Gale Enhances User Experience Across Product Portfolio to Deliver Better Research Insights and Outcomes
Enhancements Increase Access to Library Resources Online and In the Classroom Through New User-Preferred Design
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., June 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Gale, a Cengage company, is making enhancements across its portfolio of products, improving the functionality and user experience of its research tools to make its content more discoverable. Now libraries and researchers have superior access to high-quality authoritative content online and in the classroom, delivering better research outcomes for user success.
Developed based on 18 months of user testing and feedback from customers and students, these updates support Gale product users at every step in their journey with new, user-driven features that promote exploration and discovery—all within a consistent platform experience.
Google and learning management systems are the top starting points for students conducting research today, making it more critical than ever to meet users where they are with credible library resources. Gale is laser-focused on connecting libraries to where research and learning is happening by embedding the library more effectively into user workflow.
"Gale is committed to making our products universally accessible, discoverable and intuitive to users at any skill level," said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. "These new enhancements introduce a more consistent experience across products, increasing user confidence and success as they grow up through and navigate across Gale resources."
Gale's product portfolio enhancements include:
- Enhanced User Experience: helps users identify content relevant to their needs, encouraging critical evaluation and selection, delivering an engaging experience that allows quick access to search tools and relevant content, fostering digital literacy. The unified experience is delivered via a sleek, modern design, helping users successfully orient within Gale products. This means less time learning how to use a product and more time developing critical-thinking skills.
- Smarter Search Results: highlights important evaluative information to support successful user outcomes and helps users discover relevant content with new features like:
- The Explorer Panel: highlights "More Like This" document recommendations and other supporting information that users value without detracting from the reading experience.
- Topic Finder: now given more prominence, encouraging further exploration and discovery of content.
- User-Preferred Interface: described by nearly 800 students as "innovative and eye-catching." Students preferred it over competitor interfaces based on the graphics and imagery, color scheme, layout and overall design. Additionally, students are three times more likely to recall the name of resources, driving return usage for libraries.
- Enhanced Accessibility Features:
- Sticky Toolbar: scrolls with users as they read and maintains easy access to valuable research aides like Citation Tools, Highlights and Notes, and integration with Google and Microsoft.
- Adjustable Text Size: allows users to change the text size of the document for increased visibility. The text size persists throughout the user's session.
- Improved Readability: use of larger default font sizes, sans serif fonts, optimized screen width and optimal contrast ratios facilitate a better experience when reading on screen.
Comments from Gale customers and students about the enhancements include:
"I would switch my institution to the new design today… it's a much more end-user friendly and intuitive experience."
"The [new] screen looks more like what students expect… It is a smoother transition, so students don't get a jarring disconnect in their research flow."
"The design is cleaner and more modern, which students are more familiar with. I think they would be able to find information easier. Also, the filters and related terms will help students narrow and/or expand their searches, which is a common weakness in their research skills."
"I like the way the tools are less dominant but still easily accessible… The color scheme is easy on the eyes. That's a big deal for people doing a lot of reading."
Gale will showcase these enhancements at the ALA Annual Conference, June 21-24 in Washington D.C. at the Gale booth #805.
For more information visit: www.gale.com/product-enhancements.
About Cengage and Gale
Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. The company serves the higher education, K-12, professional, library and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, a Cengage company, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 60 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit www.gale.com.
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Media Contact:
Kayla Siefker, Gale, a Cengage company
248-915-9624
[email protected]
SOURCE Gale, a Cengage company
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