This document discusses creating safe spaces online through digital empathy and user-centered design. It introduces Deirdre, Carrie, and Carl who are librarians focused on making libraries more inclusive. The document then covers empathic design theory, using qualitative research methods like building rapport and active listening to understand user pain points and opportunities. It suggests researching with empathy, adapting based on user needs, and designing with compassion. Next, it discusses analyzing research findings holistically and considering user expectations, interface structure/content, and language choices to communicate effectively. The document provides exercises to practice qualitative research skills and turn findings into design ideas using an idea board and sketching. It closes by emphasizing resources for continuing this important work.

1. Digital Empathy
Creating Safe Spaces Online

2. Hello!
I’m Deirdre
Director, UX Research
EBSCO Information Services
on a mission to make libraries as human-centered as possible
You can find me at:
@deirdre_lyon
dcostello@ebsco.com

3. Hello!
I’m Carrie
Head of User Services / User Experience Librarian
CSU San Marcos
on a mission to make libraries as queer and feminist as possible
You can find me at:
@digitalcarrie
cmoran@csusm.edu

4. Hello!
I’m Carl
Customer Experience Operations Manager
Brynmor Jones Library, University of Hull
on a mission to make library physical and digital world collide
You can find me at:
@carlbarrow
C.P.Barrow@hull.ac.uk

5. 1.
Theory of Empathic Design
The MOST important work we can do as UX nerds

6. “You have to look at your service from the point of
view of someone who knows a lot less than you
and see where they’re coming from. You have to
imagine the reasons why they want what they
want. Seeing that causation, seeing the
connection between what someone’s doing now
and all the causation that went before it, that’s
empathy.”
Sumana Harihareswara
Code4lib 2014 Keynote

7. Goal:
I feel safe here

8. What Is A Safe Space?
Welcoming
Inclusive Familiar

9. How Do We Get There?
Research
with
empathy
Adapt
with your
users
Design
with
compassion

10. What happens when we don’t
(and do) feel safe
Time for a story

20. 2.
Qualitative Research
See the whole ecosystem

21. “Empathy comes from the Greek empathetia —
em (into) and pathos (feeling) — a penetration, a
kind of travel. It suggests you enter another
person’s pain as you’d enter another country,
through immigration and customs, border
crossing by way of query: What grows where you
are? What are the laws? What animals graze
there?” - Leslie Jamison

22. Pain
Qualitative methods allow you to get to what
causes your users pain -
and find solutions that alleviate it.

23. Task
Response
Platform
User
Problems
Shift Your Thinking
Topic
Story
Workflow
Human
Opportunities

24. Qualitative Session Timeline
Build
Rapport
ProbePivot
High-quality data
comes from a sense of
trust between
researcher and
participant.
Build that rapport by
creating a shared
experience.
There’s a turning
point where the
participant becomes
the teacher.
Find your “pivot
question” and use
your attention to
indicate that shift.
Listen to the
participants’ story -
even if it’s not what
you expected.
Indulge your curiosity.

25. Aces Up Your Sleeve
“Let’s get started” “Tell me more” “Is this organic?”
Can you show
me the last
search you did
for a research
project?
How did you
learn about that?
Uh-huh?
Uh-huh?
Ow wow! Let me
make sure I
captured that.
*Pause ….*
Is that typical
for you?
How often do
you do that?
When was the
last time?

26. 10 Minute Break

27. 3.
Practice = Improvement

28. Build RapportWarmth. Trust.
ProbeIndulge Curiosity
PivotParticipant = Teacher
30 minutes

29. How Did It Go?
✖ What did you find?
✖ What was easy?
✖ What was tough?
✖ What surprised you?

30. 5 Minute Break

31. 4.
Turning Research Into Design

32. Find the Story

33. Expectations
What mental models are your users bringing
with them to your interface?

34. Design Choices
Structure ContentInterface
This is your
foundation (IA)
Set up your space in a
way that allows for
easy / familiar nav
(expectations)
Difficult to navigate =
potential negative
feelings
Akin to nonverbal cues
communication
● Accessibility
● Colors
● Images
What are you actually
saying?
● Less is more
● Chunk content
● Why is this here?
Language choices
● Gendered
language
● Jargon

35. Design CHallenge
Your homepage is your front door

36. In Practice
Build your Idea Board: 10 minutes
✖ 3 non-library sources
✖ Examples that solve problems
expressed by your participant
✖ Elements that might make your
digital space more familiar

37. In Practice
Sketch it out: 15 minutes
✖ Your homepage, or another element
of your library’s digital experience
✖ Incorporate elements from your
session & your idea board
✖ Communication - not quality

38. In Practice
Share:
✖ What do you like about your design?
✖ Where did your ideas come from?
✖ What do you think your colleagues’
response would be?
○ How will you respond to that?

39. Resources

40. Thanks!
Questions?
@deirdre_lyon
deirdre.costello@gmail.com
@digitalcarrie
cmoran@csusm.edu
@carlbarrow
C.P.Barrow@hull.ac.uk