Uncovering Stories
Michael Lascarides
User Analyst, Digital Experience Group
New York Public Library
September 22, 2009
twitter: @mlascarides

The future is calling...

The future is calling...
...from inside the
building!!!

“Digital User Analyst”

“Digital User Analyst”

Digital
Physical

“digital collections”

“People will be reading
[Neuromancer] to get
their heads around a day
when the digital was
thought of as being a
some small part of the
world.”
William Gibson, on his coining of the term “cyberspace”
http://itc.conversationsnetwork.org/shows/detail389.html

87% of all catalog
visits come from
offsite

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?imageID=805999

Nobody wants a
half-inch drill bit.

What does it mean to
run a library in a
world of information
superabundance?

“The Net interprets
censorship as
damage and routes
around it.”
-- John Gilmore, 1993
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Gilmore

The Web interprets
The 2009 version:
bad design as
damage and routes
around it.

The Web interprets
bad user experience
as damage and routes
around it.

The Web interprets a
bad social interaction
as damage and routes
around it.

The bad news:
People would rather
pay for a good
experience than
endure a bad one for
free

A brand is a promise
of performance

“„Books‟ is the
library brand”
OCLC : Perceptions of Libraries and Information Services 2008

The good news:
People would rather
have for a good
experience for free
than pay for one

At least we‟re not
alone
• Broadcast Media
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• The Music Industry
• Textbook Publishers
• Academic Journals

So, why libraries?

Stories

Access and services

Love of books

Love of music

Love of film

Love of theatre

Love of learning

“My wife says I but my
am
married to my art, Imy
art complains that am
still sleeping with
wife.”
-- EMEK
http://www.juxtapoz.com/Features/back-talk-with-emek

Two emotional
journeys

OK, Let‟s try that
again

Same physical
experience,
two emotional
perspectives

Emotions are at the
core of the library
experience

No one forces you go
to the library

We‟re elective

Librarians are the
original search
engines

Libraries are
“third places”

Libraries are engines
for letting
communities find
each other

Things you can do.
Today.
For free.

1. Spend a day
watching your
patrons

“You can observe a
lot by watching.”
-- Yogi Berra

(Breaking the system
and fixing the system
are two different jobs)

2. Google Analytics

3. Twitter search

4. Look at what‟s on
every screen
in your library

Instructions are
signals of design
failure
Tip o’ the hat to William McDonough

5. Send user
feedback to your
software vendors

Your patrons are
not stupid

None of your patrons
like to feel stupid

“If you have trouble with
the concept of humility in
design, remember that it
took us 5,000 years to put
wheels on our luggage.”
William McDonough

Self-promotion Bonus
Round: Infomaki

6. Decide what
metrics measure your
success

NYPL Digital Gallery
2009 Redesign
• Pages Per Visit: 13 Down 26.09%
• Average Time On Site: 5:11
Down 17.83%

Conclusion: Success!

NYPL Digital Gallery
2009 Redesign
• Total Visits: 879,307 Up 62.5%
• Pageviews: 11.5M Up 20.2%
• Traffic from Search Engines Up
34.5%

How long should
a web visit be ?

7a. List the things
that make your library
unique

(There‟s always
your staff)

7b. Write down 10
things your patrons
are passionate about

(Ask your staff.
They will know.)

1. Audience
2. Services
3. Words

8. Start blogging
about those things

9. Share content

10. Play, especially
with
the line between
online and physical

11. Steal an idea

http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/2009/09/15/museum-software-elevator-pitch/

Capitalize on the
warm fuzzy feelings

12. Look for stories in
your search terms

What‟s the most
popular search term
on nypl.org?

[second level]

[pics]

Finally:
Don‟t forget the
basics

We have about
10 years

[demographic curve]
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uspop.svg

[demographic curve]
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Uspop.svg

Grew up with personal computers

Always had the World Wide Web

Always had media abundance (The iPod
generation)

Source: NYPL Infomaki survey July 2009

“This is something
four-year-olds know:
a screen that ships
without a mouse
ships broken.”
-- Clay Shirky

Have empathy.

Thank You!
Michael Lascarides
User Analyst, Digital Experience Group
New York Public Library
September 22, 2009
twitter: @mlascarides