Presented by Andy Priestner at the SCONUL Winter Conference at the Royal College of Physicians on 21st November 2014. A brief exploration of why librarians should be adopting ethnographic research methods in order to secure a more complete picture of user experience in their libraries. Incorporates details of three recent ethnographic research projects at Cambridge Judge Business School which have delivered many practical outcomes and directly impacted and improved service delivery.

1. Ethnography
for impact
a new way of exploring
user experience
in libraries
__________________
Andy Priestner
(@PriestLib)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chasblackman/8502151556/

2. Judge Business School, University of Cambridge -
one of the top business schools in Europe
- very high-fee paying students (MBAs – 40k per annum)
- students consistently rate our library service as excellent
But I KNOW its not perfect, and until
recently I really didn’t know
enough about the library
experience of our
users…
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_ch/5447151529

3. I, like most librarians, was more used
to – and more comfortable with –
sending out annual surveys, and
chiefly recording quantitative facts
My only qualitative approaches
were comment boxes and, very
occasional, focus groups
and usability studies
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64763706@N08/6850650385

4. As a result...
• too much of my service data was
only coming from those people
who filled in the library survey
• I was using too many closed or
leading questions
• and routinely interpreting
increases and decreases ‘blind’
rather than researching further
• largely ignoring qualitative
feedback as it was ‘difficult’
• and when the comments boxes
were left empty, as they so often
are, I was not following up to
find out more
• and I knew full well that self-reporting
is largely unreliable
and skewed
...so what was the answer?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rsms/1479448133/

5. Ethnography
a way of studying
cultures through
observation,
participation and
qualitative
techniques
https://www.flickr.com/photos/collin_key/6080864794/

6. Conjured up the image of a white man
‘going native’ in the South Pacific
Ethnography - Malinowksi
Credit: London School of Economics

7. ‘The final goal is to grasp the native’s point of view,
his relation to life, to realise his vision of the world’
(Malinowski – founding father
of ethnography, 1925)
Ethnography - Malinowksi
Credit: London School of Economics

8. https://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurjohnpicton/4387576057
‘The final goal is to
grasp the user’s point of
view, their relation to
life, to realise their
vision of the world’
Change just
one word and
highly
relevant to
libraries…

9. Ethnography
• Interest in context and culture
• Explores personal and social
• More holistic
• Less structured
• More detailed
• Immersive
• Breaks down preconceptions
• Time-consuming
• Embraces complexity
And offers a more complete picture
(but I’m not saying ditch the quantitative data)
www.flickr.com/photos/droetker0912/5542920908

10. Once I’d decided to engage in ethnographic research: revised a post within
my library service to incorporate this activity. Renamed as ‘UX Librarian’ as
concerned with exploring and improving all aspects of User Experience (UX)
(I advocate a broader definition of UX - not just about websites and usability)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollystevens/5179946914/

11. Some ethnographic
techniques
• Behavioural Mapping
• Cognitive Mapping
• Diary Studies
• Usability Studies
• Focus Groups
• Affinity Diagramming
• Card Sorting
• Directed Storytelling
• Touchstone Tours
• Love- break-up-letter
• Graffiti Walls
• Personas
https://www.flickr.com/photos/st3f4n/4046427260

12. 3 Ethnographic
Research Projects
@ Judge Business School

13. ~ 1 ~
Behavioural
Mapping

14. Observing use of the
Information Centre and
mapping the results
Behavioural mapping
(Our UX Librarian
- Georgina Cronin)
Photo: Andy Priestner

15. The study (undertaken in a series of hour-long observation sessions) involved:
mapping routes; volume of traffic; duration of stay; activities undertaken;
interaction between users; choice of desks; staff assistance, food and drink
consumed (we allow both); devices used; databases used; use of self-service.

16. As well as recording movement and activities on a map, information was
recorded in a narrative log and colour-coded for later affinity sorting.
Photo: Andy Priestner

17. A visual representation of all the maps combined clearly shows the most
popular route through the Information Centre, known as a ‘desire line’

18. Desire lines are
everywhere, but
you might not have
known that this is what
they are formally called
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterme/14037066/

19. Key findings / impact
TRAFFIC:
Most users use the ground
floor in order to walk
straight up to the first floor
NOISE: Users are quieter
the fuller the space is, and
more irritated by noise
ACTIVITY: Huge variety in
duration of stay (some very
long stays) and in print /
digital use
• Re-siting our display screens so they
are seen by more people
• Opening up our first floor entrance for
direct access
• Sending staff print jobs elsewhere
during busy periods
• Reducing staff noise (conducting 1-2-1s
elsewhere, closing office door)
• Adjusting door springs
• Ensuring space redesign does not
assume device-only culture.
• Offering more comfortable furniture
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/3906387641/

20. ~ 2 ~
Show-me
-round

21. Students guide us around the Information Centre space and explain the
choices they make, what they like and dislike - recorded for later analysis
Photo: Georgina Cronin

22. Key findings / impact
WORKAROUNDS:
Users are failing to access key
services (WIFI, printing,
databases) and invent time
consuming workarounds
WORKSPACES:
Very definite ideas about
what makes a good
workspace
KIOSK TERMINALS:
Users felt these prevented
access to information and
didn’t use them
• Less front-loading of
information and ensuring we
repeat key access messages
• More joined-up dissemination of
information with other depts
• More desks and desk space
needed. Cushions purchased
(see next slide).
• Recognition of two tribes –
‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’
people with different needs
• Accepted they were not working
as we anticipated and removed
them in favour of full PCs
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/3906387641/

23. Photo: Ange Fitzpatrick

24. ~ 3 ~
Cognitive
Mapping

25. Subjects were
invited to draw a
map of their
research and
learning landscape
– sharing where
and how they
work
N.B. 1
Most library use happens
outside the library
N.B.2
Ethnography often
‘follows the user home’
for a fuller picture of
experience
https://www.flickr.com/photos/wrachele/8367457082

26. Example faculty map

27. Example student map

28. Key findings / impact
LIBRARIES:
Faculty members did not use
physical library / student
used many for different
purposes
BEDROOMS:
All subjects drew bedrooms
as key study areas
OVERALL LANDSCAPE:
Most subjects are regularly on
the move and using a variety
of research environments
offering varying degrees of
concentration/distraction
• Faculty members need more
assistance with productive
working methods – mobile tech,
cloud computing, time
management tools. We intend to
offer more 1-2-1s/support in
these areas
• Recognising that for this
particular group of students our
library service is only part of the
picture – stop selling ourselves
as a ‘one-stop shop’
• The variety of places from which
subjects accessed our resources
underlines how vital it is that we
offer our services remotely and
seamlessly
https://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/3906387641/

29. Today’s library services are so complex, accessed in many
different ways and from many different places, that we must
adopt ethnography to reveal the full story of user experience
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcwathieu/2566147235

30. Further information
More info
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mayoral/13848318454

31. The definitive
ethnography
handbook by Nancy
Fried-Foster and
Susan Gibbons
(available as a free
PDF from
www.ala.org)

32. Dr Donna Lanclos,
anthropologist and library
ethnographer at the J.
Murrey Atkins Library at
University of North
Carolina, Charlotte
Blogs at:
www.donnalanclos.com
(@donnalanclos)
Co-devised
‘Visitors & Residents’ in
place of ‘Digital Natives’
Right: Donna’s library sleep map

33. A UK blog
exploring
ethnography
and user
experience
in libraries
(run by
myself,
Georgina
Cronin &
Meg
Westbury)

34. The new open
access peer-reviewed
journal of
library user
experience
www.weaveux.org
@WeaveUX

35. UX in libraries - conference
‘UX in Libraries’ book
by Andy Priestner & Matt Borg
Summer 2015

36. Ethnography
for impact
a new way of exploring
user experience
in libraries
__________________
Andy Priestner
(@PriestLib)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chasblackman/8502151556/