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An Infopeople Online Learning Course

Start:
November 10th, 2015 12:00 PM
End:
December 7th, 2015 4:30 PM

​Course Instructor: Amanda L. Goodman​

Do you find yourself disappointed with the lack of community reception despite the fact that your library continuously offers new books, programs, and services? User Experience (UX) design teaches you how to get to know your users, identify who would benefit from particular services and how to create experiences that improve how users view the library. Rather than thinking that every library resource is of interest to every user, UX design will give you the tools to figure out what users want, and how to develop a plan that appeals to the right demographic for success.

In this course, you will learn:

  • The basic concepts of UX design and how it is applicable in library settings
  • How to gather data to learn about your users and their needs and desires
  • How UX can be applied to every aspect of the library
  • How to prepare for the challenges of implementing user-centric thinking

You will learn how to improve your library’s relationship with users by utilizing evidence-based decisions including observations, analytics, and conversations. Learn best practices to improve not only your writing but also your web presence. No more need to guess about what your community wants, likes, and dislikes. Instead, you will be able to identify who will benefit from the library’s investment in particular programs and resources.

Course Description: In this four-week course, you will gain a solid understanding of how User Experience (UX) Design works and determine whether it is right for your library and patrons. Through readings, assignments, and discussions, you will learn how to make a compelling case for pursuing UX and how to implement the techniques in your library. You will be able to apply the concepts, and best practices immediately in your own library to prepare for the challenges of implementing user-centric thinking.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

  • Week 1: Introduction to User Experience (UX) and Users
    • What is UX?
    • UX vs. HCD vs. HCI vs. IXD vs. What is trendy next year
    • UX in libraries: Emotional experiences
    • Who are our competitors
    • Challenges to UX
    • Define Your Users
    • Interviews
  • Week 2: The Library Building
    • Sketching & Note Taking
    • Observational Studies
    • Contextual inquiries
    • Environment
    • Signage
  • Week 3: Guidelines for Print and Web
    • Content
    • Web Design Best Practices
    • Accessibility
    • Information Architecture
    • Site searches
    • User flows
    • Testing
  • Week 4: Emerging UX Practitioners
    • Project Management
    • Formal Q&A
    • Professional Resources outside of libraries
    • UX opportunities in libraries
    • How do you share your work?

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2½ hours per week, for a total of ten course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for assignments, discussions, or online meetings. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: This course will be of interest to library staff in all types of libraries who work directly with users, or are interested in improving the way users feel about their library, and those responsible for the library's web design.

Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

Keywords: User experience