Versions Compared
Key
- This line was added.
- This line was removed.
- Formatting was changed.
Panel | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||
This is a set of resources to help you understand why, when and how to use User Experience (UX) techniques as part of your project or service. The focus is on the UX of spaces and services rather than online platforms (although we may add that part in later), and although the Toolkit was created within Information Services it's applicable to any Department who want to better understand their users. UX is for everyone. You don't need to be part of the UX Group or a senior member of staff to use these techniques; if you're interested in understanding real insights into a demographic or audience better and you have the time to undertake a project, we can't recommend ethnography and UX highly enough. You don’t need to read the whole of this Toolkit at once, just dip into it as needed; we would recommend at least reading the whole of this page and the all of the Ethnographic Techniques sections before you get started, however… You can find out who participates in the Information Services UX Group at the relevant page. There’s at least one member from each section of the Library (Collections, Customer Services and Relationship Management) so you can always speak to us to learn more about integrating UX into your work. |
Panel | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||
Traditionally the term UX, or User eXperience, has been used to refer to usability in an online environment. However this is not primarily how we're using it in this context: UX is an umbrella term to describe a suite of techniques based around first understanding and then improving the experiences people have when using our library services. It utilises ethnography and design to achieve this.
Have a look at this presentation for a broader introduction, with examples of some methods and techniques. |
Panel | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||
The short answer is any time you want to better understand our users. In reality, it’s a little more complicated than that, because UX is a messy and sometimes time-consuming business. For example, if you’re going to commit to spending 5 hours doing ethnographic fieldwork, that may well take a further 20 hours to write-up, analyse, process, and create recommendations and ultimately design changes to a service or system. That 4:1 ratio of analysis to fieldwork means the time soon mounts up. Most of the time, you gain so much insight from UX work that it is worth it - but it’s not always practical to spend so much time in one area. Make sure you have the time in your calendar to see it through (and, if applicable, agreement from your line-manager). Consider whether existing sources of data would provide you with what you need - for example, survey data from the NSS or Library Surveys, or even the findings from previous UX projects. |
Panel | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||
Glad you asked. Here’s a checklist, assuming you already have a chosen a demographic, or space, or service, as the focus for your piece of work.
|
Panel | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||
The typical UX Research cycle will usually follow the follow pattern of actions:
UX research by its nature is an ethnographic form of research in which the researcher seeks to understand users’ experience and manner of engagement with a particular environment from the user's perspective: preferably while the user is still engaged within the environment. A printable version of the image above (with text) is also available. |
Panel | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||
It is essential to protect any and all participants in your user research. Make sure you are as transparent as possible with how the data you collect will be used by making use of our guidance and resources before embarking on a UX project. |
Panel | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||
|