ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

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Ethnography for impact a new way of exploring user experience in libraries __________________ Andy Priestner (@PriestLib) https://www.flickr.com/photos/chasblackman/8502151556/

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Presented by Andy Priestner at the SCONUL Winter Conference at the Royal College of Physicians on 21st November 2014. A brief exploration of why librarians should be adopting ethnographic research methods in order to secure a more complete picture of user experience in their libraries. Incorporates details of three recent ethnographic research projects at Cambridge Judge Business School which have delivered many practical outcomes and directly impacted and improved service delivery.

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Page 1: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Ethnography for impact

a new way of exploring user experience

in libraries__________________

Andy Priestner(@PriestLib)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chasblackman/8502151556/

Page 2: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Judge Business School, University of Cambridge -one of the top business schools in Europe

- very high-fee paying students (MBAs – 40k per annum)- students consistently rate our library service as excellent

But I KNOW its not perfect, and until recently I really didn’t know enough about the library experience of ourusers…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_ch/5447151529

Page 3: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

I, like most librarians, was more used to – and more comfortable with –sending out annual surveys, and

chiefly recording quantitative facts

My only qualitative approaches were comment boxes and, very

occasional, focus groups and usability studies

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64763706@N08/6850650385

Page 4: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

As a result...

• too much of my service data was only coming from those people who filled in the library survey

• I was using too many closed or leading questions

• and routinely interpreting increases and decreases ‘blind’ rather than researching further

• largely ignoring qualitative feedback as it was ‘difficult’

• and when the comments boxes were left empty, as they so often are, I was not following up to find out more

• and I knew full well that self-reporting is largely unreliable and skewed

...so what was the answer?https://www.flickr.com/photos/rsms/1479448133/

Page 5: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Ethnography

a way of studying cultures through observation, participation and qualitative techniques

https://www.flickr.com/photos/collin_key/6080864794/

Page 6: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Ethnography - Malinowksi

Credit: London School of Economics

Conjured up the image of a white man ‘going native’ in the South Pacific

Page 7: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Ethnography - Malinowksi

‘The final goal is to grasp the native’s point of view, his relation to life, to realise his vision of the world’

(Malinowski – founding fatherof ethnography, 1925)

Credit: London School of Economics

Page 8: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

‘The final goal is to grasp the user’s point of

view, their relation to life, to realise their

vision of the world’

https://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurjohnpicton/4387576057

Change just one word and highly relevant to libraries…

Page 9: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Ethnography

• Interest in context and culture• Explores personal and social• More holistic• Less structured• More detailed• Immersive• Breaks down preconceptions• Time-consuming• Embraces complexity

And offers a more complete picture(but I’m not saying ditch the quantitative data)

www.flickr.com/photos/droetker0912/5542920908

Page 10: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Once I’d decided to engage in ethnographic research: revised a post within my library service to incorporate this activity. Renamed as ‘UX Librarian’ as concerned with exploring and improving all aspects of User Experience (UX)

(I advocate a broader definition of UX - not just about websites and usability)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mollystevens/5179946914/

Page 11: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Some ethnographic techniques

• Behavioural Mapping• Cognitive Mapping

• Diary Studies• Usability Studies

• Focus Groups• Affinity Diagramming

• Card Sorting• Directed Storytelling

• Touchstone Tours• Love- break-up-letter

• Graffiti Walls• Personas

https://www.flickr.com/photos/st3f4n/4046427260

Page 12: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

3 Ethnographic Research Projects

@ Judge Business School

Page 13: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

~ 1 ~Behavioural

Mapping

Page 14: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Behavioural mapping

Observing use of the Information Centre and mapping the results

(Our UX Librarian - Georgina Cronin)

Photo: Andy Priestner

Page 15: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

The study (undertaken in a series of hour-long observation sessions) involved: mapping routes; volume of traffic; duration of stay; activities undertaken; interaction between users; choice of desks; staff assistance, food and drink consumed (we allow both); devices used; databases used; use of self-service.

Page 16: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

As well as recording movement and activities on a map, information was recorded in a narrative log and colour-coded for later affinity sorting.

Photo: Andy Priestner

Page 17: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

A visual representation of all the maps combined clearly shows the most popular route through the Information Centre, known as a ‘desire line’

Page 18: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterme/14037066/

Desire lines are everywhere, but you might not have known that this is what they are formally called

Page 19: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Key findings / impact

TRAFFIC:

Most users use the ground

floor in order to walk

straight up to the first floor

NOISE: Users are quieter

the fuller the space is, and

more irritated by noise

ACTIVITY: Huge variety in

duration of stay (some very

long stays) and in print /

digital use

• Re-siting our display screens so they are seen by more people

• Opening up our first floor entrance for direct access

• Sending staff print jobs elsewhere during busy periods

• Reducing staff noise (conducting 1-2-1s elsewhere, closing office door)

• Adjusting door springs

• Ensuring space redesign does not assume device-only culture.

• Offering more comfortable furniture

https://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/3906387641/

Page 20: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

~ 2 ~Show-me

-round

Page 21: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Students guide us around the Information Centre space and explain the choices they make, what they like and dislike - recorded for later analysis

Photo: Georgina Cronin

Page 22: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Key findings / impact

WORKAROUNDS:

Users are failing to access key

services (WIFI, printing,

databases) and invent time

consuming workarounds

WORKSPACES:

Very definite ideas about

what makes a good

workspace

KIOSK TERMINALS:

Users felt these prevented

access to information and

didn’t use them

• Less front-loading of information and ensuring we repeat key access messages

• More joined-up dissemination of information with other depts

• More desks and desk space needed. Cushions purchased (see next slide).

• Recognition of two tribes –‘upstairs’ and ‘downstairs’ people with different needs

• Accepted they were not working as we anticipated and removed them in favour of full PCs

https://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/3906387641/

Page 23: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Photo: Ange Fitzpatrick

Page 24: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

~ 3 ~Cognitive Mapping

Page 25: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Subjects were invited to draw a map of their research and learning landscape – sharing where and how they work

N.B. 1Most library use happens outside the library

N.B.2Ethnography often ‘follows the user home’ for a fuller picture of experience

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wrachele/8367457082

Page 26: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Example faculty map

Page 27: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Example student map

Page 28: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Key findings / impact

LIBRARIES:

Faculty members did not use

physical library / student

used many for different

purposes

BEDROOMS:

All subjects drew bedrooms

as key study areas

OVERALL LANDSCAPE:

Most subjects are regularly on

the move and using a variety

of research environments

offering varying degrees of

concentration/distraction

• Faculty members need more assistance with productive working methods – mobile tech, cloud computing, time management tools. We intend to offer more 1-2-1s/support in these areas

• Recognising that for this particular group of students our library service is only part of the picture – stop selling ourselves as a ‘one-stop shop’

• The variety of places from which subjects accessed our resources underlines how vital it is that we offer our services remotely and seamlessly

https://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/3906387641/

Page 29: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Today’s library services are so complex, accessed in many different ways and from many different places, that we must adopt ethnography to reveal the full story of user experience

https://www.flickr.com/photos/marcwathieu/2566147235

Page 30: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

More infoFurther information

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mayoral/13848318454

Page 31: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

The definitive ethnography handbook by Nancy Fried-Foster and Susan Gibbons

(available as a free PDF from www.ala.org)

Page 32: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Dr Donna Lanclos, anthropologist and library ethnographer at the J. Murrey Atkins Library at University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Blogs at:www.donnalanclos.com(@donnalanclos)

Co-devised‘Visitors & Residents’ in place of ‘Digital Natives’

Right: Donna’s library sleep map

Page 33: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

A UK blog exploring ethnographyand user experiencein libraries

(run by myself, Georgina Cronin & Meg Westbury)

Page 34: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

The new open access peer-reviewed journal of library user experience

www.weaveux.org@WeaveUX

Page 35: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

UX in libraries - conference

‘UX in Libraries’ book by Andy Priestner & Matt BorgSummer 2015

Page 36: Ethnography for impact: a new way of exploring user experience in libraries

Ethnography for impact

a new way of exploring user experience

in libraries__________________

Andy Priestner(@PriestLib)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chasblackman/8502151556/