In the last academic year, staff at Duke, NCSU and UNC Libraries redesigned their web presence to create more modern and user-centered sites. Staff at each institution had the same fundamental goal -- improve their website for their researchers -- but each approached the significant undertaking from a different perspective, incorporating research, communication strategies and assessment techniques most appropriate for their libraries and clientele. During this session, staff closely involved with the website redesigns at Duke, NCSU and UNC Libraries will describe their redesign process, the key changes they implemented, and their plans to maintain reliable, current and user-focused websites.
Responsive Approaches: Redesigning websites for Duke, NCSU & UNC Libraries
1. Responsive approaches:
Redesigning websites for Duke, NCSU & UNC Libraries
Emily Daly, Head of Assessment & User Experience, Duke University Libraries
Charlie Morris, User Experience Development Librarian, NCSU Libraries
Kim Vassiliadis, Head of User Experience, UNC Libraries
TRLN Annual Meeting | July 23, 2014
2. By the numbers
DUKE NCSU UNC
CMS Drupal Drupal WordPress
Timeframe Oct 12 - Jan 13 Nov 13 - May 14 Oct 12 - Aug 13
Consultants In-house + 1
content editor
In-house In-house
Content Editors 70+ 84 70+
# of Pages 910 (down from
4000+ pages)
1,617 nodes 360 (down from
30,000+ pages)
12. Some other bits
● Moved to git and GitHub
● Implemented Capistrano v3 for fail-safe
deployments
● Wrote our own Drupal theme for
Foundation 5
● Actively soliciting feedback now
● Kept bits of the old m.lib site that made
sense
19. Goal 1: Discovery
Users know where to start to conduct research or find information about the libraries and they are able to
successfully find the research materials or information they need.
Goal 2: Access
Users can easily access library materials, including books, journals, articles, DVDs, Special Collections, and
digital collections.
* Access to Branches as open/available physical locations
Goal 3: Services
Users can easily find information about library resources, services and expertise available.
Goal 4: Branding
Users view the Libraries as knowledgeable, reliable, helpful, consistent, welcoming, professional, and
approachable
Goal 5: Device neutrality
Users can interact with the website on whatever device they use
User-Centered Website Goals