Case Study · Sharon Public Library
Transforming the Sharon Public Library's online presence into a fully accessible, intuitively navigable, and welcoming digital space for all members of the Sharon, MA community
TL;DR: — This project, completed in early 2022, was developed as part of UXD 60011 – Information Architecture II. The work included project brief documentation, user research and findings, personas, a site and content audit, a site map, and wireframes. The overall goal was to overhaul the Sharon Public Library website, using extensive user research to guide the creation of a refined site map and low-fidelity mockups.
Sharon Public Library was outdated and was described as "daunting" for users to find information. Within the project proposal, the goals were outlined:
Expert Interviews
To understand user needs for a website redesign, the I conducted expert interviews with librarians who know their public library's patron base well. Interviews were gathered through a mix of video conferencing and email, asking participants to draw on their analytics and day-to-day experience with patrons. The responses provided key data on user demographics, goals, and pain points, which became the focus areas for the redesign.Literature Search
To complement the interviews, I conducted literature research across various articles, studies, and readings to gain a broader view of user data. While the interviews captured personal knowledge and experience, this research provided higher-level statistics and demographics. Combining both methods allowed me to create personas and identify high-priority tasks representing how an average user might interact with the website.Tree Testing / TreeJack
After user testing and focusing on the high-priority tasks, content analysis was conducted which narrowed down pages within the website and made it easier to reorganize. After meticulous planning, the first version of a site map was created. This site map was entered into a tree testing software and participants were given high-priority tasks and were instructed to see if they could locate the page the task was describing.
Findings from this test concluded that users had a hard time finding digital media and research articles.
Click Testing / Chalkmark
The last user research test that was conducted was a prototype click test. Using the same high-priority tasks as a benchmark, a group of different research participants were asked to locate pages and areas on a low-fidelity mockup of some of the proposed design pages. The participants were primarily able to correctly locate these high-priority task items easily and quickly.
The click test indicated that a majority of users were correctly finding what they needed to when completing the tasks assigned.
Findings
High Priority
Medium Priority
Low Priority
A comprehensive site map, personas, and content analysis documentation were meticulously crafted to inform the revamping of the Sharon Public Library website, ensuring a user-centered approach guided every decision. These tools provided invaluable insights into user behavior, preferences, and content requirements, facilitating a strategic and tailored redesign process.
Personas
Content Analysis
Site Map