The Carnegie Public Library in Pittsburgh wanted to update their user experience. The old library was out of date, confusing and intimidating for users. The new library has an integrated multi-channel experience that users are raving about. Find out what they did and how they did it here.
The presentation provides a clear illustration of the kinds of tools available to use to rethink the user experience, and the principles involved. Even better, it is a delight to read, has wonderful graphic illustrations, and will get your creative juices flowing.
The presentation comes from Marc Rettig and Aradhana Goel's presentation at
Adaptive Path's User Experience Week 2005 in Washington, D.C.
A few of the gems inside this presentation:
- When tested, library users preferred the term "Customer Services" with the s, to "Customer Service". Customer Services sounded to them like a place they could get help with many things, whereas Customer Service is a place you go when you have a problem
- Using user-centred language meant changing "Reference Desk" to "Ask a Librarian". The online and offline experiences have been mapped to be as similar as possible, so "Ask a Librarian" is a button on the web site, as well as a sign in the physical space.
- Signage used to be stuck on top and on the sides of desks. It was quickly hidden by other people in the library. And it was hard for users to tell which information was important, and which trivial. (Sounds familiar, doesn't it?)
This is one of the best presentations I've seen in ages, and only wish I was actually AT the conference, which is going on my wish list for next year.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Gavin McGovern at Play with the Machine for bringing this to my attention.
