User Experience and Library Websites

THE TECH SETEllyssa Kroski, Series Editor

Aaron Schmidt and Amanda Etches

User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION

User Experience (UX) Design for LibrariesSchm

idt / Etches

American Library Association50 E. Huron StreetChicago, IL 60611

1 (866) SHOPALA (866) 746-7252

This is the series to acquire and share in any institution over the next year. I think of it as a cost-effective way to attend the equivalent of ten excellent technology management courses ledby a dream faculty! TECH SET® #11–20 will help librarians stay relevant, thrive, and survive. It isa must-read for all library leaders and planners.

— Stephen Abram, MLS, Vice President, Strategic Relations and Markets, Cengage Learning

“”

Find out more about each topic in THE TECH SET® VOLUMES 11–20and preview the Tables of Contents online at www.alatechsource.org/techset/.

Each multimedia title features a book, a companion website, and a podcast to fully cover the topic and then keep you up-to-date.

User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries is part of THE TECH SET® VOLUMES 11–20, a series of conciseguides edited by Ellyssa Kroski and offering practical instructionfrom the field’s hottest tech gurus. Each title in the series is aone-stop passport to an emerging technology. If you’re readyto start creating, collaborating, connecting, and communicatingthrough cutting-edge tools and techniques, you’ll want to getprimed by all the books in THE TECH SET®.

New tech skills for you spell new services for your patrons:

• Learn the latest, cutting-edge technologies.

• Plan new library services for these popular applications.

• Navigate the social mechanics involved with gaining buy-in for these forward-thinking initiatives.

• Utilize the social marketing techniques used by info pros.

• Assess the benefits of these new technologies to maintain your success.

• Follow best practices already established by innovators and libraries using these technologies.

11. Cloud Computing for Libraries, by Marshall Breeding

12. Building Mobile Library Applications, by Jason A. Clark

13. Location-Aware Services and QR Codes for Libraries, by Joe Murphy

14. Drupal in Libraries, by Kenneth J. Varnum

15. Strategic Planning for Social Media in Libraries, by Sarah K. Steiner

16. Next-Gen Library Redesign, by Michael Lascarides

17. Screencasting for Libraries, by Greg R. Notess

18. User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries, by Aaron Schmidt and Amanda Etches

19. IM and SMS Reference Services for Libraries, by Amanda Bielskas and Kathleen M. Dreyer

20. Semantic Web Technologies and Social Searching for Librarians, by Robin M. Fay and Michael P. Sauers

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www.neal-schuman.com




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ALA TechSourceAn imprint of the American Library Association

Chicago 2012

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© 2012 by the American Library Association. Any claim of copyright is subjectto applicable limitations and exceptions, such as rights of fair use and librarycopying pursuant to Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Act. Nocopyright is claimed for content in the public domain, such as works of theU.S. government.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication DataSchmidt, Aaron, 1978–

User experience (UX) design for libraries / Aaron Schmidt, Amanda Etches.p. cm. -— (The tech set ; #18)

Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-55570-781-1 (alk. paper)1. Library Web sites—Design. 2. User-centered system design. I. Etches,

Amanda, 1975– II. Title.

Z674.75.W67S43 2012006.701'9—dc23

2012007200

This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanenceof Paper).

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!

CONTENTS

Foreword by Ellyssa Kroski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2. Types of Solutions Available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3. Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4. Social Mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

5. Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

6. Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

7. Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

8. Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

9. Developing Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Don’t miss this book’s companion website!

Turn the page for details.

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THE TECH SET® Volumes 11–20 is more than just the book you’re holding!

These 10 titles, along with the 10 titles that preceded them, in THE TECHSET® series feature three components:

1. This book2. Companion web content that provides more details on the topic

and keeps you current 3. Author podcasts that will extend your knowledge and give you

insight into the author’s experience

The companion webpages and podcasts can be found at:

www.alatechsource.org/techset/

On the website, you’ll go far beyond the printed pages you’re holdingand:

! Access author updates that are packed with new advice and recommended resources

! Use the website comments section to interact, ask questions,and share advice with the authors and your LIS peers

! Hear these pros in screencasts, podcasts, and other videos providing great instruction on getting the most out of the latestlibrary technologies

For more information on THE TECH SET® series and the individual titles,visit www.neal-schuman.com/techset-11-to-20.

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!

PREFACE

By picking up User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries you have alreadyacknowledged the importance of improving your library’s website. Wecouldn’t be happier! As user experience (UX) designers, we firmlybelieve that making all your web design and functionality decisionswith the user as your primary focus will result in a better design, amore intuitive interface, and a more enjoyable experience for yourusers. User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries shows you how to getthere by providing hands-on, practical steps, tips, advice, and bestpractices for using UX design principles, practices, and tools toengage your users online and build the best, most user-centered webpresence for your library.

! ORGANIZATION AND AUDIENCE

This concise guide in nine chapters covers everything you need tojump in to using UX practices to improve your library’s website. InChapter 1, we introduce you to the field of UX design, why it’simportant, and what we think library websites should do. We also dealwith some central tenets that guide our thinking on library websitedesign. In Chapter 2, we get into the types of solutions available,including hardware and software options for UX designers. In thischapter, we also introduce the UX design techniques that we willexplore in greater detail in Chapter 5. Chapter 3 deals with planningfor web projects, starting with the important issue of whether youshould redesign your website at all (as opposed to iteratively designingit), as well as how to perform a needs assessment of your website.Chapter 4 is all about social mechanics—you will learn about theroles and responsibilities of a web team and how to get buy-in foryour web projects from everyone from library administration to your

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systems department, the rest of your staff, and, most importantly, yourcommunity.

Chapter 5 is about implementation. This is where we delve into thedetails about how to conduct a usability test, how to perform a cardsort, how to develop personas to inform your web design decisions,how to perform a heuristic evaluation of your website, and how to writea content strategy. In Chapter 6, we get into marketing, starting withsome ideas around how thinking about your library website as a “virtualbranch” can help you with your marketing efforts. This chapter alsocovers traditional marketing opportunities, search engine optimization,social media marketing, how to communicate and market your websiteredesign (which is arguably one of the biggest web projects that you’llundertake!), some ideas to promote transparency in your web devel-opment activities, and, finally, how to market internally.

In Chapter 7, we discuss some best practices that we have observed inlibrary web design and highlight some of our favorite library websitesthat are doing things specifically well in the areas of search, navigation,authenticity, orientation, the mobile web, visual design, communityengagement, and web writing. Chapter 8 gets into the difficult topicof usability and user experience metrics, and we discuss the utility oftools such as website analytics, A/B tests, surveys, and five-secondtests. Chapter 9 rounds out the discussion with some commentary onwhat we see as developing trends in library website design, specificallyaround discovery and access to library resources and the issues arounddeveloping websites that are optimized for mobile devices. In thefinal section, Recommended Reading, we leave you with an annotatedlist of some of our favorite print and web resources for UX design.

We’ll be the first to acknowledge that there are literally hundreds ofbooks out there on UX design. So, we are both thrilled and humbledthat you chose User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries. We think youmade the right decision because our experience as librarians and UXdesigners gives us a unique perspective on the needs of libraries,librarians, and, most important, library users. We’ve tried to distillthis perspective in a way that can help you go out there and buildbetter experiences for your library’s users. We hope you find it useful.

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!1INTRODUCTION

! What Is User Experience (UX) for the Web and Why Is ItImportant?

! Why Should Libraries Care about UX?! The Larger Scope of UX and How It Relates to Web UX! What a Library Website Should Do! The Catalog Problem! Central Tenets

! WHAT IS USER EXPERIENCE (UX) FOR THE WEB AND WHYIS IT IMPORTANT?

User experience for the web is all about how users feel when interactingwith a website or interface. As you might imagine, web UX is a smallsubset of a larger discipline that deals with how users feel about interact-ing with anything: a system, product, service, or space. For the purposesof this book, when we talk about UX, we’re really referring to web UX,which, as a discipline, is a coming together of the fields of informationarchitecture, interaction design, interface design, and usability.

However, at the heart of it, UX is so much more. If you have everexperienced sheer delight when using a website that is simple, easy,understands what you are trying to accomplish, and helps you getthere, then you know that a good user experience is also about how awell-designed website makes you feel (important, delighted, competent,and any number of other positive adjectives). At the same time, ifyou’ve had the misfortune of using a website that is confusing, one thatputs up roadblocks at every turn and doesn’t help you accomplishwhat you set out to, you know that a bad user experience is also abouthow a poorly designed website makes you feel (frustrated, annoyed,incompetent, and many other negative adjectives)!

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This is exactly why UX matters. It’s not difficult to come up with aclean, streamlined information architecture for your site; it’s alsofairly easy to work through all the interactions on a site to create afunctional interaction design; and, as you will see, usability testingyour site isn’t rocket science—it takes some time and planning, butit’s a fairly straightforward pursuit. But all of these practices rolled uptogether is what ensures that positive experience for your users.

! WHY SHOULD LIBRARIES CARE ABOUT UX?

You’ve already made it to Chapter 1, so we’re guessing you don’t need alot of convincing about why libraries should care about UX. However,we feel it’s important to reiterate that the principles of good web UXshould matter a great deal to libraries, because we are already fightingan uphill battle when it comes to our users’ attention. Content andinformation are no longer scarce commodities that require the medi-ation of the library—thanks to the web, both are plentiful, which haschanged the value proposition of libraries. As we continue to retoolto respond to the changes in the information marketplace and meetthe needs of our users, it is more imperative than ever that we areattentive to our web presences, providing online experiences that aresimple, intuitive, and delightful.

! THE LARGER SCOPE OF UX AND HOW IT RELATES TO WEB UX

As we mentioned previously, the website designs and interfaces youexpose your users to are only part of the whole user experience picture.Ideally, all of your library’s touch points—the places where your userscome into contact with your library—will be aligned and well designed.This means that creating a holistic and positive user experience in-cludes designing great print materials, signs, customer service, facilities,reference work flows, programs, collections, and services. This mightseem daunting. It is indeed a lot of work and sometimes difficult. Butit is crucial for the success of your library.

The experience you try to facilitate through your website is animportant component of the total user experience you provide. It isoften the first touch point with which people come into contact.Patrons use it frequently as the gateway to your catalog and otheronline resources and services. It is also a challenging piece of the UXpuzzle. While you likely have different physical spaces for different

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types of library users, creating distinct digital spaces isn’t necessarilydesirable. However, with adequate user research you can create awebsite that will meet the needs of your most important audiences.

! WHAT A LIBRARY WEBSITE SHOULD DO

Most website behavior is task oriented: people have an informationneed or need to accomplish something and they use the web as a toolto meet that need. There are a few websites that people browse forfun and entertainment, but your library’s website probably isn’t oneof them.

Library websites should differ as much as the communities theyserve differ. Conversely, library websites will share many characteristicsbecause of the similarities of people everywhere. Libraries’ responsesto these similarities should make up the basic functionality of everylibrary website—things like library hours, locations, services, loanperiod information and catalog searching should be included. Gettingthese basic things right—something that few libraries do—is the firststep to creating interesting and thriving library websites. It doesn’tmake sense to build on a shaky foundation, but many libraries dobecause it is relatively easy. As additional functionality gets tacked on,websites quickly become complicated, and information that patronswant becomes increasingly difficult to find. This book encourages youto get the basics right first before you consider taking your website tothe next level.

! THE CATALOG PROBLEM

Your website is not as important as your catalog. This is a fact. We’veasked many nonlibrarians about what they do on library websites, andthe usual response is “Place reserves on books.” This is subtly differentfrom how we think of our websites and catalogs (i.e., as distinctthings). So, either our users see the two as the same thing, or theyignore our websites and just use our catalogs. Looking at websiteanalytics suggests the latter.

The primacy of the catalog is understandable and unfortunate. It isunderstandable because people want to accomplish things by usingwebsites. In the case of libraries, the number one critical task is accessto content. For public libraries this means books, movies, and music.For academic libraries, add in journal articles. It is unfortunate,because we have very little control over the visual and interaction

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design of our catalogs. This is worth repeating: we have very littlecontrol over the look and behavior of the number one thing peoplewant to do on our websites. The solution to this problem isn’t withinthe scope of this book, but it is a problem that we want to acknowledge.Having well-designed library websites will get us only so far. To providethe ability to find library items, some libraries will still subject theirusers to an interface that is not only different from the rest of theirwebsite but also one that is poor. This lack of control over the catalogis the number one problem for library websites.

! CENTRAL TENETS

The techniques in this book will help you create a user-centeredwebsite. Here are some things we believe about library websites thatinform our designs and will help you create the better websites.

Less Is Less (and That’s a Good Thing)

Your goal is to make your library’s site as small as it can be while stillmeeting the needs of your users. This will result in patrons findingstuff with greater ease and less ongoing maintenance for your webteam.

Patrons Don’t Read Library Websites, They Scan Them

Nothing against your library website, really. People don’t do muchreading on the web period. Instead, people hope to learn bits ofknowledge or accomplish tasks. Knowing this fact should impact theway we write for library websites. Information should be presented ineasy-to-skim chunks.

Good UX for One Is Good UX for All

Accessibility is an extremely important issue for websites. So much sothat web accessibility is often legally mandated for public organizations(depending on what country/state/province you’re in), and, becausemost libraries are public organizations, compliance with web accessibil-ity guidelines is a pressing matter for most of us. While this book doesnot specifically aim to make your website compliant with whateveraccessibility legislation you operate under, we believe that adhering toweb accessibility standards is not a limitation but an opportunity.Much like universal design is all about improving design and usability


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to the benefit of everyone, making your website accessible will improvethe experience of your site for all your users, not just the ones whouse adaptive technology for their browsing needs.

A Library Website Isn’t a Portal to the Web

With near ubiquitous and constant web connectivity via computersand mobile devices, the entire notion of a starting place on the web is abit dated. Even if it wasn’t, patrons wouldn’t start their web experienceson your library’s website. They don’t visit your library’s site for links totheir e-mail or to find out the weather or to find search engines. Ifyour site has them, remove these extraneous bits.

Library Websites Are for Library Users, Not Librarians

Sometimes portions of library websites are designed for librarians touse on the job. When librarians are accustomed to using the librarywebsite daily it can be difficult to redesign the site for patrons. If youface resistance when removing librarian-centered content from yourwebsite, put the content in question on your staff intranet. If youdon’t already have one, consider creating one. You can adapt thetechniques in this book to design a website for library staff, too.

When in Doubt, Leave It Out

You should be able to strongly articulate reasons for including everysingle thing that’s on your library’s site. If you’re not sure why some-thing is on your site and can’t find a reason, remove it. The samething goes for content that is considered “nice to have” on the site.Everything on the site should be essential. If it is not essential, itshouldn’t be there.

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AA/B testing

analyzing, 44–45change and, 91decision making, 28–29instruction for testers, 43metrics, 90–91sorting, 42–44See also Card sorting

Accessibility, 65Accuracy, 64Acorn, 10Administrator, web, 24Adobe, 10Amazon.com, 16–17Analytics, 89–93

See also MetricsAnalyzing

card sort data, 44–45companion website, 44, 56content audit, 61–67research, 47–48statistics, 32, 37website usefulness, 62–64, 89–93worksheet, 44–45

Apple.com, 16Assessing

user needs, 20–22website, 61–65

Audiofile, 61recording, 36

Auditanalyzing, 65–67conducting, 61–65content, 12–13, 61–65, 61fWeb Content Leads, 25, 70

B Basecamp, 11Best practices

authenticity, 80, 83clarity, 87, 88fcommunity engagement, 87, 87fmobile web, 84–85, 84fnavigation, 80, 81f, 82forientation, 83, 85, 83f, 84fsearch engine optimization (SEO),

74–76, 79, 80fusability, 35–37visual design, 85, 85f, 86f

BiblioCommons, 79, 95Blogs, 27, 76–77Bloomstein, Margot, 60Brainstorming, 20, 32, 38, 45, 48, 51–56,

90Branding, 21–22, 76, 93Breadcrumbs, 58BrowserLab, 10Browsers, 10, 74, 90Buy-in, 25–28

CCamtasia, 11, 37

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INDEX

Page numbers followed by the letter “f” indicate figures.

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Captivate, 37Card sorting

analyzing, 44–45closed, 41defined, 41design, 24instructions, sample, 43–44needs, determining, 21opened, 41performing, 39–44recruiting, 41–42steps, 42–44test, 11–12usability, 44–45worksheet, 44–45

Catalog (OPAC)gateway, 2–3homepage, 58integrated, 79, 80f, 95–96integrated library system (ILS), 95–96interface and, 3–4, 8, 95–96problem, 3–4, 95searching, 79, 80fvisual design, 95–96

Cataloging, content audit, 61–65, 61fChange, 2, 16–19, 22, 28–29, 38–40, 75,

77–78, 91Chunking, 87Clip art, 59Clueapp.com, 93CMS. See Content management system

(CMS)Community, 27–28

engagement, 87, 87fComposite character sketches. See PersonaComputers and peripherals, 7–8Content

approvers, 25, 70change testing, 39–44creator, 25, 62, 66, 69–70editor, 25, 69–70images, 4, 10, 58–59, 58finaccurate, 65–66information architecture, 1–2, 40–41,

66–67leads, 24–25, 69–71life cycle, 67–68, 68fpopular and unpopular, 65–66

publishers, 25, 70requesters, 25, 69reviewing, 59, 65roles, 68–71strategy, 60–61team, 23–25triangle of needs, 19funused and unnecessary, 65–66work flow arrangement, 67–70writing, 59–60, 64

Content auditaccuracy, 64analyzing, 66–67cataloging, 61–62conducting, 61–65, 61flinks, 64measuring, 62–65usefulness, 12–13, 63–64user-friendly, 64–65

Content Editors, 25, 69–70Content management system (CMS),

74–75Content Publishers, 25, 70Conversion rate, 89Creator, 25, 62, 66, 69–70

DD.H. Hill Library (NC State), 83, 84fDarien (CT) Public Library, 79, 80fDatabases, 21, 33, 91Debrief, 17, 38–40, 43Decision making, 29–30Design lead, 24Designing

positive user experience, 1–3See also Website design

Destination, 46, 73–75Development

lead, 24web, 23–25, 36, 39, 49, 95–96

Discovery layer overlays, 95–96District of Columbia Public Library, 87,

88fDrupal, 74

EE-book format, 96Editing, 10


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EDS, 95Evaluations

analyzing, 65–67content audit, 61–65, 61fheuristic, 56, 60life cycle, content, 67–68, 68fusefulness to library, 62–64of website, 56–60See also Surveys; Testing

Events calendar, 90Evergreen King County (WA) Library

System, 96Evolving websites, 16Excel, 65

F Facebook, 16–17, 75Facilitator, 35–37, 42–43Feedback, 7, 20, 27, 32, 36, 58Firefox, 10Five-second test, 8, 93Flickr, 48Flip charts, 38Focus groups, 20–21, 36Friends of the Library, 28, 34, 37

G Guerrillas in the library, 39Gimp.com, 10Goals, 17Google, 16–17, 29, 74Google Analytics, 62, 90–91Google Website Optimizer, 91GroupFinder, 83

H Hardware, 7–8Harvard College Library, 85, 86fHarvard Library Innovation Laboratory,

77Header hierarchies, 75Hennepin County (MN) Library

BookSpace, 87, 87fHeuristic evaluation, 56, 60

examples, 59–60images, 58–59, 58fnavigation, 57–58reviewing content, 59

visual design, 56–57, 57fwriting, 59

Homepage, 16, 58, 79, 93HTML, 59

I Icon, 37, 93iGooMap, 61Illustrator, 10ILS. See Integrated library system (ILS)Images, 10, 16, 75, 85, 93

visual design, 56–59, 57f, 58f, 61Implementation. See Methods and

practicesInfomaki, 8Information architecture, 1–2

website, 40–41, 66–67Instructions for testing, 39–44Integrated library system (ILS), 95–96Interactive design, 1–3, 15, 17–19, 24,

96Interface, 8, 10–11, 16, 31, 36, 38, 40

integrated library system (ILS), 95–96website and, 1–2, 4

Internet Explorer, 10Interviews, user, 20–21, 24, 46–50iStockphoto.com, 48IT department, 26–27

JJavaScript, 91Jing, 11Joomla, 74Journal articles, 95

KKing County (WA) Library System, 96

LLibrary

administration, 24, 26change, 2, 16–19, 22, 28–29, 38–40,

75, 77–78, 91Friends group, 28, 34, 37IT systems department, 26–27mission statement, 19needs, 18–22organizational capacity, 21–22

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Library (cont’d.)strategic plan, 20, 22, 70triangle of needs, 19f

Library websitecatalog interface, 3–4, 95–96change and, 16–19, 22, 28–29, 38–40,

75characteristics of, 3design, 1–2evolving, 16importance, 2information architecture, 1–2, 40–41,

66–67library use and, 2–3, 18, 62–63linking, 75mobile website, 76, 84–85navigation, 80, 81f–82forientation, 83, 85, 83f–84fredesign, 15–16, 39–44retooling, 2reviewing content, 59tenets, 4–5touch point, 2–3usability, 1–2, 4–5usefulness analyzed, 62–64, 89–93viability, webpages, 74–75

Life cycle, content, 67–68, 68fLinking, 5, 9, 60, 64, 75Logo, 93LovelyCharts.com, 9

MMarketing

blogging, 76–77changes, 75, 77–78content management system (CMS),

74–75destination, 46, 73–75internal, 77–78libraries and, 2linking, 75redesign, website, 39–44, 75search engine optimization (SEO),

74–76, 79social media, 75–76traditional, 74transparent practices, 77virtual branch, 73–74, 77

Meta tags, 75Methods and practices

analyzing audit, 65–67audit, 61–55brainstorming, 20, 32, 38, 45, 48,

51–56, 90card sort, 11, 40–45content audit, 12–13, 61–65, 61fcontent strategy, 60–61creator, 62, 66, 69–70debrief, 38–40facilitator, 35–37, 42–43heuristic evaluation, 56–57, 60ideas, 51–53interviews, users, 20–21, 46–47life cycle, content, 67–68, 68fnavigation, 57–58parameters, 29, 33–34responsibility, 62search engine optimization (SEO),

74–76, 79statistics, 32, 37usability test, 18, 31–35usefulness, 62–64, 89–93user-friendly, 64–65visual design, 56–57, 57f, 58fwork flow, 67–71See also Persona; Testing

MetricsA/B tests, 28–29, 90–91analytics, 89–90content audit, 62–65five-second tests, 93Google Analytics, 62, 90–91library needs, 19–22surveys, 91–93tips, 92user experience, 89–90

Miami University Libraries, 79, 81fMicrophone, 8, 35Mission, 18–20Mission statement, 19Mobile website

creating, 76, 84–85, 96–97Ryerson University Library and

Archives (Toronto), 85, 85fSkokie (IL) Public Library, 84, 84fusability test, 96–97


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Mockingbird, 9Mocksup.com, 9–11Mockups, 9–10Morae, 8

NNavigation, 57–58Needs assessment

card sorting, 21catalog and, 3–4focus groups, 20interviews, 20–21, 46–47organizational capacity, 21–22performing, 18–22statistics, 32surveys, 20–21, 91–93triangle of needs, 19f

Netflix, 16Nestlé’s Global Corporate Website

Orienting Users, 58fNew York Public Library, 80, 82fNorth Carolina State University Library

D.H. Hill Library, 83, 84fNotes from the Redesign Team, 76

Notess, Greg R., 11Numbers, 61

OOakville Public Library (Ontario), 79,

81fOhio State University Library Labs, 77OmniGraffle.com, 9OPAC

customizing, 95integrated library system (ILS), 95–96searching, 79See also Catalog (OPAC)

Open source, 96Operating system, 7, 26–27, 90OptimalSort, 11Organizational capacity, 21–22Orientation, 80Overlays, 95

PPaper Prototyping (Snyder), 40Parameters, 29

tester, 33–34

Patronsneeds, 57–59, 95–96surveying, 32, 39–40, 46website use, 2–4, 63–66, 79, 89–93

PDF, 59, 61Penn Library (labs.library), 77Persona

brainstorming, 51–56creating, 31, 45–46defined, 45 design, 50–51development, 46–50document, 12, 48–51, 51f, 52fgoals, 49–50how to use, 51–54ideas, 51–53interviews, 46–47overview, 51–54, 51f, 52fplanning, 53photograph, 48, 51fquestions about, 54–56shoestring budget, 47–48use of, 45–46, 51–52, 63–64user research, 46–51

Personnel, 21Pixelmator.com, 10Planning

brainstorming, 20, 32, 38, 45, 48,51–56, 90

change and, 2, 16–19, 22, 28–29,38–40

interactive design, 1–3, 15, 17–19, 24,96

needs assessment,18–22, 19forganizational capacity, 21–22purpose of, 22redesign, 15–16transition, 17–18See also Persona; Project management

Photoshop, 10, 40Platforms, 10, 96Project management

A/B tests, 28–29, 43–45administrator, web, 24blog, 27buy-in, 25–28capacity, organizational, 21–22card sorting, 11–12, 21, 41–42

Index ! 107

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Project management (cont’d.)community, 27–28consultation, 28–29content, 24–25, 58–62design, 24development, 24IT department, 26–27library administration, 26mission and vision statement, 19needs assessment, 18–21, 19fpersonas, 12progress, 28–29roles and responsibility, 23–25software, 11–12staff, 27stakeholder, 25–26surveys, 12systems, 26–27techniques, 11–12users, 29web team, 23–25

RRedesign, website

A/B test, 90–91library users and, 5, 22marketing, 75–77planning, 15–18testing for, 39–44transition, 17–18

Research analyzed, 46–48methods, 92personas, 45, 53, 55techniques, 11–12, 53User Research Team, 70User Researcher, 3, 24, 26–27, 75, 77

Responsibility, 62Retooling, 2Ryerson University Library and Archives

(Toronto), 85, 85f

SSafari, 10Salt Lake City (UT) Public Library, 85, 86fSan José (CA) Public Library, 83, 83fScenarios, 32–33Scope of website, 12–13

Screen recording, 37Screencasting, 10–11, 37, 76Screencasting in Libraries (Notess), 11ScreenFlow 2, 11Script writing, 35–36Search engine optimization (SEO),

74–75, 79Search engines, 5, 74–75Searching, 95Silverback, 8Skitch.com, 10Skokie (IL) Public Library, 84, 84fSnyder, Carolyn, 40Social mechanics. See Project

managementSocial media, 75

blog, 27, 76–77Software

project management, 11–12screen recording, 37usability testing, 8–9wireframes and mockups, 9–11, 40, 93

Solutions and tools. See Website designSOPAC, 95Sorting. See Card sortingSouth by Southwest (SXSW), 60Staff intranet, 5Stakeholders, 25–26Statistics, web, 32, 37

See also AnalyzingStrategic plan, 22Summon, 95SurveyMonkey, 12, 92Surveys

A/B tests, 28–29, 90–91analytics, 89–90five-second tests, 93offering, 91–92staff, 19SurveyMonkey, 12, 92tips, 92use, 12, 91users and, 20–21, 91–93

Systems department, 26–27

TTarget audience. See PersonaTechnology, 21, 53, 77


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Template for visual design, 56–57, 57fTenets, 4–5Testing

best practices, 35–38card sort, 40–45debrief, 38–40facilitator, 35–37, 42–43instructions, 43observers, 37parameters, 33–34recording, 36–37scenarios, 32–33site, 39–40software usability, 8–9testers, 34–36usability, 31–32, 39–41website usability, 29

Topeka and Shawnee County (KS)Public Library, 80, 82f

Touch point for library user, 2–3Transition, easing, 17–18Transparent practices, 27–28, 77Trends

in access to library resources, 95–96integrated library system (ILS),

95–96layer overlays, 95–96mobile website, 96–97open source, 96overlays, 95–96

Trial run, 17 Triangle of needs, 19fTweets, 75

UUniversity of Windsor Library, Leddy By

Design, 76Updating website, 25, 62, 65, 67, 69–70URL, 61, 74–75

marketing, 74Usability

A/B testing, 29best practices, 35–37card sorting data, 44–45catalog and, 3–4conducting tests, 31–33debrief, 38–40design, 24

five-second test, 93marketing, 76mobile website, 96–97parameters, tester, 33–34recruiting testers, 34–35reviewing content, 59search engine optimization (SEO),

74–76, 79social media testing, 75–77software, 8–9, 12testing, 7–9, 12, 26, 39–43, 76user experience (UX), 1–2, 4–5website and, 2, 18, 62–63

Usabilla.com, 9User experience (UX) library website

analytics, 89–93blog, 27, 76–77catalog interface, 3–4, 95–96change, 16–19, 22, 28–29, 38–40, 75,

77–78, 91characteristics of, 3defined, 1–2design, 1–2, 19f, 24friendly, 64–65importance, 1–2integrated experience, 96–96measuring, 89–93mobile, 96–97open source, 96positive experience, 2–3relationship to library use, 2–3retooling, 2tenets, 4–5touch point, 2–3usability, 1–4, 18, 62–63

User interviews, 20–21, 24, 46–50User Research Team, 70User Researcher, 24Userfly.com, 9UX. See User experience (UX) library

website

VVancouver Public Library (British

Columbia), 80, 83fVanderbilt University Library, 77

Test Pilot, 77Viability, webpages, 74–75

Index ! 109

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Videoaudit, 61, 63camera, 8file, 61recording, 25, 36–37, 69testing, 9

Virtual branch, 73–74, 77Vision, 18–20Vision statement, 19Visual design, 56–57, 57f, 58f, 66, 85,

85f, 86f, 95Visually simple, 85, 85f, 86fVuFind, 95

WWeb administrator, 24Web Content Leads, 24–25, 70–71Web projects planning. See Planning;

Project managementWeb team. See Project managementWeb Team Leads, 70Web writing, 59, 64Webcam, 8, 37Website, companion, 44, 56Website design

browsers, 10, 74, 90card sorting, 11–12, 21, 41–42clarity, 87, 88fcontent audit,12–13, 61–65, 61fdatabase, 21, 33, 91designer, 24five-second test, 93hardware, 7–8image creation and editing, 4, 10, 58finformation architecture, 1–2, 40–41,

66–67integrated library system (ILS), 95–96interactive, 1–3, 15, 17–19, 24, 96

interface, 8, 10–11, 16, 31, 36, 38, 40interviews, user, 20–21, 24, 46–50linking, 75mission of, 18–20mobile, 85, 96–97persona, 12, 45–50project management, 11–12, 24purpose of, 22scope, 12–13screencasting, 10–11software, 8–9solutions, 18–22surveys, 12team, 23–25techniques, 11–12tips, 92triangle of needs, 19fupdating, 25, 62, 65, 67, 69–70users, 5, 31viability on webpages, 74–75visual, 56–57, 57f, 58f, 66, 85, 85f, 86f,

95wireframes and mockups, 9–11, 40, 93See also Planning; Project

management Website redesign

A/B test, 90–91library users and, 5, 22marketing, 75–77planning, 15–18testing for, 39–44

WebSort.net, 11Whiteboards, 38Wireframes and mockups, 9–11, 40, 93WordPress, 74Work flow, 67–71Worksheet, 44–45Writing, 59–60, 64


UEDL11indx(103 110) 4/11/12 5:33 PM Page 110





11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION

User Experience (UX) Design for LibrariesSchm

idt / Etches

American Library Association50 E. Huron StreetChicago, IL 60611

1 (866) SHOPALA (866) 746-7252

This is the series to acquire and share in any institution over the next year. I think of it as a cost-effective way to attend the equivalent of ten excellent technology management courses ledby a dream faculty! TECH SET® #11–20 will help librarians stay relevant, thrive, and survive. It isa must-read for all library leaders and planners.

— Stephen Abram, MLS, Vice President, Strategic Relations and Markets, Cengage Learning

“”

Find out more about each topic in THE TECH SET® VOLUMES 11–20and preview the Tables of Contents online at www.alatechsource.org/techset/.

Each multimedia title features a book, a companion website, and a podcast to fully cover the topic and then keep you up-to-date.

User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries is part of THE TECH SET® VOLUMES 11–20, a series of conciseguides edited by Ellyssa Kroski and offering practical instructionfrom the field’s hottest tech gurus. Each title in the series is aone-stop passport to an emerging technology. If you’re readyto start creating, collaborating, connecting, and communicatingthrough cutting-edge tools and techniques, you’ll want to getprimed by all the books in THE TECH SET®.

New tech skills for you spell new services for your patrons:

• Learn the latest, cutting-edge technologies.

• Plan new library services for these popular applications.

• Navigate the social mechanics involved with gaining buy-in for these forward-thinking initiatives.

• Utilize the social marketing techniques used by info pros.

• Assess the benefits of these new technologies to maintain your success.

• Follow best practices already established by innovators and libraries using these technologies.

11. Cloud Computing for Libraries, by Marshall Breeding

12. Building Mobile Library Applications, by Jason A. Clark

13. Location-Aware Services and QR Codes for Libraries, by Joe Murphy

14. Drupal in Libraries, by Kenneth J. Varnum

15. Strategic Planning for Social Media in Libraries, by Sarah K. Steiner

16. Next-Gen Library Redesign, by Michael Lascarides

17. Screencasting for Libraries, by Greg R. Notess

18. User Experience (UX) Design for Libraries, by Aaron Schmidt and Amanda Etches

19. IM and SMS Reference Services for Libraries, by Amanda Bielskas and Kathleen M. Dreyer

20. Semantic Web Technologies and Social Searching for Librarians, by Robin M. Fay and Michael P. Sauers

18

TS 18 FullCover 4/12/12 2:20 PM Page 1


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