Please Pass Go: Usability Testing for Fine Forgiveness

Abstract

In the Fall of 2014, Lavery Library's Access Services and Systems departments began offering students with overdue fines an opportunity to perform library website usability testing in exchange for a $10 fine voucher. This collaboration enabled students to manage fines in a positive, proactive way, while allowing the Library Systems department and Web Team to make incremental changes to the library websites based on feedback from everyday patrons, not student workers or library power users. After a successful semester, the library decided to continue this program.This poster will discuss the implementation and workflows of our Get out of Fines Free program, changes we've made since the first semester, and its impact on customer service, staff morale, and the library website's usability. Audience members will walk away with the knowledge needed to implement an alternative to fines that is a win-win for the students and the library alike.