Library UX Project Series

The second user research project I conducted, as part of the library UX Group, was a study that looked at how students used a particular seated study area in the library. The purpose of this project was to establish what users liked and how planned renovation could lead to further improvement. The seating area in question had furniture with single, waiting room style, seating where users could engage in separate and individual activities, such as eating, reading or taking phone calls. There were coffee tables that were dotted around the area and bar and stool seating. The options that users had was to keep the seating area as it was, introduce a more coffee shop style setup, or picnic bench seating. The latter two seating options promoting more group activities and interactions in this area. I had the task of collecting the information and user data that would help make an informed decision on what the planned changes should be.

To achieve this, I, first, carried out an ethnographic study observing user's interactions with the area and noting down any common themes and behaviours. For example, whether they decided to sit in groups, what style of seating in particular they choose and the duration of their stay. Following this, I carried out short interviews, and moderated surveys with around 30 users (asking four to five questions) to obtain any views and insights that were not accessible through pure observation. These interviews were both one-to-one and small group interviews that happened in the environment I was studying. I also got users to complete a short survey that had a variety of open-ended and closed questions, to help produce simple quantitative data. On completion of the research process, I aggregated my data to synthesise actionable feedback and insights that would help my team make an informed decision about what changes, if any, should be made to the area.

The result of this project was a strong consensus that users were happy with the current set up of the seating area and would only want some expansion of this area. The data and feedback that I collected throughout this project confirmed these findings, for example, acknowledging that users did not tend to move furniture around to sit in groups, supporting the suggestion that this area's primary use was for individual activities. These results led to the area remaining largely the way it was, with only slight improvements such as repainting walls and updating furniture. Ultimately, maintaining high user experience and responding iteratively to their needs.

17th August 2020 | Harmony - Head HUXi