Summon user experience: A study of the summon laptop and mobile interface

Abstract

Abstract The Summon Discovery tool is a widely used tool in academic libraries. This research explores how users interact with the Summon search interface in a laptop and mobile-simulation setting. The study was conducted using a combination of screen and audio recordings of the sessions, combined with real-time data recording of the participant’s responses. The data was also checked against the recordings when there was ambiguity or uncertainty in the responses as they were recorded. Participants were given a set of five tasks and nine questions to complete, with there being multiple ways to complete each task. The Summon interface was changed to include links to additional resources. The results show that generally users preferred more information for the resources, as well as more links available in the navigation.