Katie Hannibal

Problem Statement
Sharon Public Library requested a redesign of their current website because it was outdated and had proven to be difficult for their users to find the information they were looking for. They requested that I help them overhaul their site from the ground up with an emphasis on making things more easily accessible for their users based on their unique needs.

Project Goals:

• Allow users to quickly and easily find out more information about the library – from an online catalog, information about preschool story times or downloading a meeting room application form

• Inform people about the new curbside pickup service and available time slots

• Promote the digital e-books and online resources that are virtually available

• Increase donations by 5% annually

• Improve member satisfaction and increase site traffic by presenting content in an appealing and informative way

During the discovery phase of the project, I started by conducting user interviews with people who used library websites. It was imperative that I gain a clearer understanding of what the user’s needs were when visiting the site so that I could ensure my proposed redesign met their needs.

After I conducted the user interviews , I synthesized the findings in order to pull out key insights and themes that would help influence what elements should be considered for the redesign of the website.

I also created personas which are a great way to get a high-level view of who the users were and what their intended goals were when accessing the site, this helped inform future scenarios needed when building out the new structure.

Lastly, I provided a recommendation to Sharon Public Library of what tasks the site should support in the future. After review and approval from the stakeholders, I continued on to Phase II.

Goals:

• Gain a deep understanding of user’s needs

• Synthesize user feedback to define their needs for future state of the site

• Provide recommendations of tasks the site should support based on the findings

Key Deliverables:

• Research protocol for interview sessions

• Share out of insight and findings from interviews

• User Personas

• Recommendation of what tasks the future site should support

Research Method

I interviewed two stakeholders at the El Paso Public Library, a Local and Border Archivist and an Assistant Branch Manager. This helped inform the insights and recommendations. In order to accomplish this goal, I talked to stakeholders that met the following characteristics:

• Worked at municipal libraries

• Were familiar with their libraries’ website and content

• Had knowledge of library users and their goals

Each interview session covered roughly 19 guided questions taking anywhere between 30-40 minutes.

Research Synthesis

Typical Users 

• Middle School - College Students (Young adults)

• Homeless population

• Elderly population

Common Goals of Users 

• Research for class assignments or thesis papers

• Exploration of ancestor history or genealogy

• Trying to understand the latest updates for library reopening

• Finding books or content for entertainment

Most Common Tasks: 

• Finding basic library information (ex. hours of operation, reopening, etc.)

• Finding books and ebooks available for check out

• How to access online data bases for research

• Finding an event at the library

Pain Points 

• The library is short staffed and struggles to update the website with new material

• The databases are difficult to find since they are nested within interior pages

• Users struggle with how to view digital content vs download digital content

• The library can’t afford more databases and resources it would like to provide to patrons

User Behaviors 

• Patrons who come into the library will commit long hours to research and studies

• Patron who visit the website are checking for quick things or easy tasks and then leave the site

• Many patrons will actually use the library’s website at the library in the computer lab since some people are homeless, in poverty, or don’t have access to the internet

• When patrons can’t find what they are looking for on the website or get frustrated they will just call into the library and ask for further assistance

During this phase, I analyzed the existing content of the site and then designed a new information architecture structure that included an overview of the revised content and site map based on my findings.

I also conducted a content analysis in which I assessed all the content on the current site and determined what content should be repurposed, reworked or newly created.

Lastly, I picked a classification scheme that helped define the framework for how the site’s content would be grouped and organized that would make the most sense to the users.

Goals:

• Define what content should exist in the new site

• Determine a classification scheme

• Restructure the site’s content so that it is more easily assessible for the user’s

Key Deliverables:

• Content analysis

• Classification scheme

• Site Map

In Phase III, I gained feedback on the proposed information architecture with our intended users. This provided me the opportunity to validate that my proposed design was on the right track. By getting in front of the users prior to development, allowed me the time to make any necessary changes to the design that I didn’t anticipate without paying costly developer fees or losing time in production.

After I conducted the study, I analyzed the findings and assessed if the information architecture required any revisions so that I was able to ensure the taxonomy and labeling made the most sense to the users.

Goals:

• Validate that the information architecture proposal meets the needs of users

• Conduct user testing sessions to uncover pain points or missed opportunities

• Synthesize findings from testing and iterate on the design accordingly

Key Deliverables:

• List of tasks for users to accomplish during a Treejack study (online tool)

• Conduct a study in which users are asked to complete various tasks with the new content structure

• Insights and data from the sessions

• Revised information architecture based on user feedback

A new site map was created based the on the findings from the content analysis, pre-defined user personas and high-priority tasks. The structure and content of the site map was then assessed by participants using Treejack, a program used for evaluating taxonomy and labeling. This study helped validate whether or not the content is grouped, labeled and organized in a way that made sense to the users and promotes successful completion of pre-defined tasks.

Overview 

• 8 participants in total

• 10 scenario-based tasks

In the final phase of this project, I created lightweight wireframes that showcased the visual structure of the site’s homepage and navigation system. I also selected a few key workflows to help better articulate the scenarios and paths users would take when trying to find certain types of information or conduct task-oriented processes.

As mentioned in Phase III, it was important to test early and often with the target audience so I conducted one more final round of testing to ensure these designs meet the needs of the users. After I completed all the necessary testing sessions, I synthesized the findings and revised the designs accordingly before handing off the final proposed design concepts.

Goals:

• Design wireframes of page layout for the homepage

• Create key user workflows for how the users will access the site’s content

• Test and iterate on the design to ensure it meet the user’s needs

Key Deliverables:

• Lightweight wireframe sketches

• Key user workflows

• Share out of insights and feedback from testing

• Revised wireframe and workflows based on user feedback