preferred date and time from the available options, then selected one of the available rooms and tapped Reserve. On the Reservation Details page, she reviewed the selected date, time, and price, then entered a duration of 4 hours and tapped Apply. After reviewing the confirmation details, she tapped Confirm, and the system displayed a “Booking Successful” notification.
User 3: Parent: Lim You Chai - prepared by Ong Yi Wen
During the briefing, Mr. Lim You Chai acknowledged the purpose of the test and gave verbal consent.
Task 1: Search & Borrow Book
When the test began, he was brought to the homepage and immediately selected the Search button from the bottom navigation bar. He used the search bar and immediately selected “Alice in Wonderland” from the recent searches list for viewing the book details. He clicked on the ‘Location’ button and was redirected to the AR-navigation page, and roughly reviewed the location of the book. Then, he entered the date he wanted to borrow the book and the date to return the book. Last, he chooses self-pickup for the book borrowing method and reserves the book in advance.
Task 2: Renew Borrowed Book
At the beginning, he was on the homepage and clicked into the profile. He was struggling to find the page to view the book that borrowed, as he first clicked into the ‘My Reservation’ page. At the second attempt, only he successfully clicked on the ‘My Borrowed Book’ button. Then, he reviewed the list of books that are due soon and clicked on the first book to renew it. He chose the period that he wanted to extend the borrow period and finally renew the borrowed book successfully.
Task 3: Reserve Library Facilities
Mr. Lim planned to book a study room using the system. At the start, Mr. Lim was on the homepage. He struggled on finding the facilities page in the system. He clicked on the profile trying to find the reserve service but failed. Then, he found the facilities icon at the bottom task bar and clicked on it. He was redirected to the library facilities page, and he clicked on the study room box. Then, he chose a study room that is suitable among the study rooms listed in the page and entered the date and duration. Finally, he made the reservation.
5.1 Results from Interview - prepared by Koh Zi Qian
To evaluate the usability of the Integrated Library Interactive System, we conducted a System Usability Scale (SUS) assessment immediately after the usability testing sessions for all users. The SUS is a standardized, 10-item questionnaire that uses a 5-point Likert scale (from "Strongly Disagree" to "Strongly Agree") to quantify a user's subjective experience. This method allowed us to analyse the effectiveness and overall satisfaction of the prototype across our different user groups (Educator, Freelancer, and Parent).
Upon completing the three tasks, each participant filled out the questionnaire. We then calculated the individual SUS scores by converting the responses into a standard scale out of 100. The breakdown of the scores is presented below:
The system achieved an average SUS score of 74.1, which is above the industry average of 68. This indicates that the system is generally usable, though experiences varied between demographics.
Findings - prepared by Lau Zhi San
Based on usability testing and evaluation of the proposed library system, several usability problems were identified. Although the system provides advanced features such as AR- based navigation, room reservation and online book renewal, some challenges were observed from the user’s perspective.
Problem 1:
Some users found the system difficult to understand during their first use due to the number of features available on the main interface being too complex. This observation is supported by the SUS results from the Parent user (User 3), who gave high ratings (5/5) for the system being 'Cumbersome' and 'Complex' despite successfully completing the tasks.
Solution 1:
A guided onboarding tutorial and tooltips should be introduced to explain key functions such as AR navigation, room reservation and book renewal. A simplified “Beginner Mode” interface can also help first-time users.
Problem 2:
Users may experience difficulty accessing AR navigation, room reservation or book renewal when the internet connection is slow or unstable.
Solution 2:
The system should optimize data usage and allow basic functions such as viewing borrowed books to be available in offline mode. Clear error messages should inform users when connectivity issues occur.
Problem 3:
Users with disabilities, such as visual impairments or limited mobility may find it difficult to use AR navigation or small on-screen buttons.
Solution 3:
Accessibility features such as voice guidance, adjustable text size, high-contrast mode and screen reader support should be implemented to solve these problems.
Hooray !! It's the end of our project!! Thank you^^
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