This document discusses the current landscape of digital content consumption. It begins with a brief history of how content has evolved from print to digital formats. It describes how digital content now encompasses multimedia, interactivity, and mobile delivery. It notes the increasing rate of technological change and challenges of supporting new formats and user expectations. The document also discusses the diversity of content types, users, devices and how this impacts user experiences. It outlines user expectations around access, functionality and discoverability that are difficult for publishers and libraries to meet. Finally, it suggests some approaches like analytics and usability testing to better understand and help users.

1. Digital Content Consumption:
The Current Landscape
Ann Michael
ann.michael@deltathink.com
Twitter: annmichael
Copyright 2013 Delta Think, Incorporated

2. Overview
• A Brief Background
• Dealing with Diversity
• Understanding User Expectations &
Experience Gaps
• Managing the Challenges
2Copyright 2013 Delta Think, Incorporated

3. A BRIEF BACKGROUND
The Current Landscape
3

4. In the beginning (well not quite the beginning)
There was print ….
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Photo from: http://www.howstuffworks.com/arts/literature/oldest-book-in-the-world.htm
Copyright 2013 Delta Think, Incorporated

5. …and the print went digital
At first print products were
“poured” into digital form
— Looked like print
— Acted like print (but with some missing features!)
— Nothing all that new or revolutionary
5Copyright 2013 Delta Think, Incorporated

6. …and the digital form evolved
Digital products started to differ from print
— Multimedia
— Search & discovery
— More web appropriate formats
— Interaction/community
— Richer linking and interoperability
… and let’s not forget mobile!
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7. …as digital continues to
evolve
So do the challenges around supporting
— New content and delivery formats
— New channels
— Unclear/evolving standards
— Interoperability: between devices, within the
workflow, with other content/info sources
… and let’s not forget user expectations!
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8. …and the rate of change is increasing
• Historically, innovation focused on more efficient
composition and print processes
• As technology enables faster iteration in
content, hardware, and software development AND
• Strengthens the the customer’s voice in the process
• The rate of change keeps speeding up!
• Each new format, device, and user preference
ramps up faster and faster…
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9. iPod vs. iPhone vs. iPad
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10. Another perspective
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11. Each new technology…
• Forces publishers to make decisions
- Is this for us/our customers? And if so, when
(now, a little later, or much later)?
- How likely is this to become a standard, a ―bar
of entry‖ or expectation?
- How will this impact the customer experience?
- How will it integrate with the
people, processes, and tools/technologies we
already employ?
- How can we manage it? Internally/Externally.
Do we have the expertise? Do we have the 11Copyright 2013 Delta Think, Incorporated

12. Each new technology…
• Forces libraries to make decisions
- Is this a benefit for the institution? And if
so, when (now, a little later, or much later)?
- Does it improve faculty, researcher, student
experience?
- How will it integrate with the
people, processes, and tools/technologies we
already employ?
- How can we manage it? Internally/Externally.
Do we have the expertise? Do we have the
staff? Do we have the budget?
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13. DEALING WITH DIVERSITY
The Current Landscape
13

14. Diversity: Content types
• What is the best way to:
- Make an argument?
- Introduce a concept?
- Get tenure?
- Advance scholarly findings?
- Get feedback?
- Enable discovery?
• What device is the best medium for
various content types?
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15. Classic monograph
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Image: http://openreflections.wordpress.com/2009/02/01/highlights-of-ape-2009-
%E2%80%93-day-2/

16. Short form (ex. Kindle Singles)
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17. Journal article
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18. Shortest form!
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19. Diversity: Users
• Researchers, Practitioners, Students, Faculty
, Recreational
• Different uses drive different requirements
• Yet often the same/similar content types
and formats are used to fulfill diverse needs
- Do they require different formats? Applications?
- Is content created in a way it can be repurposed
and/or reused?
- Is it tagged for effective discovery? If so, at what
level of granularity?
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20. Diversity: Devices
• The proliferation of mobile is a fact
• “Operationalizing” mobile is a challenge
- Web optimized vs. native apps vs. web apps
- What’s hot? Responsive design
• The uses of mobile are still emerging
- Lean back vs. lean forward
- Findable vs. discoverable – which is more
important on a mobile device?
20Copyright 2013 Delta Think, Incorporated

21. Diversity: Devices
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22. What’s next?
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23. USER EXPECTATIONS & EXPERIENCE GAPS
The Current Landscape
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24. User expectations
• Driven by the consumer market
• Increasing with digital experience
• Infinite customization & personalization
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“We shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us.”
—Marshall McLuhan
Copyright 2013 Delta Think, Incorporated

25. What do users want?
• Frictionless use (tension with DRM)
• 24/7 access on device of their choice
• Functionality that supports their uses:
- Annotation/shared annotation
- Cognitive mapping (still best in print)
- iPad/e-reader availability
- Device interoperability
• Interlibrary loans/sharing
• Enhanced discoverability
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26. Why are these needs difficult?
• Does reducing friction and enabling sharing
increase publisher risk?
• Can libraries place licensed content on their
own internal (and 3rd party) platforms?
• Does the functionality users require demand
stable and unilateral standards?
• Cognitive mapping – how can that be done
on an electronic device?
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27. And if this all seems hard now…
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28. Keeping up with the curve
• Analytics
What are users doing with content now?
• Workflow
What do they need to do?
• UI/UX
How can we help them?
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29. What’s next?
• Speakers today will dive into some of the issues raised here
- Trends in eBook use and acceptance
- Fostering use in the mobile environment
- Enabling content sharing, annotation & review
- Usability & sustainability and
- Resolving the tensions created
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30. THANK YOU!
30
Ann Michael
ann.michael@deltathink.com
Twitter: annmichael