Worked with a team to complete a redesign of the library website involving migration to a new CMS and implementing responsive design.
Skills & Methods: User Consultation, Usability Testing, Content Strategy, Information Architecture, Stakeholder Workshops, Wireframes, Responsive Design
Goals
Since their last redesign in 2008, Vancouver Public Library’s website needed a radical update that would include:
- migrating to a more powerful CMS that would give VPL the flexibility to accomplish in-house development and iterative changes;
- introducing responsive design; and
- ensuring an improved user experience that meets business needs and user needs.
My Role
This project took place from 2015 to 2017. I worked as a Web Librarian in the web services team of six. I was responsible for developing our content strategy, leading user research, creating and refining wireframes.
UX Process
Content Strategy
Content had remained largely static on the website for years. User feedback showed that common pain points were a visually cluttered design, outdated content, and confusing labels/language. Our team conducted a full content inventory to assess changes that would be necessary to improve the site’s information architecture and to frame our recommendations for content stakeholders. I led a series of content workshops with stakeholders to ensure business needs were met, balanced with a user-centred approach. I coached content writers to write for the web, and I created a web style guide.
User Consultation and Testing
I conducted surveys, user interviews, card sorting activities, and user testing sessions in order to design the website’s IA, prioritize content, refine labels and layout. Synthesizing the results, I was able to clearly summarize and present findings to stakeholders and translate it to content and design.
Prototyping
I created wireframes for desktop, tablet and mobile screens. The wireframes articulated user flows, navigation and interactions. The designs reflected the needs and priorities expressed by our stakeholders. Incorporating feedback from content champions and the development team, the wireframes underwent several iterations. They were streamlined until a consistent pattern emerged that could be easily translated into our Drupal build.
Outcome
In our post-launch survey and user acceptance testing, feedback was overwhelmingly positive from our library patrons and staff. Most commonly used descriptives from users were “clear”, “easy to use”, and “better navigation”. Because of the new flexible system and refined workflow process, the team continues, today, to develop, test and deploy improvements and new features.
