Högskolan i Skövde

Two evaluations of information services are analysed in this paper. The reasons for performing the evaluations were in both cases to clarify how the services were used, what kind of problems were associated with the services, and what were the users' attitudes to the services. The evaluations should form a backbone for a total estimation of the usefulness of the services today and for the near future. Another important purpose was to create a foundation for improving both services. The focus of this paper is to compare the two different services and based on an analysis specify implications for other services in general. The material for the evaluations has been collected by interviews, studies of documents, and observations. The evaluations which are presented in this paper are based on a systems theory approach or systems approach. It was concluded from the evaluations that there are important features of the development of information services that were not attended to. These important features are: the quality of the databases; the standardisation of the databases; the need for strategies and offensive goals for the services; involvement of users in the development processes (participation); knowledge of users' information seeking behaviour. Guidelines are formulated for designers of information services.