As a consultant for the DX Center at Pratt, I had the opportunity to work on a client project with the Cooper Union Library.
My team and I conducted usability testing on the Cooper Union library website and made recommendations for enhancements.
Role/Team
UX Researcher and Designer
Team of 5
Timeline
March 2024 - April 2024
5 Weeks
Skills
Usability Testing
Survey Research
User Research Recruitment
Interaction Design
Visual Design
Project Management
Tools
Figma & FigJam
Zoom
Google Docs
Google Form
Tableau
Prototype Link
Prototype
Client Presentation Link
Presentation
Our Process
Project Goal
From our kickoff, we met as a team to determine our project goal.
Explore students' understanding and expectation of the search-navigation flow on the Home Page and Search Results website page.
Solution Overview
Based on the insights gained from the usability testing with the current site and the icon survey, our team created prototypes for a new redesign. We took a more radical approach and suggested a revamp of the site. Below are some of our solutions. We even had a bonus suggestion for the team!
Issue #1 - 87% users found the Home page busy and "gray"
Solution- Let’s revamp the homepage!
Users found the current homepage very busy and “grey”. They also found it incredibly uncommunicative as well. As a result, we suggested a full redesign of the site, including the typography and color scheme of the Cooper Union.
Issue - 100% users found elements and wording to be confusing
Solution - Update the search page
Based on results of our icon survey and user testing, we found that there were multiple points in the search flow that caused user confusion. As a result, we updated some design and some wording on the search page to provide user’s clarity on each button or certain terms.
Issue - 80% users ignored the ‘Ask a Librarian’ box
Solution - Increase visibility of the “Ask a Librarian” chatbot
During user testing, we found that 80% of users ignored the “As a Librarian” button. It simply was just not visible enough to them. As a result, we redesigned it to be more discoverable and humanized.
Usability Testing
We conducted usability testing with both the existing Cooper Union Library site and our prototypes. We chose to conduct remote moderated usability testing as it allows for more direct interaction with participants, enabling deeper insights into their thoughts and behaviors while interacting with designs and prototypes
User Recruitment
Because we had a very niche user base, (Cooper Union Students) we needed to be very strategic with our recruitment. We understood that our primary users are busy college students, so we created a survey to capture their participation availability and contact information.
To get the survey to the students, here is what we did:
Infographic
We created a graphic that our client could post on their socials or print out and hang up at their library. The graphic had a QR code so students can easily scan it and fill out the survey.
LinkedIn Outreach
We reached out to current Cooper Union students over LinkedIn to see if they were interested in participating our usability study. If yes, we would send over the survey so they can fill it out.
Word of Mouth
We asked our client to spread the word about our study. Additionally, we asked our friends and families to spread the word to any Cooper Union students they knew might be interested in participating.
Consent Form
Based on our outreach, we were able to get 15 student responses to the survey, all of whom were willing to participate! We then reached out to each individual student via email to set up time for the user testing and sign a consent form.
With the meetings booked and the forms signed, we were ready to start user testing!
User Testing Script
This is the script we followed when conducting user testing. As a team, we carefully designed this script to ensure that we test all the features our clients asked us to test. Many of us asked follow-up question, which we noted in our transcripts.
User Breakdown
This is a breakdwon of our users. We also interviewed 2 students from The New School as they were apart of the consortium partnership.
User Insights & Quotes
Below are the insights and quotes generated from our usability testing.
Insights Analysis
Based on the insights gained from the usability study, we began to gain an understanding on what user pain points are with the current site. We also categorized the insights and prioritized three areas we can potentially focus on. Those areas were:
Homepage
Search feature
Ask a Librarian
Icon Survey
To understand student’s understanding of the icons used on the library website, we created and sent out a 13-question icon survey, in conjunction to the user interviews.
Icon Survey Results Analysis
By analyzing the survey results, our team was able to identify which icons and wording on the search page caused users the most confusion. This helped us redesign the icons and clarify the wording to reduce user confusion and improve their search experience.
Data Analysis
We also quantitatively analyzed the survey data and derived the following insights:
Based on the results of the survey, we determined that we also needed to rework the icons on the search page. When we tested our design changes with users, they remarked that the meaning behind the icons was much more clear.
Competitive Analysis
Our team also conducted a competitive analysis to understand how other libraries have designed their sites. Below is our Figma board that contained an analysis we did over a Zoom meeting.
This competitive analysis also provided us with insight into how other libraries design their sites and what information is key to their students. We drew inspiration and also implemented some features that we found were unique, such as splitting up resources by student standing (i.e. Undergraduate, Graduate, etc.).
Prototype Design
Visual Design
We began to create prototypes of our designs in Figma. We followed a visual style guide provided by our client to help us ensure the look and feel of the new library site is apart of Cooper Union.
Design Iterations
We followed an iterative design cycle. We were continuously showing our prototypes to users and iterating based on feedback. 100% of users that had seen our designs loved the look and inclusion of colors. We went through a series of iterations before landing on our final design.
Client Presentation
We presented our research and prototypes to our clients on April 29, 2024. We met with 9 Cooper Union Library library staff. During our presentation the clients were engaged and asking questions regarding our findings and designs. Ultimately, they all loved our designs and were incredibly impressed with our work.
Client Quotes
Prototype Link
Prototype
Client Presentation Link
Presentation
Thank you!
Pujan Thaker © 2024
New Jersey, USA