{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T18:15:04Z","timestamp":1754158504381,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,1]],"date-time":"2016-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1470009600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["EL"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The purpose of this study is to present an approach to evaluating the usability of digital libraries in terms of knowledge states within the information search process (ISP) by investigating the connections among components with which users interact, perceived usability and task stages. The China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the most popular digital library in China, was chosen to be studied.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>With the research framework, measurements were generated for perceived usability in task stages for efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction. Two usability experiments and usability tests were administered to 22 subjects in two groups. Three information retrieval tasks were designed according to the characteristics of knowledge states within the ISP for each experiment. The transaction logs were captured and the experimental results were recorded. The users completed a pre-search questionnaire and post-search questionnaire, and interviews were conducted.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The study showed that both interactions on components of the digital library and usability scores differed with sequential tasks characterized by knowledge states within the ISP; new usability problems relating to the CNKI were found based on the empirical results.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Many studies on the usability evaluation of digital libraries focused on the outcome rather than on the ISP. This study proposed an effective approach to usability evaluation based on users\u2019 knowledge states within the ISP.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/el-05-2015-0074","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,2]],"date-time":"2016-08-02T04:31:46Z","timestamp":1470112306000},"page":"572-587","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Usability evaluation with tasks characterized by the information search process"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"34","author":[{"given":"Cuichang","family":"Ma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shujin","family":"Cao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tinghua","family":"Gu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"321","DOI":"10.1177\/0165551508099090","article-title":"An evaluation framework of user interaction with metadata surrogates","volume":"35","year":"2009","journal-title":"Journal of Information Science"},{"volume-title":"Information Architecture for Information Professionals","year":"2007","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref002"},{"key":"key2020121320375838300_ref003","first-page":"133","article-title":"Anomalous states of knowledge as a basis for information retrieval","volume":"5","year":"1980","journal-title":"Canadian Journal of Information Science"},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"379","DOI":"10.1016\/0957-4174(95)00011-W","article-title":"Cases, scripts and information-seeking strategies: on the design of interactive information retrieval systems","volume":"9","year":"1995","journal-title":"Expert Systems with Applications"},{"issue":"810","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref005","first-page":"1050","article-title":"Conceptual framework for tasks in information studies","volume":"56","year":"2005","journal-title":"Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology"},{"issue":"2","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"191","DOI":"10.1016\/0306-4573(95)80035-R","article-title":"Task complexity affects information seeking and use","volume":"31","year":"1995","journal-title":"Information Processing and Management"},{"volume-title":"Looking for Information: A Survey of Research on Information Seeking, Needs and Behavior","year":"2002","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref007"},{"year":"2002","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref008","article-title":"A classification of interactions with information"},{"key":"key2020121320375838300_ref009","first-page":"3","article-title":"Information needs and uses","volume":"21","year":"1986","journal-title":"Annual Review of Information Science and Technology"},{"key":"key2020121320375838300_ref010","unstructured":"Editorial Board of Chinese Classified Thesaurus (2010), Chinese Classified Thesaurus, available at: http:\/\/cct.nlc.gov.cn\/login.aspx (accessed 2 January 2013)."},{"issue":"3","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1108\/eb026843","article-title":"A behavioural approach to information retrieval system design","volume":"45","year":"1989","journal-title":"Journal of Documentation"},{"issue":"4","key":"key2020121320375838300_ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"311","DOI":"10.1108\/10650750510631695","article-title":"Usability of digital libraries: a study based on the areas of information science and human-computer interaction","volume":"21","year":"2005","journal-title":"OCLC Systems & Services"},{"key":"key2020121320375838300_ref015","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Fraser, B. and Gluck, M. 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