Restructuring Chicago Public Library website

Role :

UX Designer
UI Designer
Information Architect
User Researcher

Tools :

Figma
FigJam
Adobe Photoshop
Optimal Workshop

Team :

Gagan Doddanna
Seshank Muvva
Subhulakshimi Mehalingam

Key Contributions :

Conducted content inventory and created personas to identify target audience
Designed wireframes, style guide, and hi-fi prototype for desktop and mobile devices.
Contributed to creating sitemap and evaluated website navigation using card sorting and tree testing.
Helped redesign website based on user testing data and contributed to final presentation.

Project Overview :

Objectives
User Scenarios and Personas
Key Task Flows
Site Map (Existing)

Testing Process :

Testing Strategy
Card Sorting
Tree Testing

Design Process :

Site Map
Style Guide
Wireframes

Reflection :

Insights
Retrospective

The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is a leading public library system serving the city of Chicago with 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches throughout the city's 77 community areas.

With 5,721,334 volumes, the American Library Association ranks the CPL as the 9th largest public library in the US and the 30th largest academic or public library in the country, making it an invaluable resource for Chicagoans

Although the CPL offers a plethora of inventory and services, the website in itself is hard to navigate as the information is not properly organized. The main navigation bar on the landing page has only two categories:

Browse
Events

with all the other sections organized within. The users are allowed to sort by format or audience but these options are still limited, ultimately making the user experience unsatisfactory.

Current Website for Desktop & Mobile

Objectives :

Our project aims to assess and improve the existing information architecture of the website, with the goal of creating a more user-friendly and intuitive navigation experience for users.
To achieve this, we will be restructuring the website, taking into account user needs and preferences, and optimizing the organization and presentation of content to improve usability and accessibility.
We will also be validating our redesign solutions using various user testing methods, including user interviews, usability testing, and A/B testing, to ensure that our solutions are effective and meet user needs.
Overall, our objectives are to create a website that is easy to navigate, engaging, and user-friendly, ultimately improving user satisfaction and increasing engagement with the site.

Key Task Flows

We focused on the personas we developed to identify our key task flows:

For our persona Bruce and his scenario,

How does Bruce easily look up research assistance services offered by the library?
How does Bruce discover and make use of the printing services offered by the library?

For our persona Rachel and her scenario,

How does Rachel browse the website in her preferred language for ease of access?
How does Bruce discover and make use of the printing services offered by the library?

We employed the following methods to gather data to aid in our redesigning process:

Testing Strategy

Card Sorting
Tree Testing

Card Sorting

Conducted a closed card sorting study with 13 participants out of 20 potential users identified.
Participants took an average of 2 minutes and 53 seconds to complete the study, with the longest time being 8 minutes and 39 seconds, and the shortest time being 1 minute and 01 seconds.

Conducted a card sorting study to identify patterns and associations made by users with website content categories.
Found that the proposed structure was well-aligned with users' thought processes, validating the ideation and design solutions.
Made minor adjustments to the site structure based on the findings from the closed card sorting study.

Tree Testing

Conducted a round of tree testing with 32 participants out of 49 potential users identified.
Participants took an average of 1 minute and 33 seconds to complete the test, with some outliers recorded at 6 minutes and 5 seconds.

Participants

Tasks

"Overall, we recorded a success rate of 59% and a directness rating of 70%"

Task #1 Results:

You need to make copies of your resume and need to check availability of printing services at the library.

Overall, we observed a 69% success rate with Task 1, and a directness rating of 59%.
The score of the task was 5/10, keeping in mind the success rate, directness, and time taken.

Task #2 Results:

You need help with your research paper and need to check if the library can offer any assistance.

Overall, we observed a 53% success rate with Task 2, and a directness rating of 66%
The score of the task was 4/10, keeping in mind the success rate, directness, and time taken.

Task #3 Results:

English is not your first language and you would be much more comfortable browsing the website in Spanish instead. How would you do this?

Overall, we observed a 59% success rate with Task 3, and a directness rating of 75%
The score of the task was 5/10, keeping in mind the success rate, directness, and time taken.

Task #4 Results:

You need to find a suitable event for your grandchild to attend this weekend. How would you do this?

Overall, we observed a 59% success rate with Task 3, and a directness rating of 75%
The score of the task was 5/10, keeping in mind the success rate, directness, and time taken.

looking up events for kids

Testing Wireframes

Conducted user testing with a participant pool to evaluate the usability of two sets of prototypes.
Used pre-task and post-task questions to gather feedback from users on their experience with the wireframes and website structure.
Noted any suggestions or feedback provided by users and incorporated it into the design process.
Affirmed design solutions based on user testing processes, leading to the adoption of the proposed site map and information architecture.
Demonstrated ability to prioritize user feedback and iterate on designs to improve user experience.

Insights
Retrospective

Insights

User-centered design approach: By developing personas and user scenarios, we were able to better understand the needs of our users and design wireframes around their key tasks. This ensured that the resulting website was tailored to their needs and preferences, resulting in a better user experience.
Iterative design process: By conducting multiple rounds of user testing and incorporating feedback from users, we were able to continuously iterate on our design solutions and improve the user experience over time. This demonstrated a commitment to ongoing improvement and a willingness to prioritize user feedback.
Importance of information architecture: Through the use of card sorting and tree testing methods, we were able to gather valuable user data that informed our redesign process and ultimately led to the adoption of a proposed site map and information architecture. This reinforced the importance of thoughtful information architecture in creating a user-friendly website.
Usability testing for wireframes: By conducting user testing with a participant pool, we were able to evaluate the usability of our wireframes and gather feedback on the website structure. This allowed us to make informed design decisions and create a more intuitive and user-friendly website.
Prioritizing user feedback: We recognized the importance of prioritizing user feedback and using it to drive design decisions. By noting suggestions and feedback provided by users and incorporating it into the design process, we were able to create a website that was better suited to their needs and preferences.

Retrospective

Conducted a thorough content inventory of the existing Chicago Public Library website structure to inform the redesign process
Developed personas and user scenarios to identify key tasks and build wireframes around them, demonstrating a user-centered design approach
Utilized card sorting and tree testing methods to gather user data and integrate findings into the redesign process
Created a proposed site map and wireframes for key tasks, demonstrating proficiency in information architecture and wireframe skills
Conducted user testing to validate design solutions and incorporate feedback from users
Recognized the importance of conducting multiple rounds of user testing to continuously iterate on design solutions and further improve user experience, showing a commitment to ongoing improvement and user-centered design principles.