Aaron Schmidt

I decided to read this after watching a long, persuasive presentation by one of the authors on user experience design in libraries. It was worth reading through to build on and review the ideas from the presentation, but this book is meant as a workbook/guidebook, and as such requires more than one reading.
I liked what he said, and even with it being published 7 years ago now, the advice still seems legit. The approaches—the different types of research you can do with your community—seem challenging, mainly because of the time and planning (which takes time) involved, but I think if things were prioritized and knocked down one at a time, library management and staff could avoid getting overwhelmed.
The point system struck me as hokey, and I can’t see myself using it.
Worth a read and a purchase if you’re interested in (and you should be) incorporating user experience design in your library.… (altro)

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Review: http://jenny-arch.com/2015/08/12/useful-usable-desirable-applying-user-experienc...

Quotes

The user experience [UX] is how someone feels when using a product or service. (1)

"The trinity of good UX": Useful. Usable. Desirable. These are the three essential elements required for a great user experience at your library. (3)

The Principles of Library User Experience Design (p. 4-7):
1. You Are Not Your User
2. The User Is Not Broken
3. Good UX Requires Research
4. Building a Good User Experience Requires Empathy
5. A Good User Experience Must Be Easy Before It Can Be Interesting
6. Good UX Design is Universal
7. Good UX Is Intentional
8. Good UX Design Is Holistic

http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2008/10/07/work-like-a-patron-day/

Chapter 1: Introducing Library User Experience

Terminology: student (academic libraries), patron, user, customer...or member? (10-11)

Chapter 2: User Research Techniques in this Book

Chapter 3: Physical Space

Physical space: walls, floors, entryway, clutter (big and small)

Zoning your library is a cooperative approach to managing behavior. (30) - there should be places for group work, quiet study, etc.

...the types and setup of your furniture can have an impact on how well your zones work. (31)

Chapter 4: Service Points

...libraries tend to be organized that way [divided between circulation and reference] because those distinctions reflect different specializations in our profession. It's really not a user-centered way to think about service points and service desks, and it certainly doesn't reflect the way users approach service points in our buildings. (35)

Does the physical structure of the desk convey the library's philosophy (friendly, approachable, engaged)? Do members start their questions with apologies ("sorry to bother you...")? (36-37)

Visit other service establishments (read: not libraries) to see how they design their service desks. (38)

What's the opposite of "when and where they need it"? If you answered
"when and where we provide it," you would be correct....Even though you might consider your library to be user-centered, you may still be designing your services in a way that's more convenient for you than for your members. (41)

Simple exit survey: 1. Did you need help finding what you came in for today? (yes/no) 2. If yes, did you have trouble finding the right person to help when you needed it? (yes/no) (42)
Exit survey alternative question:
2. If yes, were you able to get the kind of help you wanted? (yes/no) (45)

Chapter 5: Policies and Customer Service

A service philosophy is a statement or series of statements that outlines the organization's approach to service... [and guides] staff in their interactions with customers and inform[s] customers of what they can expect from the organization in terms of service. (50)

Do your library policies empower your staff or hinder their ability to provide great service? (57)

An interaction with a person can equally ruin a good experience or redeem a bad one. (60)

Chapter 6: Signage and Wayfinding

Where am I? What can I do here? Where can I go from here? How do I find where I want to go? The signs in your library - ideally - help people answer these questions. (71)

Think of the signs in your library as a form of customer service and an expression of your library's attitude toward its members. Are they as friendly and helpful as the people in your building? (71)

Create a brand manual with the following elements: Typography/fonts, colors, logo/wordmark. Create templates for signage, posters, brochures, and the website. (72)

Do a signage audit to see if your library signage conforms to your visual language. Photograph each sign. (81)

Different types of signs (directional, identification, instructional, regulatory, informational) should be visually distinct. (82-83)

As few signs as possible! "Each sign you erect renders other signs less effective." Remove regulatory signs first. (84)

No paper signs taped to any surface. (85)

Library card design: library cards should feature the library name, phone number, hours, URL, address, slogan, member name and barcode (88-89)

Can first-time visitors easily locate all parts of the library? (89)

Chapter 7: Online Presence

"It is a really big deal that our library catalogs are difficult to use....The vast majority of people use our websites for one purpose: to find, renew, and reserve items. Above most everything else, your library should make this really easy to do." (93)

Determine critical tasks and do usability testing. (95-100)

The smaller your website is, the more attention you'll be able to give to each individual bit of content. (101) Conduct a content audit (a list of all the content on your website).

Using the results of your content audit...you can instantly see how exposing the weaknesses of your content gives you an instant plan for improving it. (106)

Website content should be: written for the web, current, and accurate. (106)

Link text should be descriptive, active, not too long, and not too short (e.g. "Access my account," not "click here"). (109)

Anticipate the questions that members want to answer and use those as headings on a page. (110)

Avoid jargon; use library terms that people can understand: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/3qq499w7 (111)

Social media: The bottom line is you are more likely to see better, more meaningful engagement with members online if you are using the same tools they are [Facebook, Twitter, etc.]. (124)

Cited: Steve Krug, Ginnie Reddish, Jakob Nielsen (125)

Chapter 8: Using the Library

Providing access to both operating systems [Windows and OS X] and allowing members to choose which they would prefer to use shows sensitivity to their needs and preferences. (130)

When you have no control over how intuitive a piece of equipment [e.g. scanner, copier, printer] is...the least you can do to make your members' lives easier is to provide clear, simple instructions for how to use that equipment. (131)

Conduct an audit of your library's print promotional materials. Knowing exactly what the library is producing, where it lives, and who is responsible for it will help you keep track of what's being produced and whether it [is relevant to member needs]. (135-136)

What's the number one question members ask at the service desk(s) every month? Use evidence to guide you in what materials to create. (137)

Display recent returns physically (and virtually with Awesome Box, http://awesomebox.io/) (140)

Libraries will provide better services if they think about member needs as problems to be solved.
Libraries should help solve real problems in their communities. (141)

Conceptualizing our services as solutions to members' problems puts us in a user-centered frame of mind. (142)

Creating services that are truly valuable is the best form of library advocacy. It is the key to becoming essential to our communities. (143)

Chapter 9: Wrapping Up: Philosophy, Process, and Culture

Create "journey maps" for critical library tasks; list or map all touchpoints in the process. (148-149)

Design (defn.): arranging elements for a particular purpose. (150)

The way [a] problem is phrased will impact the type of solution you create. (151)

[The right organizational culture] puts the user first at every level, starting with full support from senior administration, all the way down to complete buy-in at the grassroots level. (155)

Whereas a service philosophy acts as a guide for your service desk staff, mission [what you do now] and vision [aspirational] statements should act as guides for everything you do at your library. (155)

Cited: The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett (157)

Every decision we make affects how people experience the library. (158)… (altro)