"Library Know Thyself" Panel Presentation at the Texas Library Association Texas Council of Academic Libraries annual meeting. September 9, 2019

1. Your opinion matters!
Kimberly Vardeman
User Experience Librarian at Texas Tech Univ.
@kimberlibrarian
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2. Presentation outline
How
How can your library
get started?
What
What is User
Experience at TTU
Libraries?
Why
Why is user research
valuable?
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3. 1.
What is User Experience
at TTU Libraries?
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4. Designing a better
library experience
How do you turn
mundane transactions
into experiences?
– Steven Bell
4Photo by Postdlf

5. Staffing Model
Full TTU Libraries Org. Chart
Dean of Libraries
Associate Dean for Resources
Management and Systems
UX Librarian
Senior Library
Associate
Library Associate
Student Assistant
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6. A few UX methods we use
Survey
Asking users about their
preferences, expectations,
and behaviors. What do they
say they want and do?
Observation
Studying users in their
environments. What is the
actual user behavior?
Moderated usability
A user completes tasks while
observed by a moderator. We
ask them to use the “think
aloud” method and answer
questions about their
experience afterward.
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7. 2.
Why is user research
valuable?
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8. “Never speak from a position of opinion.
Speak from a position of data.
- Phil Kortum
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9. Internal reporting
Data coding allows colleagues to filter data by theme
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10. External
reporting
You asked. We delivered.
Infographic connects user
research to improvements
made by departments and
teams around the library
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Infographic created by Nora Hyman

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External
reporting
Public webpages
share project
reports and invite
participation in user
research

12. 3.
How to begin?
Easy ways to get started
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13. Love Letters to the Library
Creative way to collect comments about the Library
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14. UX Café
Students participate
in usability tests in
exchange for coffee
and snacks
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Photo by Ryan Burns

15. Other strategies
▷ Campus student services survey
▷ Library Student Advisory Board
▷ Consulting frontline staff
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16. ““...I've participated in some usability
testing for library services. This has been
really educational for me as a student,
and it has given me the impression that
the library is doing its best to improve its
services for students..."
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17. References
▷ Bell, S. (2010, Nov. 15). Fish market 101: Why not a
reference user experience. Library Journal, 135(19),
6-7.
▷ Martin, B. & Hanington, B. (2012). Universal Methods
of Design : 100 Ways to Explore Complex Problems,
Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective
Solutions. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers.
▷ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
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18. Thanks!
Any questions?
You can find me at
kimberly.vardeman@ttu.edu
@kimberlibrarian
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