The User’s Experience

Overview:

In this activity, you will explore the “front end” of a digital repository. You will review the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus LibGuide, which provides insights into digital preservation concepts and includes a dedicated section on Access. The goal of this assignment is to assess the user experience of one of the provided access portals, taking into consideration the principles of contextual metadata, information presentation, and other access considerations discussed in the week’s readings.

Instructions:

Step 1: Review the LibGuide

• Begin by accessing the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus LibGuide on digital preservation concepts.
• Familiarize yourself with the content in the “Access” section of the LibGuide. This section provides a general overview of digital repository access, as well as examples of various access portals.

Step 2: Choose an Access Portal

• Select one of the following access portals to evaluate:
  • The real face of White Australia
  • Rhizome ArtBase
  • Archivo Digital Comunitario de Culebra
  • Documenting Ferguson
  • Center for Brooklyn History, Oral History Collections

Step 3: User Experience Evaluation

• Explore the chosen access portal thoroughly. Interact with its interface and access its content.
• Consider the principles of contextual metadata, presentation of information, and other access-related concepts discussed in the week’s readings.
• Evaluate the user experience provided by the chosen portal. Pay attention to the following aspects:
  • Clarity and effectiveness of navigation.
  • Availability and quality of metadata.
  • Ease of discovering and accessing digital objects.
  • Opportunities for users to make connections between digital and physical counterparts.
  • Presentation of original order/fonds, or between interrelated objects.
  • Any additional access considerations that stand out.

Step 4: Document Your Evaluation

• Write a detailed evaluation report that summarizes your findings. Include the following:
  • An introduction to the chosen access portal.
  • A description of your user experience while navigating the portal.
  • Analysis of the portal’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of contextual metadata, information presentation, and other considerations discussed both within this week’s readings, and during the in-class lecture.
  • Recommendations for improvements.
  • A conclusion summarizing your overall assessment.
  • Submit your activity summary to Brightspace.

Step 5: Submission

• Submit your evaluation report in Brightspace.