Susan Ford UXD
Library
Information Architecture Redesign
A Public Library Decides to Redesign their Website so it's Easier for Patrons to Find What they are Looking for and Not so Overwhelming.
Deliverbles
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Overview Report
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User Research Summary
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Three User Personas
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Task Priority by Persona Table
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Final Website Site Map
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Final Navigation Structure & Rationale
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Low Fidelity Wireframes
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High Fidelity Mock-ups​
Role
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Lead Information Architect
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Collaborated with team architects (classmates).
Programs
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Sketch
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Figma
Project Length
7 weeks
The Problem
Local libraries provide a huge service to their communities by offering a vast array of published works, music, movies, and references, as well as providing community programs, services, activities, classes, lectures, meeting rooms; and a quiet place to read and /or study.
But How can these Community Libraries present their vast array of services and information online to their Diverse Population in a way that is straight-forward and user-friendly, without overwhelming patrons as they search for what they need on library websites?
And who are the Target Users of library websites, and how can the website continue to meet the Needs and Goals of the People who use them?
In this class project I am an information architect, and our design team received an email from the Joplin Public Library Director about the current state of their website (Disclaimer: This project was an unsolicited redesign and I am not affiliated in any way with Joplin Public Library. The use of the Joplin Public Library website in this project was a student learning opportunity.)
In her email message, she writes:
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"We are in dire need of having our website redesigned from the ground up with emphasis on easy to access information and welcoming thematic elements. Our current website look is quite dated from a technological perspective, and while there is an abundance of information, it can be daunting for our users to FIND that information (i.e. it could be organized much better).
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We'd like to take the content that is on the current site and have it reworked so that it is easy for our patrons to find exactly what it is they are looking for, be it the online catalog, information about preschool story times, or downloading a meeting room application form.
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As we are a small-town library with a small staff and not a lot of funding, this just isn't something we're able to do in-house. Thank you in advance for your time in assisting us with this."
I took a look at the Joplin Public Library website to get a better idea of what would be entailed in the new redesign, and found that there were several architecture issues that could make navigation around the site a challenge. Some of these issues included:
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Hierarchy issues with labels.
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Global navigation bar not consistent or non-existent on some of the pages on the site.
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Ambiguous or vague labels in navigation bars.
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Repetition of several categories on the same page.
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Multiple subcategory links going to the same page.
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Subcategory information not organized under a logical or intuitive navigation category.
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Subcategory information being repeated under several categories.
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Navigation links that don't work or function properly.
There were also some User Interface (UI) issues that would make navigating the website challenging and ultimately would make it difficult to find information on the site. Some of these issues included:
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Layout design not organized with large amounts of extraneous text, information, and hyperlinks that clutter the page.
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Not following a consistent design theme throughout the site.
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Large blocks of text that are difficult to read.
In reading the director's email message and looking over the Joplin Library website, I concluded that the problem that needed to be addressed included the following:
What does a library website need to offer to makes it easy to find information without being daunting?
Who are the target users who use the library website on a regular basis?
What are the needs and goals of patrons who use a library website?
The Solution
To help Joplin Public Library create a website that was easy to navigate and find information for it's target users, I recommended that the architecture of the website be analyzed and redesigned to help make the information more organized and easier to find. This would be accomplished using a combination of different tools, including a website content analysis, a site map, wireframes, and several taxonomy and usability research programs.
User research with library stakeholders and a literature review was also recommended prior to the redesign. Conducting a literature review and user research with stakeholders would not only help the library learn who the target users are who use the Joplin Library website, but would also give us valuable information on what kinds of features and task priorities are vital for those using the website.
Goals
To help Joplin Public Library achieve their website redesign, I wrote out a project proposal and a set goals for this project:
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Identify who the target users are that use the Joplin Public Library website.
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Find out what the needs and goals are for target users who use the library website, and determine a list of tasks that should be supported on the site.
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Identify pain points and problems that arise for users when using the library website.
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Figure out what architecture and design features will succinctly and intuitively organize information on the site, and also help users easily find information and complete their goals on the website.
Research and Discovery
To help address the project goals and answer the problems associated with the Joplin Public Library website, I began to gather information and data by conducting stakeholder interviews and a literature review. The stakeholders were two experienced librarians who have a good understanding of library websites and current library patrons who use the site. A literature review was conducted to find more research information about patrons who use library websites.
Participants
2 Participants Total
2 Female Librarians, B.B. and D.B., with
16 and 40 years experience
respectively.
Environment
Participants were interviewed in their usage environments individually.
Research
Interview questions with stakeholders.
Sessions
Research sessions ran 30-45 minutes in length and were video recorded.
Lit. Review
Baker D. & Ellis L. Future Directions in Digital Information.
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Pew Research Center What People Do at Libraries and Library Websites.
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Rainie L. Library Users and Learning in the United States
What I Discovered from the Research
After compiling the data from the stakeholder interviews and literature review, it was found that there were 6 important insights that were discovered when addressing the problems and goals set forth in this project. These discoveries are as follows: (To read the full deliverable research report, click on the button below).
1. Library Patrons who use Library Websites cover a Wide Range of People from Different Demographics, Careers, Ages, and Socioeconomic Groups
"Everyone from kids to savvy seniors who are computer literate use (the library website)" B.B.
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There are three distinct groups of people who use library websites: Leisure Users, Social Users, and Academic Users.
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Literature review stated that "parents of minors, women, those with college educations, those under the age of 50, and those living in households with earnings of $75,000 a year or more are most likely to use library websites." (Pew Research Center, 2013).
2. Libraries are Much More than a Place to Check Out Books, and Adopt the Philosophy of Being a Place that Creates
Life-Long Learners.
"A lot of website library users are self-help people and want to do many of the offered website tasks themselves...If a user doesn't know how to do something on a website, we'll say 'Come on, let me show you how to do this' because the whole things is that we want to create life-long learners." D.B.
The research data showed that libraries are not only a place to check out books, but they are also:
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A learning resource center for communities they serve.
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A hub for community events and services.
3. Research Analysis of Stakeholder and Literature Data Showed Clear Patterns of What Library Websites are Used for by Patrons.
"Library websites are really information driven" B.B.
The research data showed the the primary reasons patrons use library websites are as follows:
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The use of online catalogs and databases
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Finding library hours, location, and contact information.
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Looking for library events and registering for those events.
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Accessing online digital resources such as databases, curated lists, and other online resources.
4. There are Difficulties and Challenges for Both Library Staff and Patrons Alike When Using a Library Website.
"In general, focus group members said that their libraries' websites are useful for finding basic information (hours, location), but a bit of a hassle to navigate for more complicated purposes" (Pew Research Center, 2013)
There were a lot of issues and challenges that stakeholders brought up during the interviews about the use and navigation of library websites, and these issues were further supported by the literature review. Some of these problems include:
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Searching in databases and third party vendor subdomain pages (library catalogs and databases) is not always intuitive and can be confusing and frustrating for users.
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Navigation is usually not organized, logical, or intuitive, which makes finding information difficult.
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Labels in websites are sometimes not clear and their meaning can be ambiguous.
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Accessibility design features are usually lacking on the sites and make it difficult to use for those who have disabilities (i.e. font sizes should be large enough for those who have vision difficulties).
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Too much content on pages can be confusing and make it difficult to find information.
5. Organization and Ease of Use are the Top Stakeholder Recommendations to Help Aid in the Finding of
Information on Library Websites.
"When users are on a library website, they have a goal in mind and don't want to waste time" B.B.
Both stakeholders stated ease of use and proper organization of information were the number one features library websites should provide to help their users navigate and find information. Other stakeholder suggestions include:
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Website navigation should be "intuitive and clear."
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Avoid "ambiguous and vague terms" when describing categories.
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"The best websites are self-explanatory."
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"The organization of website information should be logical, intuitive, and have a flow. It should mimic the different departments in a physical library."
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"A user should not have to hunt for information on a website."
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"Library hours should always be current and updated, and contact information should be easy to find on the site. When a user has to search for contact information, it sends a message that the library doesn't want to help."
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"Navigation tools should be easy to find."
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Accessibility should be taken into consideration when organizing and designing the website (i.e. use of larger fonts for patrons with vision difficulties).
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"The layout should be 'Welcoming'. There is a fine balance between too much clutter and too little information (on the pages)."
6. Libraries Need to Continuously Evolve in the Future to Accommodate the Needs of the Communities it Serves.
"As technology evolves, it's becoming harder and harder for libraries to keep up because we can't hire the folks who know how to keep (the websites) up." B.B.
To continue to evolve as time goes on, libraries need to stay current with technology so they can continue their mission of providing resources and accessibility to information for their prospective communities.
The compiling of research findings clearly showed who the target users are that use library websites and culminated in the development of 3 user personas, one primary persona and two secondary personas. Each persona represented one of the three types of target users for library websites, as indicated during the stakeholder interviews:
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Chelsea, Mother and Elementary School Teacher (Social User-Primary Persona).
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Tom, Retired Civil Engineer (Leisure User-Secondary Persona).
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Zachary, College Student (Academic User-Secondary User).
From the research data and the three personas, a Task Priorities by Persona Table was also compiled to help understand what users need and use on the library website; what website tasks should be supported on the site; and also to understand the direction the redesign process needs to go, as far as important online tasks, when redesigning the site.
First Drafts of the Website Site Map
I was ready to delve into the designing of first draft of the website architecture with the development of a site map. But before I could start the design process, I constructed a Content Analysis. This document was created to show what content is needed on the website, based off of the research data collected, and identifies:
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What content is currently present on the website.
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What content needs to be reworked.
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What content is not present and needs to be added.
Click on image above to see full Content Analysis.
The next step in the process was to choose a primary classification scheme for the website architecture, based off the data collected from the research. This scheme would dictate how users will perform high and medium priority tasks within the website structure and navigation system.
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In analyzing the priority tasks that library patrons perform on the site, I determined that a combination of schemes would best allow users to complete their tasks. This hybrid classification scheme for the redesign of the website included the following schemes:
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Topical: i.e.looking up information, reading book reviews.
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Task-oriented: i.e. checking out a book online, signing up for a library event.
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Audience: Children, Teens, Adults.
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Alphabetical: i.e. listing of databases and other lists.
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Chronological: i.e. Library News
Once these two artifacts were developed and analyzed, I developed an initial site map for the structure and organization of the website.
Click on image above to see full initial site map.
Assessing Labeling & Taxonomy
The next phase of the project involved assessing the labeling and taxonomy of the site's navigation system using an online research tool called Treejack. Twelve scenario-based retrieval tasks were used in the usability assessment to test each of the categories within the navigation system. The following criteria was used in this research study:
Participants
5 Participants Total
4 Males
1 Female
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Age Range:
19-25yo 2
26-34yo 1
35-44yo 0
45-55yo 1
56-64yo 1
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Environment
Participants completed the research remotely in their usage environments.
Research
Unmoderated remote usability assessment using the online assessment tool, Treejack.
After the assessment was completed and the data was collected, it was found that the results were all of over the place and showed that there were some issues with the taxonomy and labeling of the site.
What Worked Well
5/5 Participants were able to find a book in the Library Catalog.
5/5 Participants were able to find a book lecture under Upcoming Events.
4/5 Participants found the Library Hours.
4/5 Participants were able to find Homework Help databases under Online Resources.
What Needs Improvement
3/5 Participants were able to find the Online Databases.
3/5 Participants were able to find library programs under Events & Ongoing Activities.
3/5 Participants were able to find historical history under Online Resources.
1/5 Participants found library activities under Events & Ongoing Activities.
1/5 Participants found how to sign up for programs under Help Center/How Do I?.
Although participants were able to successfully complete some of the tasks in the "What Needs Improvement" category, many of the successes were indirect, and participants made statements like
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"It seemed like information was missing or incomplete."
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"It took too much time to find information."
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"I found it difficult to know what steps to take to find the information on the site."
The results from this study were eye-opening. It was clear that the initial taxonomy and labels of the site map were not intuitive or easy to understand, and that some more rework was definitely needed.
In sitting down with my team members, we discussed the problems with the design that were clearly shown in the research data, and came up with some solutions to help make the navigation of the site easier and more intuitive for users.
Observation:
Several navigation categories were similar in nature and caused confusion with participants in knowing which steps to take to find information.
Change:
Similar categories were combined and more subcategories were added under parent categories to help narrow down information choices.
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Observation:
Navigation labels were vague and not clear in communicating what the category represented.
Change:
Labels for navigation categories were changed from broad label names to more descriptive labels to prevent confusion on what kind of information was contained in the category.
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Observation:
Participants moved around the navigation menu indirectly and haphazardly to find information for several task questions.
Change:
The combination and/or separation of categories along with the re-naming of labels was implemented to provide clearer direction to desired information.
Wireframes & Workflow
The next phase of the project involved representing the labeling and taxonomy of the site with low fidelity wireframes. Wireframes for key workflows, that represented the high priority tasks, were designed and then submitted for the following test. The key workflows included:
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Hours & Location
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Library Catalog
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Digital Content
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Upcoming Events
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Library Programs
After the wireframes were put together, I sat down with the project team members for a discussion of the initial wireframe designs, feedback, and iteration. I then prepared for a second round of research and testing using an online research tool called Chalkmark. This tool tests the navigation systems in wireframes with a one-click test, and shows if users can figure out where to start their search for high/medium priority key tasks that have been identified in previous research. The Joplin Public Library Home Page wireframe was uploaded to the program along with 11 high-medium priority task questions based on previous research data and personas. The following criteria was used in this research study:
Participants
4 Participants Total
2 Males
2 Female
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Age Range:
19-25yo 1
26-34yo 0
35-44yo 0
45-55yo 2
56-64yo 1
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Environment
Participants completed the research remotely in their usage environments.
Research
Unmoderated remote usability assessment using the online assessment tool, Chalkmark.
Assessing Navigation
The second round of research produced much better results, so I could tell that I was finally on the right track!
What Worked Well
4/4 Participants were able to find where books, digital magazines, and e-books are located under Books & Media.
4/4 Participants were able to find an audiobook CD under Books & Media.
4/4 Participants found a book signing event under Events.
4/4 Participants were able to find internet availability under Services.
4/4 Participants were able to find a child's "Read to a Dog"program under Programs.
3/4 Participants were able to find databases under Research & Learn. (1/4 participants chose Services).
3/4 Participants were able to find library hours under Hours & Location. (1/4 participants chose Services).
3/4 Participants were able to find homework help under Research & Learn. (1/4 participants chose Help Center).
What Needs Improvement
1/4 Participants found a children's story time activity under Programs. (1/4 participants chose Events).
After collecting and analyzing the research data, I got together with my team members and after some discussion, we all were in agreement with what iterations were needed to help address the findings in the research data. The following iterations were made to the site map and wireframes:
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Event and Program categories were combined together so there was less ambiguity if a library activity was an event or a program. The new category is Events & Programs.
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Services and the Help Center categories were combined, as much of the subcategories for both categories cross over. The new category is Services & Support. (Since Services has been shown to be a vague label, it was combined to with Support to help clarify the category).
Putting it All Together-Deliverable Report to the Library
Final touches were done to the site map and wireframes, based off the research data collected, and high-fidelity mockups were designed to show the new face of the Joplin Public Library website. A deliverable report including research findings, target user personas, task priority by persona table, the most recent site map, description of the navigation structure used in the new website, wireframes, and high-fidelity mockups were presented to the client.
Click on the image above to see the prototype for the following navigation flows:
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Search for a book.
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Renew a book.
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Find a library program.
Click on each image above to see full scrollable mockup.
Next Steps
Further research and website usability studies with library patrons from all three persona types would be the next recommended steps in this project. This will help verify that the architecture and design changes have made navigation and the finding of information on the library website easier and intuitive for those who frequently use the site.
Take Aways and What I Learned
This project was definitely a challenging one for me, but I learned a tremendous amount from it and in the end, found it to be a very rewarding experience.
From the beginning of the project, I found that I was allowing the "design" of a mega menu for the global navigation to cloud my judgement when it came to the architecture and structure of the website's information. It took the final results from the Treejack study to help me realize that my approach to the redesign of the website architecture needed to focus more on the structure and organization of the website information, and less on the design or layout of navigation categories and subcategories. Once I began to incorporate this different approach to the project, things began to fall into place.
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I learned that even though one might go into a project with the best intentions, you may not always succeed the first time with your designs. My first few designs in this project missed the mark, which was demonstrated in the testing results, but I quickly found that having my team mates to collaborate with and gain constructive feedback from them was extremely valuable in this project, and I learned the value and importance of teamwork when working on large design projects. They helped me to be able to see where things needed changing, and were there to cheer me on when things started falling in to place. Our team worked well together and their thoughtful discussions, help, advice, and feedback were an integral part in the success of this project.
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