Redefining the Digital Future of Public Libraries
Creating a unified digital presence to boost library accessibility for millions.
ROLE
Lead Designer
DURATION
July 2023 - Present
TEAM MEMBERS
User Researcher • Project Manager • Tech Lead • Web Developers • Project Lead
OVERVIEW
LibraryOn is a unified digital presence for public libraries in the UK, bringing together over 3000 libraries and more than 200 local authorities, and making it easier than ever to engage with them.
Libraries retain a key role in cultural engagement for people up and down the UK. But while the way we consume media has evolved drastically, the sector's efforts to keep up have been scattered and uncoordinated.
OUTCOMES
Delivery of a website, collating 7500+ libraries and over 200 library services, across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, bridging the gap between local and national initiatives, and promoting discoverability of library services.
CHALLENGE
The ease of discovering a local library in the UK varies widely, with information often scattered, outdated, or inconsistent. Details about services and accessibility lack uniformity, creating a fragmented digital landscape that frustrates users and diminishes engagement.
For library users, this means time-consuming searches across multiple platforms, with no guarantee of finding reliable information. For libraries, it limits their ability to connect with new audiences and be seen as modern, accessible, and essential community resources.
A unified digital platform needed to not only centralise up-to-date information and simplify access, but position libraries as first-choice destinations for a host of activities and services.
The solution had to balance the need for national consistency with the unique offerings of local libraries, ensuring it addressed both user expectations and sector needs. It also needed to lay the groundwork for additional functionality down the road
DISCOVERY
Methodologies used (e.g., user interviews, data analysis)
Key findings presented concisely, often as bullet points or bold highlights
Diagrams or images to support insights
Through a series of user interviews and workshops, we deepened our knowledge of our audience segments, and how we could empower their journeys on-site. This included:
Elderly people (particularly those who weren't tech-literate)
Families (Parents of young children)
Young Professionals (looking for alternate workspaces)
Students (Young people aged 16 – 21)
We unearthed insights on the way people perceived and used their library services
Users principally interact with one library at a time, typically the closest one to them
They make use of the services linked to the local authority which operates their local library
While regular users are familiar with the facilities they have access to, people who aren't active users are largely in the dark about them. This presented an opportunity to look at ways to convert them into users
Information on library branches and services varied drastically depending on where you reside in the UK. This results in frustration and dissatisfaction for would be users, especially first-time or lapsed users. There was thus room to provide a uniform experience by better presenting information and resources libraries have to offer
Clearly formatted and accessible information on libraries could drive physical and digital traffic to libraries
How might we…
Design a singular online experience which allowed anyone across the UK to discover and connect with their local library, and libraries nationally?
SOLUTION
The insights I uncovered alongside our user researcher allowed us to convince stakeholders we should take another crack at creating the user journey for LibraryOn's map search. This would not only involve re-designing entire pages, but also offer a steer to the team on how the data which needed to be collected and managed.
One such instance was mapping service providers to library branches, as our research showed that linking these would empower users to find out what libraries near them had to offer. This was important in instances where users lived next to 2 or more possible library service providers, or sought to search for a library while on the move.
This meshed well with a sub-objective we had set during the site's rework. We had a lot of information on libraries, but only a portion of it was made available to users, hindering their decision making. I coordinated with my Tech Lead on what information would be most valuable to pull through to the front-end, balancing its presence as to not overwhelm users.
After a coupe of rapid sketching session with the tea,, I was able to flesh out the user flow to create a low-fidelity prototype, which was used to gather team feedback and confirm timelines. While we set-up high-fidelity prototypes for user testing and time-sensitive stakeholder presentations, I iterated with an emphasis on how these would animate, testing animations.
We also began to lay the groundwork for other product offerings which could enhance the map's utility, while satisfying the requirements of stakeholders. This included an events search function, which would manifest as a separate feature and widget on library pages.
To facilitate these ambitions, I began work on a bespoke design system for LibraryOn, working closely with our Marketing and Design Leads at the BL to interpret brand guidelines, and our developers to deploy it in code. This combined good in-class user experience with best practice when it comes to public sector websites. Striking a balance was crucial, both because it was important to provide an accessible experience to certain segments of our audience, but also to ensure a pleasing experience given the user journeys we had in mind.
In the meantime, we began user testing to validate our solution, while also speaking to a focus group of library practitioners to touch base on how we could ensure that our site drove traffic to them.
During user testing, we got to speak to a sample group of 8 users, primarily current library users, who were tasked with finding out a service that their library provided via our site. The feedback we received was positive, with users liking our colour palette, as well as the ease with which information was laid out. Some users expressed concern over the use of bright colour for some background elements, making them hard to look at for longer periods of time. To retain accessibility, I decided to done down the use of brighter colours in the UI, and also deepened our colour palette so that we had a larger pick of low-contrast colours.
Moreover, for the sake of time, we opted to reduce the scope of the site. This would feature a map search and events search feature at launch, with other strands of work being iterated on later down the road.
RESULTS & IMPACT
The site refresh took 5 months to complete, which coincided with a transformation in the running of the team. This allowed us to streamline our feedback processes, and thus improve my output via better-informed iteration.
The website's traffic increased by over 20% a month after launch, with improved SEO helping it become more discoverable. And while we are still gauging the proportion of onward journeys it has driven, our processes and approach to solving the unique problems has pleased our stakeholders, with them making a long-term commitment to the project.
REFLECTIONS
RADAR
Re-imagining what a modern library service can do involved navigating the unknown. By learning from people's lived experiences, I was able to spot new areas of development, iterating within tight confines
CHANGING WINDS
The new ways of working we switched to mid-way through the project compelled me to big calls, early on. Reorganising our design system and feedback process are such examples. Furthermore, I've learned to tailor my messgaing for a wider variety of audiences.
SLIPSTREAM
Embracing my role as lead designer made space for other team members to see the possibilities that we unlocked with our approach to solving certain challenges - whether it was an improved responsive experience, better UI, or accessibility practice.