Information, Not Location: Putting the What in Front of the Where So Patrons can Find When, Why and How
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The document discusses the re-architecture of the University of Michigan Library's website with a focus on improving usability and accessibility for patrons. It highlights the collaborative efforts of various developers and librarians, emphasizes a user-centered design approach through surveys and usability testing, and notes the library's reliance on open-source tools. Future enhancements aim to respond to user feedback and create more personalized services.
Information, Not Location: Putting the What in Front of the Where So Patrons can Find When, Why and How
- 1. Information, Not LocationPutting the What in Front of the Where So Patrons can Find When, Why and HowKen VarnumUniversity of Michigan LibraryNERCOMP New Discovery Tools Symposium February 1, 2010
- 2. IntroductionBackgroundUsability Process & Design ProcessTechnologies UsedObservations & Lessons
- 3. The Work of ManyScott Ash (Web Developer)Albert Bertram (Web Developer)Mike Creech (Web Content Manager)Bill Dueber (Programmer)Liene Karels (Director of Communications)Nancy Moussa (Web Developer)Karen Reiman-Sendi (Digital Initiatives Librarian)And Scores More….
- 7. Re-Architecting the SiteWeb Team charge: allow the Dean to find stuff more easily“Information, not location”Harness work with VuFind, LibGuides
- 8. Seeking/Setting a DirectionInformation GatheringSurveysFocus Groups Advisory Groups Drafting BlueprintsTaxonomyUser InterfaceTechnologies
- 9. Typical Development ProcessAnalysisMaintenance &UpdatingSpec BuildingDesign &DevelopmentPromotionCodingTesting
- 10. Our Development ProcessData Collection& AnalysisUI DesignMilestoneReleaseUser Testing & FeedbackContent MigrationSystemDevelopment
- 11. The FoundationWe open source softwarePreference for building over buyingTrend toward customization of generic toolWe have in-house capability to customizeDrupal, VuFind, SolrBut use more than open sourceStill live in a vendor-driven environmentMetalib, EZProxy, SFX, Aleph ILS
- 12. Our Tool Box
- 13. Today’s Gateway
- 14. Search
- 20. Articles Search
- 22. Catalog Search
- 23. Browse
- 29. Get HelpContact a librarianFind documentation and guidesWorkshops & tutorials
- 30. It Never EndsBenign neglect is worse than apathyReacting to feedbackConducting usability workGateway page layoutQuick LinksSearch / Browse ResultsLibrary units (underway)
- 31. Quick LinksGuerilla testStudents offered their favorite web linksShown our Quick Links list without title andName the sectionSay where links wentGiven descriptions, asked to provide better labelsLearned about labels, links, and placement
- 32. Search / Browse ResultsIndividual Card SortVolunteers did a search or a browseGiven a template with two columns and cards with relevant headingsAsked to put arrange them as they wantedLearned about consistency and users’ perceived importance
- 33. Solving the Org ChartGroup card sortSelected ~40 operational units from library (out of 90)Give to a group of 5-7 students, ask them to sort how they find useful – as a groupThen give labelsUnderway right now
- 34. Gateway Page LayoutParticipatory DesignVolunteers get print-out of gateway pageCircle things they likeX-out things they don’t likeUse post-its to add things that they wantLearned interesting things about what students & librarians valueFaculty study underway this term
- 38. ObservationsThings it turns out we can’t live withoutEjournals list, not just searchQuick LinksMy AccountLegacy content is a two-edged swordTop-down process can workService providers can be helpful
- 39. What’s Next?Respond to outcomes from usability testing and patron feedbackFuture tools and functionality -- i.e., article discoveryBuilding increasingly personalized services on top of new foundation
- 40. Q&A
Editor's Notes
- #3: Here’s our plan: we hope to give a bit of background about the project, to share info with you about the process, including usability results, and to share info about the tools/applications we’re using. We’ll finish up with what we learned and observed.
- #7: And this was an internal or secondary page on the site.
- #8: Knew all along that we had a phase II in the works, but a 4-member web team was given a charge…When Dean of Library says “I can’t find anything and neither can my faculty colleagues” you know you have to do something different not only with the design, but also with the content and the delivery of that content. On a decentralized campus, having the Dean endorse a plan to centralize appearance, services and interactions via the web was huge. The initial problem we were attempting to solve was to remove ‘location-based content’ or silos and to present ‘information’ and web interactions in a more consistent, coherent way. In a separate development path, Mlibrary was looking at an interface overlay on the OPAC, specifically, another group was attempting to test, develop and launch VuFind as the primary/additional catalog interface. In yet another development path, a third group was attempting to identify a tool for our resource/research/technology/subject guides. Prior to and during phase I we had 3 different methods for presenting guide-like information and recognized that we had to identify a single, web 2.0-like solution for all libraries. This 3rd group was in the process of evaluating SpringShare’s product, LibGuides.These other projects had an impact on development and decisions related to the web site redesign, and luckily we had a convergence of staff and planets that allowed us to tap into these tools and applications. We’ll talk more about the details of integrating the various tools in a moment. What it cost: before we go any further, we want to anticipate your question about how much did this process/project cost. While we don’t have a figure to share with you, it might help your understanding of the slides to come to know that: 3 librarians + PR specialist = web team 2 web developers8K on student help who initially migrated content from old web site/architecture into new application/architecture + usability40 or content managers who reviewed content migrated from old site to newAs we moved toward our second wave of project, phase II, we used an analogy with library staff of ‘building a house’. Mike will share more on this process.
- #20: The far right column is contacts -- who to see for more help.Subject specialists - up to 3 -- appear via call number mapping. User’s query in the catalog top 100 results mapped to call numbers High enough number of matches -> you get a subject specialist Or “Ask a Librarian” (default)Services or libraries can appear here based on keyword matchingAsk a Librarian ALWAYS appears