Highwire e-journal platform will be changing September 19

Detailed Description of the HighWire Site Changes

HighWire Press engaged Sliced Bread Design, LLC to conduct a study with clinicians and researchers who were current or potential users of the HighWire site, to get their opinions of the site. The goal of the study was to determine ways in which HighWire could improve the user's search experience. Interviews were conducted using a method called contextual inquiry, which is an observational interviewing process that aims to understand each user's goals and behavior patterns within the context of their environment.

Although the users who participated in the study were very impressed with the scope of the former site's functionality and with its large database of journals, they reported that there was too much information on many of the HighWire Portal pages. This problem was reported for both the home page, where the amount of information made some users feel intimidated, and internal pages such as the search results page, where it made the site complex looking. The consequence of too much information was that potentially useful features were often ignored.

Based on this research, staff from Sliced Bread and HighWire redesigned the site, retested it, validated the results with the sample group, refined it further, and ultimately developed the new look that you see today. The new design scored far higher than the old in usability testing.
What Are the Improvements?

Home Page Changes

* Improved Information Layout
We emphasized key functionality by placing descriptive text links in a central, visible location and also removed unnecessary information from the home page.
* Less Information per Page
We reduced the amount of information on the page, making the site feel less crowded, to help ensure that key site functionality would not be overlooked.
* Reinforce HighWire's Mission
We removed text and design elements that previously gave the site an advertising-like impression, and replaced them with a section that highlights and introduces HighWire's role and purpose.
* Emphasize Key Facts
We added emphasis to the fact that HighWire is a division of the Stanford University Libraries, produces online journals and other scholarly content, and is the largest repository of free full-text peer-reviewed articles in the world, to help ensure that users will not view the HighWire Portal as a site seeking paid registrations.

Search Improvements

* Improved "Quick Search"
We redesigned the "quick search" box, resulting in a simple search tool that provides most of the functionality of HighWire's previous advanced search page from every page in the site.
* Fewer Steps
We enhanced the "quick search" box on the home page, making the most popular search capabilities available to users directly from the home page with no additional site navigation required.
* Simpler Advanced Search
We simplified the design of the advanced search page and were able to offer the functionality in a more limited, easier-to-use space.
* Unnecessary Information Removed
We removed unnecessary or under-utilized search options and text from the advanced search interface.
* More Intuitable Search Field Arrangement
We placed search fields to reflect typical user search patterns. In addition, we moved the search button to a new location following all search options, to help see that users have reviewed all the options.
* More Examples
We added more complete user input examples to reduce confusion about the format of input.

Search Results Changes

* Better Search Results Display
We reorganized and reformatted the article display to facilitate the primary user goal: scan titles, journals, and abstracts for relevancy. We added graphical symbols for the three versions (abstract, full-text, and PDF) that are usually available for each article.
* Easier Search Refinement
We redesigned the top portion of the search results page with a new interface that gives users quick methods for modifying their search. The most commonly altered search fields are available for editing at all times, while other selections are simply summarized and displayed on the screen.
* Hide Unneeded Search Tools
We changed the page functionality to hide unneeded search refinement tools, until users determine that they need them. When users are dissatisfied with the search result they need only click on the link labeled "Too Many Results?" for access to the HighWire subject taxonomy
* More Visibility for Alerts
Users were generally unaware that they could ask to be alerted when new articles that satisfy a search were published. The new interface, with a button labeled "Create Alert", makes this important capability more obvious.
* Separate Tab for "Instant Index" Tool
We created a separate results tab was created for the Instant Index tool. To expose this tool, users select the tab labeled "Articles indexed by subject."
* "MatchMaker" Functionality Clarified
The old site offered access to the search refinement tool MatchMaker, but the purpose of the tool was not clear to readers. In the new design, the link to the MatchMaker tool has a more familiar label: "Find more like this."

Mapping: Old Site to New

All other features are found in the new site on the same page as in the old site, though the look might have changed.

Feedback Welcomed

If you have comments or suggestions about our new look, please let us know. While no single design can satisfy all user needs, we will listen to you!