Improving the usability of novel web software: an industrial case study of an institutional repository

In this paper we discuss usability improvements made to institutional repository software in an industrial setting. The novelty of institutional repository software as a class and the industrial setting present special challenges to traditional usability evaluation; here examine these problems and present a case study which demonstrates a combination of heuristic analysis, empirical methods, background research and interface best practice to make significant usability improvements to an institutional repository.