1. Assessment (studies, surveys, usability, etc.) - Nicole, Lisa & Remlee
- User needs studies (digital scholarship study and spaces studies) were synthesized and presented at an all-staff meeting in the fall.
- A group of staff participated in a Gamestorming workshop, using the ideas generated by the studies as well as techniques designed to facilitate innovative idea generation.
- UX took the 50+ ideas from the Gamestorming sessions, deduped and combined them, and developed a set of 8 "idea seeds," (LINK TO THESE) germs of ideas that any library unit might use to take action for improvements or new services while integrating the user experience. These were presented as part of the Library Council Retreat in February.
- Darcy, Stephanie and Nicole worked with the survey planning team to generate questions for the MIT Libraries 2011 survey that pursued questions raised in the user needs studies of the previous spring.
- Usability testing: UIG began "guerilla usability testing," which has served as an efficient new method for testing the usability of web pages in various locations across campus. UIG ran 2 usability tests this year: new titles for the homepage search tabs and the AMPS Openeya classroom video capture system. A small heuristic test of CogNet was also completed at the request of MIT Press.
2. Virtual sites design and production - Darcy & UIG members
- Started work on a large web redesign project to 1. redesign home pages for individual library spaces, 2. improve LibGuides design through CSS, and 3. create Wordpress templates for 2nd and 3rd level web pages.
- Implemented LibCal as a class registration tool to replace the Wordpress event registration tool.
- Improved security of all web forms by adding Touchstone authentication, and also added auto-fill of personal information fields for MIT users.
- Worked with MIT Mobile team to expand libraries' mobile services on the MIT mobile web (m.mit.edu) and on apps for Android and iOS devices. Users may now find, request, and renew items from their mobile devices.
3. Public space improvements/planning - Stephanie
4. Marketing - Remlee & Stephanie - 3 UX members are on Marketing Team. They brought a focus on virtual marketing, web services and physical spaces.
- Implemented form to make it easy for staff to request marketing support, and it's being used frequently.
- Continued to maintain the news blog.
- Continued the Libraries’ social media marketing and communications program, including:
- Twitter feed, leading the feed to over 5000 followers
- Facebook page for the Libraries
- Foursquare locations with tips at each library location
- Also explored using Pinterest for marketing
5. Betas - Remlee -
6. Emerging technologies (including e-readers, ipads staff and public loans) - Nicole
A. The emerging tech subgroup explored the following technologies:
- Peter Cohn - content curation tools
- Jenn Morris - iPads as kiosks for wayfinding (soon to be a beta)
- Daniel Sheehan - Google Fusion tables (data visualization & mapping)
- Elaine Mello - video-streaming on tablets (how different platforms work)
- Robert Sikkema - inter-device wifi streaming, with standards from DLNA
They presented their findings to a group of staff on May 31.
B. UX worked with relevant IDLA staff to continue the project of loaning e-reading devices to the public (Kindles, Nooks). We also coordinated the loaning of a small pool of mobile devices to MIT Libraries staff (iPads, Nooks, Kindles).
7. Workshops/classes we taught (IAP and other) - All
- Apps for Academics - Nicole and Remlee, IAP
8. Staff development (training and workshops we've attended) - All
9. Challenges ahead - All
10. Web & social media stats - Darcy & Remlee