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Looking for Trouble : The R ole of U ser R esearch in D iscovering & Solving Problems

Looking for Trouble : The R ole of U ser R esearch in D iscovering & Solving Problems. Thomas Crichlow, User Experience Project Manager, Duke University Libraries Emily Daly, Head of User Experience Department, Duke University Libraries

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Looking for Trouble : The R ole of U ser R esearch in D iscovering & Solving Problems

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  1. Looking for Trouble:The Role of User Research in Discovering & Solving Problems Thomas Crichlow, User Experience Project Manager, Duke University Libraries Emily Daly, Head of User Experience Department, Duke University Libraries Adrienne Lai, Emerging Technologies Services Librarian, NCSU Libraries TRLN Annual Meeting | July 22, 2013

  2. User Experience Department • Department: • some Public Services staff • Learning Commons • Web team • Emphasis on "cross-channel" user experience

  3. User Research Team • User Research Team – cross-departmental membership • Aim is to gather feedback from users • Purpose is to improve services Image from www.walkingpaper.org

  4. A lightweight approach • Regular program of usability testing • Small sample size • Model: Test, View together, Debrief

  5. Monthly usability testing • Client-based program • Worked with clients from six different departments across the Libraries • Participants in usability tests are compensated for their time

  6. UX Department • Charged to improve users’ experience of library services and spaces, both physical and virtual • Part of Collections & User Services • Encourage others to submit project ideas

  7. WebX Team

  8. Vision & implementation • Consider & prioritize web projects • Serve as sounding board for process & designs • Gather user feedback • Research future possibilities

  9. Examples

  10. Examples – New projects Virtual Browse touch-screen kiosk

  11. Examples – New projects My #HuntLibrary

  12. Examples – New projects How would you feel if one of your Instagram photos were selected by the library to be kept as a permanent record of what students did in 2013? I would be so excited. For me, I think it would be better than winning an iPad.

  13. Examples – New spaces 1st Floor 4th Floor

  14. Examples – New spaces

  15. New perspectives

  16. Taking action

  17. Examples

  18. Examples - Web Redesign • Observed Usability Testing • Search Term Analysis • Online Reverse Card Sort • Online Surveys • Feedback Sessions

  19. Observed Usability Testing Source: Steve Krug Rocket Surgery Made Easy

  20. Search Term Analysis • Five people analyzed data from the 250 most frequently used search terms.

  21. Online Reverse Card Sort

  22. Online Surveys • Open Questions about likes/dislikes • A / B / C testing of "Catalog" Terms • Testing of Wireframe designs of web pages

  23. Feedback Sessions

  24. Examples - UX projects • Carrel and locker use & request process • Graduate Student Reading Room • Food-free zones • Digital signage & wayfinding kiosks

  25. Lessons learned

  26. Challenges & Recommendations User research can involve significant up-front work

  27. Challenges & Recommendations User research can involve significant up-front work Take the opportunity to invest in infrastructure and build expertise

  28. Challenges & Recommendations How do you decide what to study?

  29. Challenges & Recommendations How do you decide what to study? Beware of scope creep - concentrate on what’s fixable and commit to iterative design

  30. Challenges & Recommendations How valid are the results of usability testing?

  31. Challenges & Recommendations How valid are the results of usability testing? Take the results with a grain of salt and triangulate when possible

  32. Challenges & Recommendations Writing research reports is really time-consuming

  33. Challenges & Recommendations Writing research reports is really time-consuming Only produce as much documentation as is necessary

  34. Challenges & Recommendations How do you get buy-in from staff?

  35. Challenges & Recommendations How do you get buy-in from staff? Make it easy for people to participate, emphasize co-ownership & keep senior decision-makersinformed

  36. Thanks for listening! Thomas Crichlow, thomas.crichlow@duke.edu Emily Daly, emily.daly@duke.edu Adrienne Lai, aslai@ncsu.edu

  37. Mike Nutt, Digital Media Librarian Charlie Morris, Web Development Librarian The Storified Website How Patrons Told Our Story

  38. #DHHILL on Instagram

  39. News article A post from our blog Instagram photo Tweet

  40. lib.ncsu.edu/huntlibrary THEN

  41. lib.ncsu.edu/huntlibrary NOW

  42. Voice

  43. Delight http://flic.kr/p/c54Sj5

  44. MORE! Curating Viral Website Publicity Customer Service Unexpected Things go.ncsu.edu/storify mrnutt@ncsu.edu

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