I have a mid-range Samsung A33, and a Lenovo tablet and used these devices to explore three websites I use regularly. As an extra step I looked at the sites on a computer to see how the experience differed, and how each sites social media apps were integrated. The three sites I chose were:

• Urban Threads, a machine embroidery design store,
• State Library of Queensland (SLQ), the website for the State Library of Queensland, and
• Brisbane City Libraries, the library website (but not the Council page that leads to the
  website)

As Urban Threads is an online seller of machine embroidery patterns, their site has many photos, which paired with plenty of open space creates an attractive presence. The mobile site provides the same functionality as the full site, with the sign-in button at the top of the page, and icons for Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube, and the newsletter signup clustered together at the bottom.

As well as social media there is a “Customer Showcase” link where people who have used UT designs can show their finished projects, with the ability for site members to “favourite”, promoting social interaction on the site, as well as through other channels.

The mobile site has full ecommerce functionality including Favourite and View Cart, as well as purchase.

Visually appealing there is sufficient open space that the site doesn’t look crowded and the font size is comfortable without enlargement.

A comparison with the full site suggests a fully responsive design, as does the fact that it rotates cleanly, and the width of the screen is fully utilised.

The SLQ website is another clean layout with the impression of open space while providing plenty of information in a logical layout. Social media access is at the bottom of the page with links to Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. These links are textual rather than icons, which may be for accessibility, but are not as immediately recognisable as icons are. Text is a comfortable reading size and rotation is clean and the layout is revised to use the available space.

As described by Kate Moran of the Nielsen Norman Group, people scan websites for the information required, design that supports scanning with clear headings and plain language are the most successful. There are links to activities throughout the webpage, and participation is encouraged in multiple ways.

By contrast the Brisbane Public Libraries mobile site is a poor cousin to its webpage. There is a mobile app, however, while the app provides good access to social media, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, it does not provide the same options as the website. To be able to add books to a private list, rather than reserve them I need to log on to the website on my mobile.

However, the website displays poorly on the mobile and the social media links which are at the top of the computer display are completely omitted. Similarly screen rotation does not reconfigure the display, simply elongating the blue bars. The contrast of text and background is poor and as well as the font being slightly smaller, making it harder to read without manually enlarging the screen.

The fact that you need to use both the website and the mobile app to get full access to website functions means that I am frustrated by both. When compared to the Council’s own website and the SLQ and Urban Threads websites you are left with the impression that no one really cares about how usable the mobile options are. However, another possibility exists, if Brisbane City Council’s website is responsive but the Libraries is not, then is the library website constrained by its library management system?

In 2010 Ethan Marcotte introduced the idea of responsive web design, developing your website so that it would display successfully on any device, be it computer, mobile phone, or other internet capable device. Much has been written about this, and I think it is our default expectation for websites, so the fact that the largest public library system in Australia doesn’t meet this expectation is surprising, and to me disappointing. And if it was responsive, would access to its social media links be easier to find?

References

Brisbane City Council Libraries library catalogue. (2023).  Brisbane City Council. https://library-brisbane.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/eLibCat

Marcotte, E. (2010, March 25). Responsive web design. A List Apart. https://alistapart.com/article/responsive-web-design/

Moran, K. (2020). How people read online: New and old findings. Nielsen Norman Group.  https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-people-read-online/

Ng, C. (2017). A practical guide to improving web accessibility. Weave: Journal of Library User Experience, 1(7). https://doi.org/10.3998/weave.12535642.0001.701

State Library of Queensland. (2023).  State Library of Queensland. https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/

Urban Threads: Artist-crafted machine embroidery designs. (2023).  Embroidery Library Inc. https://www.urbanthreads.com/