Measuring the Usability of the Interface of the Saudi Digital Library

With the rapid expansion of the use of web-based resources for education purposes, the usability of a digital library has come to be considered as an important element in the achievement of the full potential of any DL project. This paper applied a questionnaire-based usability test as the main method of measuring the usability of the interface of the Saudi Digital Library (SDL). Based on related studies, a set of sixteen items covering four axes: efficiency, effectiveness, aesthetic appearance and learnability were developed to evaluate the interface of the SDL. Twenty-two undergraduate students from the department of Information Studies in IMAMU participated in completing the Likert scale questionnaire. The main finding of the study indicated that the level of usability of the SDL's interface was not acceptable, in particular in terms of aesthetic appearance. Moreover, it appears that problems facing other Internet applications in Saudi Arabia will continue to influence the development of digital library projects.