Ethnography and a wider perspective on library user experience

Ethnography and a wider perspective on library user experience

Andy Priestner (@andytraining)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/francisco_osorio/15846068506

How good are librarians at seeing the big picture?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pikerslanefarm/2798037108

https://www.flickr.com/photos/auduhomes/9330082354

A case of tunnel vision?

Some can’t see past ‘library’…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sashavasko/4400528704

Focus too much on library use

(and usually only in terms of footfall, loan stats and survey data)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vmwelt/18763194909

Failure to focus on students who don’t use our libraries

LIBRARY

IT CAREERS

And thoughts beyond library only go so far as integration with other support departments

STUDENT SUPPORT

COURSE ADMIN

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alwaysshooting/14913046889

But where does ‘library’ actually fit within the wider student experience of University?


How can we start to uncover and understand the bigger picture?

If we keep within our library field of vision it’s a bit like a cropped Photoshop image – what part of the picture are we missing? We’re not missing much in this cropped kitten picture, but what about on these classic album covers..?

So how do we uncover this bigger picture?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/professorbop/2756892204

https://www.flickr.com/photos/74576085@N00/6335630844

Through ethnography: talking to and listening to students…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/guinicholas/19587297588

…and observing and recording their behaviour

…and thereby piecing together their whole learning landscape…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanenglish/744025274

…and better appreciating where (and if) library fits into that landscape

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kthbiblioteket/4472643699

Simple sticky note exercise undertaken with students at Cambridge University: ‘Detail your entire experience of University life – warts and all – with one element per sticky note. Use as many notes as you need.’

https://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelmattiphotography/10197758956/

SO

CIA

L sports

sex

drugs

alcohol/bars

friends

girl/boy -friend

shopping clubs & societies

coffee & cafes

summerball

music

eating out

travel

student union

theatre town

cinema

house parties


CO

UR

SE

readings study space

essays

practicals

library deadlines

IT support

exams

data

tutorials course staff

lectures

project work revision

time-table PCs

printing


DA

Y-TO

-DA

Y

laundry health

communal living

buying food

getting from A

to B stress

cooking meals

cycling

managing money

your room

packing &

unpacking

home -sick

calling home

counsell-ing

disabled access


TECH

N

EXT

phone signal

WIFI tablet laptop phone

power

interviews CV job search

pursue academic

career

pursue course

elsewhere


readings study space

library IT support

data revision PCs

printing

WIFI power

https://www.flickr.com/photos/124429633@N03/14360887815

A pan-Cambridge innovation programme delivering new products and services derived from ethnography and human-centred design

Futurelib’s most recent success story…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bakokojp/8269964720

Spacefinder would seek to illumine and uncover the University’s many spaces and match them to study needs and preferences

Derived from ethnographic research

• diary studies • collaborative design

workshops (pictured) • interviews (unstructured,

structured, guerilla)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/cipherswarm/29754107

https://www.flickr.com/photos/leonfishman/6738681839

Problem identified… Students were not finding spaces that matched their study preferences and these needs were hugely diverse…

study preferences

• in groups • totally alone • ‘together alone’

(studying independently but next to friends who can help them)

• alone but in crowded quiet reading rooms (to make them work)

• alone but in a noisier location (some can’t work in silence)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/johncohen/152850884

https://www.flickr.com/photos/dinoboy/6868841128

types of space

• common areas • cafes • pubs • parks

(not just libraries)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bakokojp/8269964720

Spacefinder would seek to illumine and uncover the University’s many spaces and match them to study needs and preferences

ethnographic / design research was continuous during the project

• prototyping • testing and iterating

(photo: students testing a prototype phone version of Spacefinder)

http://spacefinder.lib.cam.ac.uk

“I wanted to write personally, to thank you for Spacefinder, and tell you how useful students are already finding it. This is an achievement which shouldn't be underestimated. I thought you might be amused to know that the general response has been one of sheer astonishment that the University have helped produce something so up-to-date and relevant to student life!” Poppy Logan Cambridge University Students Union – Welfare and Rights Officer


library PCs

phone signal

WIFI

tablet

laptop power

coffee & cafes friends

stress

music

eating out

phone signal

cycling

printing

disabled access

Spacefinder is successful because it fulfils many needs beyond library and recognises a broader student experience and learning landscape…

study space revision phone

getting from A

to B

power disabled access power disabled access

phone signal

stress

Survey results, quantitative data, and more importantly a focus solely on library would never have led us to Spacefinder.


Survey results, quantitative data, and more importantly a focus solely on library would never have led us to Spacefinder.

We had to become interested in a

wider picture of experience

and piece that together through ethnographic research and human-centred design.


What is outside of your ‘library field of vision’?

Ethnography and a wider perspective on library user experience

Education

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