Presentation from ALRG Conference 2016

1. The joys of accessible
design
with an open source catalogue
Sandra Reed & Sara Osman

2.  Start of our journey
 Defining our
requirements
 Interface design
 Benefits and
challenges
 Student feedback
 Future developments
Getting an accessible catalogue
Card Catolog01.jpg ,
commons.wikimedia.org,2004

3. Start of our journey
• Need for a new
library management
system
• Art and design
heritage
• Student feedback
• Greater focus on
accessible services
Image credit Zarar Chaudhri, CSM, 2013

4. Defining our requirements
• Review of student
feedback
• Voyager survey
• LibQual survey
• Visits
• What do we mean
by accessibility?
Image credit Zarar Chaudhri, CSM, 2013

5. Student
comments

6. Student comments
Layout … is generally a bit
cluttered/confusing. I find it
very hard to navigate.
Reduce not useful text
around the search result.
It is very important that each book has
an image … sometimes I remember
books just for the cover.
Improve the spell
check, it's urgent.
The spell check
is crap! Most of
us are dyslexic!
Modernise the
design of the pages.
E-Library - Hard to find what
you're looking for.

7. What do we mean by accessibility?
 Who are our users?
 How will they use the catalogue?
 Going beyond ‘DDA compliant’
 UAL context
 20 % of students declare SpLD
 5 % declare another disability
 49 % international students

8. User groups
Foundation
Undergraduate
Masters
Home
EU
International
Dyslexic students
Students with other disabilities
Students with no disabilities
Researchers
Academics

9. Possible transactions
• Search for a print book
• Comprehensive search on a topic
(print and e-resources)
• Background search on a topic
• Checking for most up to date edition
• Renew loans
• Pay fines

10. Design solutions – tender requirements
Colour options
Font size options
Easy to see loans/fines
Did you mean…?
Customised help
Suggestions as you type
Screen reader compatible
Icons
Book jackets
Clear/clean look
Clear language
No jargon
Scalable

11. Additional tender requirements
• Compare systems
• Web Content
Accessibility
Guidelines 2.0
Level AA
• Customisation
must not impact
accessibility
“Chalk on pavement” by Virtual EyeSee, 2011 licenced by CC

12. Interface design

13. Information
landscape Articles plus
Articles and other
e-resources
Library Catalogue
UAL collections and e-books
Books and e-books
Journal/ e-journal titles
Special collections

14. Design work-up

15. Students
contributed during
the design
process…..
….influencing the
final design
Students as partners

16. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Library Search

17. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Screen options

18. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Advanced search

19. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Suggest as you type

20. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Did you mean…?

21. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Search results

22. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Your account

23. Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016
Help pages

24. Promotion
Postcards |display screens | library blog |Twitter | Facebook | Moodle |library staff

25. Library Services dot voting, LMDS 2015
Benefits and challenges of open source
Pros Cons
Targeted accessibility features Easily broken
Scope to improve & refresh Cost of maintenance & bespoke
development
Design freedom Can result in bad design
‘Free’ Cost of implementation – not
‘cheapest’ option
Sharing knowledge & collaboration Time commitment
Choice of support vendor Smaller / newer
Staff development opportunities Skills gaps
Flexibility Achieving consensus

26. Student feedback post implementation
Likes:
• Easy to search catalogue
• New books cover images
• Design of simple search
• Layout of Your account
Suggestions:
• Default to home library for
print books
• Improve screen options
• Link to reading lists
• Promote e-resources Image credit Susan Forsyth, Chelsea, 2014

27. Future developments
• Screen options
• Mobile view – and app
• Improve facets to refine
search results
• WCAG Level AAA
compliance
• Raise awareness of e-
resources
Cylinders by Kweku Bennin Image credit: Luke Potter, 2011

28. Any questions?
Sandra Reed
Discovery Librarian (Resources & Communications)
s.reed@arts.ac.uk
Sara Osman
Assistant Librarian (Access & Inclusion)
s.osman@arts.ac.uk
libsearch.arts.ac.uk