too many cooks in the web kitchen? a successful case of herding cats to improve the user experience

Too Many Cooks in the Web Kitchen?

Rebecca Blakiston, University of Arizona Libraries, 2012

A successful case of herding cats to improve the user

experience

Our websites are complex.

What am I supposed to be doing again?

Responsibilities aren’t clear.

My primary audience is

wealthy couples

Truffle oil is so overrated…

Truffle oil makes

everything better

My best customers are

college students

Everyone has an opinion.

Meet the University of Arizona Libraries.

Our website was a mess.

What do you think

about this

idea…?

Put someone in charge and form a small group of

experts.

Now the rest of you:

let’s chat.

Communicate regularly with stakeholders.

Ask for, listen to, and respond to input.

Create a vision.

Develop goals.

Develop strategies.

Develop metrics.

Read this book.

Conduct an audit.

Just look at the mess you’ve made!!

Conduct an analysis.

Understand your audience.

Create detailed scenarios.

Walter needs to find American newspapers from the 1700s through today…

he doesn’t know what is available or where to start.

Review current processes.

Define a philosophy for your content.

Fresh,fast,

healthy.

Knowledgeable, not preachy. Helpful, not frustrating. Welcoming, not full of jargon. Professional, not pompous. Conversational, not preachy. Approachable, not intimidating. Direct, not complicated.

Establish a voice and tone.

Sorry, this dish is not

up to standard…

Develop standards.

Less like… More like…The customer should login to their Illiad account to request a document delivery.

Sign in now to request an article.

Library staff will respond to user complaints by enforcing the code of conduct.

We want you to feel safe in the library. Please notify desk staff if you have any concerns.

The University of Arizona Fine Arts Library (formerly the UA Music Library) houses the UA Libraries' music holdings and, along with the Main Library, a small portion of the Libraries' architecture holdings, most of which are kept in the Science Engineering Library.

The Fine Arts Library includes all of our music collection as well as a small selection of architecture materials.

Develop detailed editorial

standards.

Develop a strategy.

appetizersmeat

prepsidesdesserts fish

servicegarnish

orders

back-up

Assign new roles and responsibilities.

Organize trainings so that everyone has the knowledge and

skills to get the job done.

Requestor talks to provider

Provider talks to Content Manager

Content Manager creates the page

Reviewer edits the page

Publisher launches the page

Establish a workflow for creating a page.

Content Manager determines page should be deleted

Content Manager communicates with stakeholders

Content Manager removes or updates all internal links

Content Manager sends deletion request to Publisher

Publisher deletes the page

Establish a workflow for deleting a page.

Establish a system of accountability.

Don’t give up.

And always

keep the user in mind.