UX Designer
British Library
Jul. 2023 – Present
Overview
LibraryOn is a new digital platform which seeks to empower people across the UK to make the most of library services.
From providing a comprehensive list of all of England’s libraries and their amenities, to how users can make the most of their local libraries, it seeks novel ways to engage an user base that is yet to discover the treasure troves that await at their local library
Problem
As part of a long running project aimed at boosting the usage of public libraries, LibraryOn was birthed with a large and ambiguous remit to do just that. An early area of interest was the constraints which people face going to the library.
While libraries have much to offer to their customer base, information on libraries themselves can often be difficult and cumbersome to find – indeed, your experience can vary drastically across the country based on how your local authority runs its library service.
Moreover, in cases where information is available, it can vary from branch to branch, making the existing information asymmetry even worse and comparison very difficult.
Process
My main objective was to ensure that the way I’d present this information addressed the multiple pain points we’d identified during initial user research. This ranged from rethinking the information architecture on individual pages to make data more digestible, designing UI’s which prioritised accessibility, and a design language that expanded on the brand’s visual identity while remaining current and full of character.
My main objective was to ensure that the way I’d present this information addressed the multiple pain points we’d identified As part of the work carried out for this service, multiple products were developed, including a interactive map which for the first time tabulated England’s 1000’s of public and community libraries, a library catalogue browser to facilitate online loans and content pages which houses topical pages exploring libraries.
Once these were created, they were tested through a plethora of ways, ranging from recorded usability tests, to surveys and analytics to paint an image of wider usage.
Deepening Design
In addition to my UX duties, I also designed visual assets for my Marketing Lead to use in campaigns, which expanded on the design language in use, and remained in line with BL Marketing and Design best practice. It was important that these complemented the work I was doing on the site.
Solutions and Results
When setting out on this project, my aim was for folks across the country to use this site in the same way that they do other instrumental services in their day-to-day. To that end, the launch of an interactive map which displays pertinent and time dependent opening times, library services, and how to get there was a huge boon.
Indeed, the site saw over 5,000 unique visits in its first 3 month, with 68% of people surveyed agreeing or strongly that they would recommend use of the site to someone they know.
User and stakeholder feedback, along with an iterative AGILE design method, allowed me to cover a lot of ground within a short period of time when designing these products. A focus on continuously expanding this user experience helped polish other existent designs, and centring accessibility, has allowed this service to continue to develop in complexity since its debut.
5,000
Unique visits within the first 3 months
68
of respondents Agree or Strongly Agree they would recommend LibraryOn to a friend or relative
