you have what you need (to make your library website great)
Post on 15-Jul-2015
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TODAY’S TOPICS
• When and how to solicit patron feedback on web
site updates
• How to parse current patron feedback to make
effective changes
• The role hierarchy and organization play in the
experience of your website
• The importance of assessing current site content
• Hard truths of how your patrons use your site
WHAT MAKES AN
EXPERIENCE GREAT?
Valued information
• derives from a patron-focused strategy
Trust
• balance requested info and perceived value
Ease of use
• usability best practices and testing
Amazement
• the ability to innovate with relevance
Adapted from Dante Murphy
VISIT THE SITES YOUR
PATRONS ARE USING
• You can see what web conventions they’re used to
• You may get ideas on how to best implement something
THINK ABOUT HOW YOU
USE THE INTERNET
(But also realize that you’re not your users)
What do you like?
What’s convenient?
What’s easy?
USE THE DATA YOU
ALREADY HAVE ACCESS TO
Phone call logs
Customer requests
Suggestion box comments
Web search logs (not catalog)
THOUGHT EXERCISE
What would happen if your library’s website
disappeared? You’d probably get a lot of
phone calls. What would they be about?
The top reasons you get phone calls
should be the top information on your site.
http://www.walkingpaper.org/6179
WRITE A SCRIPT
• Include warm-up exercises
• Ask the participant to use the library website in a way that
they typically would
• Devise questions to see if certain features work the way
you want them to
• Keep questions open-ended
• Avoid library jargon
ESTABLISH TRUST
• Make casual conversation unrelated to your research
• Listen patiently
• Invite honesty and openness
• Use nonverbal gestures to reassure participants that
you’re engaged in what they are saying
• Stay Neutral
• Try asking “why?” in response to answers
• Don’t point out mistakes
Adapted from Design Thinking for Libraries
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR
• Be like Sherlock
• Pay attention to what people do, not what they say
• Notice absent-minded workarounds
• Observe – did the participant struggle?
CAPTURE WHAT YOU SEE
• Take notes
• Capture direct quotes whenever possible
• Write field notes immediately
IDENTIFY PROBLEMS,
NOT SOLUTIONS
http://userexperiencedesigns.com/assets/pdf/50-UX-Best-Practices.pdf
INTERPRETATION OF DATA
• Group information to find patterns
• Don’t take it at face value
• Identify the root problem
• Come up with many solutions
• Your first idea will be your worst. You only have the first idea
so you can have the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ideas
CONTENT AUDIT
Do you need everything you have? Do you KNOW everything
you have? (You don’t)
• Make a giant spreadsheet
• Click every single link and put it in the spreadsheet
• Marvel at all the stuff you didn’t know you had
PRIORITIZE
• Not everything can be presented at equal weight
• Decisions have to be made about what is most important
and what is secondary
• Feelings will be involved
$100 GAME
• Everyone is given (an imaginary) $100
• Use this money to “buy” different aspects of your website
• The most important things might get $20, less important
things will get $1
• Get everyone to talk about and defend their money
• Come to a group consensus about how to spend your
$100
• (Making this a group exercise shields you from some of
the feelings)
USE CONSISTENT
LANGUAGE
Elements Nomenclature Recommendations
Ask a Librarian (24/7 Chat) Ask a Librarian
Circulation information Borrowing
Collections Collections
Computing/printing information Computing
Contact information Contact Us
Course reserves Reserves
Databases & Articles* Articles (do not combine with
databases)
Databases (do not combine with
articles)
Help Help
Hours Hours
Information about the library About/About the Libraries
UC Library Home Pages Best Practice Task Force (2010)
THE RECAP
• Use the internet
• Visit the sites your patrons are using
• Being more conscious of what you like when you’re using
the web
• Ask Questions
• Use free services to learn about your site
• Talk to people
• Know and organize your content
• Get to know best practices
• Library specific stuff is helpful
• General info is also great
THANK YOU
FURTHER READING
Usabilty.gov
DesignThinkingforLibraries.com
GoodUI.org
LibSuccess.org/Website_Design
EmilySingley.net
LibraryUX.wordpress.com
UserExperienceDesigns.com/assets/pdf/50-UX-Best-Practices.pdf
BartlettInteractive.com/blog/best-practices-library-website-design
Sensible.com/downloads/test-script.pdf
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