Comments(0) Are you interested in libraries and UX (design, user research, etc.)? Then you might be interested in our new listserv: Library User Experience.
Join us!
Comments(0) We’re looking for an innovative, and talented user experience professional to join our User Experience (UX) Department. The ideal candidate will be someone with a passion for better understanding users, the ability to use creative problem solving skills to design engaging interfaces, and an investment in improving the library web experience.
The position is written more like a “generalist” than “specialist” because we’re a small department doing a wide-range of activities that span the entire development cycle. However, depending on the qualifications of the candidates, we’d consider revising the position to focus more on either design or research.
See the full position description for more information about the position and how to apply.
Comments(0) A few weeks ago I helped out again with the MLibrary Undergraduate library’s annual “Party for Your Mind” event to welcome the students back and introduce new students to the library.
Like last year, I did a photo booth where I asked the students to complete the sentence “My ideal library ______” and like last year, I got a lovely combination of silly and serious responses. Quiet/Loud and food/sleeping were again popular themes!
My ideal library... loud & fun!
Comments(2) This is the second year of the University of Michigan Library’s iDesign competition. This year’s theme is virtual browsing and the challenge is to design an innovative tool which will enhance MLibrary’s discovery environment.
We received some fantastic entries! I especially appreciate the projects that employed UX research methods to inform their designs. If you are so inclined, you can vote on the projects or just have a look at the individual projects:
“…a recommender system could be developed to utilize this rich set of knowledge to curate subsets of the overall library collections, which could then be used to make recommendations to users. A large number of these subsets from across the university could be interconnected and used to surface new content to users, enhance their experience, and break down artificial barriers created by different subject areas.”
“Ever lend a book to a friend? Ever wish they would bring it back? Forget who you lent it to in the first place? MyLibrary will finally let you keep track of your personal collection.”
MLibrary Search
Designs for an improved multi-search interface
Aoide: Virtual Browsing Exploration for MLibrary Audio Collection
A-oi-de [ey-oi-dee] – noun: “A virtual browsing system that aims to facilitate new methods of interpreting search results through virtualized representations of audio CD materials for the University of Michigan’s Music Library.”
A visual browser for Askwith Media Library
Comments(2) 
We’ve been very hard at work over in the User Experience Department!
We started working on a year long mobile initiative in September and have officially wrapped our first phase of work. The result is a site that provides access to key library content and services in a mobile-friendly format. The site currently provides access to Mirlyn Mobile, a list of mobile friendly databases, library hours & locations, ask a librarian services, research guides, and news & events.
The above image is the basis of our promotional campaign. We’ll soon be distributing signs, bookmarks, and digital sign graphics all around campus. The idea for it came from the amazing Liene and then once I found a willing butt, I was able to turn the idea into the design above.
MLibrary Mobile Initiative Project page
UPDATE: I also wanted to mention that I’ve distributed print & screen promotions around to our various libraries and a few classroom buildings. These materials include a QR code to the mobile site. If you’re interested in seeing stats for scans of the QR code, here’s the bit.ly stats page: http://bit.ly/gLu272+
Comments(3) I’ve been joking at work about writing a series of “case studies in why things are hard” for some time now and I’m finally inspired to do so.
We often get interface requests that seem perfectly reasonable and simple but once we start to work out the details, it becomes clear that it’s much more complex. It seems like more and more we are faced with interface issues that just seem nearly impossible to solve. Labels seem to be the hardest of all.
I’ve come to the conclusion that an ideal label is: true, short, and meaningful but for any complex need, you can’t have all three at once.
Example:
In our library catalog, we want to provide users a clear way to easily skim search results for items that have full-text online by designating their online status using an icon and label. However, we can’t just use the label “Full-text” because it’s not true since some of these items aren’t actually text but are images, audio, video, etc. On top of that, multi-volume materials (newspapers, journals, magazines) may have mixed full-text access (e.g., vols 1-20 are full-text but 21-44 are not). We currently use the label “available online” which is short and meaningful but isn’t exactly true since not all the items in the records are truly available online. We’re currently thinking about changing it to “electronic resources,” which isn’t very meaningful. Another alternative we’re testing is “some content fully available” which is true but isn’t exactly short or meaningful. In fact, preliminary results of our usability testing shows that students recognize this is an accurate label but say wouldn’t be inclined to pay attention to it. This leads me to think that for this particular task, going with something meaningful & short (but not exactly true) might be our best option.
Suggestions welcome!
Comments(1) A couple of weeks ago, our Undergrad library hosted their annual “Party for Your Mind” event to welcome the students back and introduce new students to the library. They have scavenger hunts, video games, craft tables, palm readings, and of course free pizza.
I wanted to do something fun for this event with a bit of a UX twist so, we turned the new presentation practice room into a “photo booth.” Using pre-printed signs, we asked the students to complete the sentence “My ideal library _______” and then pose with their signs like a mug shot. We got some great shots and the students seemed to be pretty entertained by it.
Here are some of my favorites:
My ideal library…is located in my room
My ideal library…is quite enough to hear the computers hum
My ideal library…is easy to navigate (or really fun to get lost in)
My ideal library…is this.
And here’s the full set of images
Using usability, accessibility, functionality, & aesthetics towards a more usable library.
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