"Web Teams" or committees are common in libraries and other organizations to manage websites in absence of a web department or account for library politics by bringing in as many stakeholders as can fit in one conference room. But many who have been on such a team can tell you that they’re often a hindrance to good UX and fraught with pet politics and opinion-stated-as-fact. As a result many libraries are adopting a “working group model” where the mission of the group is data-driven and action-oriented. At Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries, we’ve just conducted a one year pilot for such a group. Rather than serve as a governing body, the group’s mission is not to make decisions, but to work: conduct usability testing, monitor analytics and improve intra-institutional communication about all things web. Come hear the results of our pilot and how you, too, can get the benefits of a web committee – help with large web projects, institutional buy-in, and the value of people’s perspectives – without the harmful side effects!

1. “WEB TEAM” BRINGING YOU
DOWN?
T RY A WO R K I N G G R O U P A N D L I K E YO U R J O B A G A I N !
Ashley Brewer | VCU Libraries
For edUI 2018
@loveonamixtape

2. HI! I’M ASHLEY! !
Web Librarian atVCU Libraries
abrewer2@vcu.edu
@loveonamixtape

3. OUTLINE
• “What do you mean by ‘Web Team’?”
• “What’s the problem with ‘Web Teams’ anyway?”
• “What is kind of cool about Web Teams?”
• “Why is a ‘Working Group’ different?”
• “How did you get them to let you do this?”
• “How has it worked out? What have y’all been up
to?”
• ”Why would I want to try this at home?”
• “Okay, how can I try this at home?”

4. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ’WEB TEAM’”?
Committee. I basically just mean committee. I
should have said “committee.”

5. IN OTHER WORDS…
“A body outside the organization’s structure, made up of
different ‘stakeholders’ throughout the organization, traditionally
working together to make decisions about, and sometimes
collectively manage, the organizations’ online resources and
website, often through third party systems (content
management system, enterprise systems.)”
-Ashley Brewer

6. “WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH ‘WEB TEAMS’?”
– Make up of these groups is often well-meaning, but misses
the mark (made up of management and/or perceived
important “stakeholders”)
– Stakes are high in discussions because the team makes
actionable decisions and often team members have the
power to act individually (i.e. everyone has editing rights)
– Outside of the departmental structure, so team leads have
little power & the power dynamics can be awkward
– Mechanisms for action are often unclear
– Team members are “voluntold” to be on the team or
membership is a condition of their job, but the work of the
team remains outside of their day-to-day priorities
– Team tends to do more discussing of their own
opinions/advocating rather than focusing on gathering and
interpreting data
– Design by committee is the death of good UX
(In other words…what’s NOT the problem?)

7. WHAT CAN BE GOOD ABOUT WEB
COMMITTEES?
• Sometimes politics can be good
“Diverse membership helps create a politically viable team”
(Successes and struggles with building web teams: A usability committee case study, 2013)
• Departments feel that their interests are being represented
• Usability studies and gathering data – especially on a consistent basis – is a lot of work! Help is good!
• Bringing in different perspectives that can help understand where certain decisions are coming from or
why certain things work a certain way
• Help in communicating and disseminating information about the web/web projects
• Can help get buy-in early on by directly working with potential stakeholders
• Helps to demystify the dark arts of web making
• Can be a really meaningful and rewarding professional development opportunity for all involved, if
centered around collective learning
• An opportunity for people to work together who might not otherwise get to

8. MY OWN EXPERIENCE
• I was in charge of aWeb Team once…
– *spoiler alert* I don’t work at that place
anymore
• All you have to do is talk to people in
library/higher ed web/UX and they’ll give
you that knowing look when you talk
about “web teams,” “committees,” etc

10. (Web User
Experience Working
Group)
WUXWG

11. “WHY IS A (OR AT LEAST THIS)
‘WORKING GROUP’ DIFFERENT?”
• Membership is all voluntary (at least the way
we’re trying to do it)
• The explicit charge of the team is to conduct
usability testing, look at web analytics, and
gather other data-points on the use of the web
• Serve less as advocates for their department’s
interests and more as “liaisons” between their
departments and the web decision-makers and
practitioners (in both directions)
• Only ”discussion” is about how to interpret
results of research and analytics
• The team has no decision-making power,
just “recommending” power

12. WHAT’S IN A NAME?
• Web User Experience
– We don’t do furniture
• Working Group
– Committee?: Just. No.
– Advisory Committee/Group?: Not top-
down advising
– Work Group?: a group within a workforce
that normally works together. –
Google/Wikipedia
– ✅ Working Group?: a committee or group
appointed to study and report on a particular
question and make recommendations based on
its findings. – Google/Wikipedia

13. ß Pilot project proposal excerpt

14. HOW IT WORKS AT VCUL
Digital Engagement Department
• Web Librarian
• Web Designer
• Web Developer
(Web User Experience
Working Group)
WUXWG
ßà

15. MAKEUP OF THE PILOT PROJECT GROUP
• Me (hi!) (faculty)
• Web Designer (staff)
• Librarian from our medical library
(faculty)
• Archivist from Special Collections
(faculty)
• LearningTechnology Specialist (staff)
• Cataloging librarian (faculty)
(This is almost everyone who works atVCU Libraries, not the
members of the team – that would be way too many people! But
aren’t we a great lookin’ bunch?)* *(I’m not in this picture)

16. “WHAT HAVE Y’ALL BEEN DOING THIS
YEAR?”
• Proposed and approved (July, 2017)
• Solicitation of volunteers (August, 2017)
• Members selected (September, 2017)
• Twice monthly meetings,“homework,” active learning,
discussion of assignments and concepts (October, 2017-
February 2018)
• Development of usability testing plan and script for new Primo
UI, recruitment for usability testing (March, 2018)
• Conducted usability testing (April - May 2018)
• Discussed findings and made recommendations (June, 2018)
• Preparation and execution of approved recommendations (July-
August, 2018)
• Report on WUXWG and recommendation submitted to
Management Council (August, 2018)
• Group was approved asVCUL’s newest standing committee by
Management Council (September 2018)
• New call for membership/invitation of some current members
to come back if they wanted (September 2018)

17. Small, but meaningful and concrete changes
– and the group gets to see their work!

18. The Web User Experience Working Group will seek members from acrossVCU Libraries to improveVCU Libraries’ web interfaces and encourage
library-wide communication about web projects, improvements, and enhancements.This group will gather data and assist with user experience
testing and assessment for projects.The goals for this group:
• IncreaseVCU Libraries’ ability to conduct more frequent user testing and respond more dynamically to and engage more deeply with the needs
of our user community and support student success
• Support diversity and inclusion by engaging directly, often, and thoughtfully with our user community and ensuring a range of voices and
perspectives are sought out and heard
• Build a culture and community of practice for UX atVCU Libraries
• Demonstrate the importance and effort needed for high-quality UX work
• Develop skills for library faculty and staff through membership
• Continue to improve communication and transparency around the work of the Digital Engagement Department, and the web team in particular
Charge
• Recruit for and conduct web usability testing
• Perform quality assurance testing for interfaces and systems upgrades
• Provide feedback to the web team for interface enhancements
• Explore and use additional metrics and assessment methods forVCU Libraries web properties
• Disseminate information to library staff about user experience principles and projects; usability testing results; the work of the committee; and
upcoming changes and enhancements to the Libraries’ web properties as appropriate
Membership
• Convened by the Web Systems Librarian
• 6-8 members from departments in multiple divisions; faculty and staff.
• Staggered 2-year appointments starting/ending in July
• During the yearly call for new members, library employees may nominate themselves or nominate others, with the group’s membership decided
by Management Council, accounting for faculty/staff balance, divisional representation, and other factors.
• Head of Digital Engagement serves as liaison to Management Council
(So much text on this slide – sorry!!!)

19. WHAT IS A “CULTURE OF
UX” AND WHY IS IT
IMPORTANT?
“I have a theory: user experience (UX) thinking
follows you into daily life….When an organization is
well and truly steeped in UX...its staff enact those
principles, whether they’re facing patrons or not. In
short, UX thinking makes a person more
considerate.”
-- Coral Shelden-Hess
librarian and web developer
http://www.sheldon-hess.org/coral/2013/07/ux-
consideration-cmmi/

20. WUXWG MEMBERSHIP, 2018-2019
• Me (still here!) (faculty)
• Innovative Media (staff, new member)
• Librarian from our medical library
(faculty, returning member)
• Arts liaison (faculty, new)
• Learning technology specialist (staff,
returning)
• Cataloging librarian (faculty, returning)
• Interlibrary loan specialist (staff, new)

21. FOR ME PERSONALLY….
On my old web team (actual pictures of the presenter)

22. WUXWG:

23. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT DID
MEMBERS THINK?
• “The process of writing the script for the test, selecting users then carrying out the test itself was an eye opener for me…. I
am very grateful for all the learning I received from my membership to WUXWG as it also helps me understand the impact
my cataloging has on Primo users”
• “The WebUx team should definitely become a permanent group atVCUL. Since we have essentially one library website that
serves multiple populations, it is critical to have a team comprised of staff and librarians familiar with the needs of these
diverse groups to provide input on website changes and processes to obtain feedback from users on potential and actual
enhancements to the website.“
• “I have really appreciated being a part of this working group, and I think it has been useful in both terms of the work we have
done together and the things we have each been able to learn from being part of the pilot. Regarding the work our group
has accomplished, I think we were able to draw on our different professional experiences to create a more comprehensive
plan for assessing the new Search. Each of us came to the group with our own questions and concerns stemming from our
interactions with the specific types of users we each tend to work with and our own use of Search as individuals. In my view,
this variety of experience led to a richer evaluation process for the survey and the in-person usability testing.
• “As a staff member in [redacted], I have enjoyed getting to know the members of WUXWG, many of whom I had not
conversed with before. I felt that every member had something to contribute and that we all listened well to new ideas…. I
would like to thank [WUXWG] for agreeing to give me a place at the table thus far, and to also thank the team for listening
to my ideas, no matter how good or bad they were at times.”

24. WHAT’S NEXT FOR WUXWG, 2018-
2019?
• Coordinating and handling the UX-wing of our impending
web redesign
• Reworking of our LibGuides landing page
• Putting together a local UX Toolkit
• Continuing to get the word out about the group and their
availability for UX projects in the library

25. WHAT MAKES A WORKING
GROUP…WORK?
• Membership is all voluntary ßPeople want to be there
• The Working Group does work ßMeetings are focused on reading and homeworks or
planning UX testing, or discussing recommendations *based on data* Our time is focused.
• The explicit focus on users and UX ßPeople learn pretty quickly how to step outside of their
own specific context and to bring it with them in helpful ways.They advocate for users, not
themselves or their own departments.
• Fills a definable and specific need ß User testing is a lot of work!This group helps us do more
of it and more often
• The team has no decision-making power, just “recommending” power ßStakes
are more reasonable in discussions

26. “HOW CAN I TRY THIS AT HOME?”
• If you don’t already have a working group
– “Why would I do this then?”
• Communication!
• Extra labor!
• Give staff a voice!
• Professional development
opportunities!
• How to modify an existing “Web Team”
– Never underestimate the power of “data”
and “assessment” to make the case
– When in doubt, pilot it!

27. A NOTE/WARNING:
Librarians in usability tests: they have a really
hard time watching users fail! Remind them to
take off their librarian hats before they step in
to user interviews.

28. SOME MORE STRAY THOUGHTS AND
SUGGESTIONS
• People think Web Stuff is cool (so they will volunteer)
• Volunteers help ensure engagement when assigning readings and doing the work
• Group should include at least one dedicated web/tech professional with a knowledge of UX best practices
OR at least someone willing to learn and take the lead
• For collectively managed and updated websites: Lock down permissions somehow if you can OR agree on a set
of ground rules for making edits and DOCUMENT THEM!!!!! And write into your charge some additional
oversight or recourse to handle rogue members.
• Keep the group a manageable size (if you can)
• Time commitment:
– Meetings: 1 hr, 2 x month
– Homework: 1-2 hours a week
– Extra hour or so every other week of my time for finding readings and homework
– Hopefully some of the time early on will reduce as I build out a UX toolbox, resources to pull from every year, and can
leverage more experienced members

29. THANKS!
ANY QUESTIONS?
@loveonamixtape

30. Some examples of homework and assigned readings we used in WUXWG:
Readings and resources (A LOT pulled from usability.gov;
it’s a good basic starting place for those new to these concepts):
• Creating a UX FocusedWebsite at Chapel Hill Public Library http://www.infotoday.com/mls/sep17/Brown--
Creating-a-UX-Focused-Website-at-Chapel-Hill-Public-Library.shtml
• Conscious Style Guide http://consciousstyleguide.com/
• Basics of User Experience https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html
• Basics of User Research https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-research.html
• UK Gov Design Principles https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-design-principles
• Recruiting Participants https://www.usability.gov/get-involved/blog/2015/07/recruiting-participants.html
• Methods andTools https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/usability-evaluation/index.html
• Running Usability Tests https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/running-usability-tests.html
• Primo Usability Guidelines and Test Script (actually some great general resources contained herein as well)
https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/Primo/Product_Documentation/050New_Primo_User_Interface/Primo_Us
ability_Guidelines_and_Test_Script
Other assignments:
• Look around at a few other library sites and come to the meeting with one or two that you really like, and
what you like about them.
• Please also think about one or two non library sites you use often.What do you like (or hate!) about these
sites? Why do you go to this site/use it often?
• Add ideas to collaborative Google Doc for a script for our Primo UI usability testing, and vote on features to
test for feature testing