UXLibsVI – Paper Presenters

In addition to our keynote, plenary and workshop speakers we are delighted to announce our talented paper presenters, who were selected via a blind review process way back in February 2020. Find out who they are and what they will be presenting on below…

Left to right: Nadia Marks (UK), Larissa Tijsterman (Netherlands), Naomi Baguley (UK), Harri Endersby-Marsh (UK).

NADIA MARKS
London School of Economics (LSE), UK
Paper: Winning them over one by one: four years of trial and error in embedding UX culture at an academic library
Abstract: This paper explores the work-in-progress of spreading a UX mindset at an academic library so that the recommendations of research are put into action and a UX design approach becomes routine. Success so far has required winning colleagues over one by one in different ways. Navigating personalities and politics, it has variously involved being opportunistic, accommodating, adaptable, cunning, wily, emphatic, and determined. The paper will describe the different strategies employed and the ups and downs of the process with practical examples. It will be ‘warts and all’, with plenty of fails and false starts as well as unexpected successes.

LARISSA TIJSTERMAN
University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Paper: Standing alone together; your secret UX buddies might be hiding in other departments
Abstract: Implementing UX can be a daunting task especially when you alone. The best way to learn is by doing but how do you get things done when the hierarchy is strong, you are starting at the bottom and everyone is spread out over several locations throughout the city? Well, not start at the library at all! I first worked together with other departments which not only empowered me but connected like-minded people across the university and got the sceptics on board. You do not have to start your journey alone your buddies might just be hiding in another department.

NAOMI BAGULEY & HARRI ENDERSBY-MARSH
University of Cambridge / Durham University, UK
Paper: A fresh perspective: the impact of interns on research and culture
Abstract: We were hired in September 2019 as interns at Durham University Library, with the joint purpose of integrating UX into our Library, after our colleagues were inspired by Claire Browne’s presentation on the UX research of an intern at UXLibs V. Our presentation will show how internships can be utilised to break down barriers within the Library and provide fresh perspective, and how we as interns integrated UX into a culture of unawareness. We’ll also be giving insight into the new ethnographic technique that we developed that can be adapted for use in other libraries.

Left to right: Åsa Forsberg (Sweden), Nick Russell (UK), Nathalie Clot (France), Maxime Szczepanski (France).

ÅSA FORSBERG
Lund University, Sweden
Paper: The photo challenge: a national collaboration among university libraries
Abstract: In 2019-2020 librarians at twelve Swedish academic libraries collaborated to do UX research about students with reading disabilities. The objectives were (1) to better understand the study situation for this student group and (2) for the participating librarians to learn how to do UX research and design.
The data collected in the study was analyzed together in an affinity mapping workshop, to address the first objective. To evaluate if we had fulfilled the second objective we asked the librarians about their experience of conducting a UX study. In Spring 2022 we conducted a follow-up survey, and the data collected will be included in the study.

NICK RUSSELL
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Paper: ‘Ask the Experts’: student support interventions designed and delivered by students
Abstract: Do you want to put students at the fore in designing and delivering interventions for their peers? ‘Ask the Experts’ involves training pairs of students who have been through a particular experience or transition such as starting university or going on placement, to deliver one-off workshops to students going through – or preparing for – the same experience.
The model was devised for the purpose described but we believe it can be used to facilitate an extended programme of co-production with students and become iterative with each new phase with students recommending changes and developing the model itself.

NATHALIE CLOT & MAXIME SZCZEPANSKI
University of Angers, France
Paper: Training outsiders to grow insiders through active library staff visits
Abstract: “Truly I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.” (Luke 4:24)
#BUApro is a project of professional visits from external library staff to our library to train ourselves, our own staff and our visitors in UX tools and techniques, thereby inspiring and advocating for a UX mindset and culture both in our own and other libraries. We will talk about how to organise and practice a workshop with complete beginners on both sides and reflect on how to, as a senior manager, you can encourage a UX team culture in middle management.

Left to right: Natacha Leclercq Varlan (France), Carrie Donovan (USA), Sarah Halliday (UK), Peter Hanna (UK). 

NATACHA LECLERCQ VARLAN
University of Lille, France
Paper: Step by step: how to involve staff in UX projects on a long-term basis (case study at the University Libraries of Lille)
Abstract: A coordinator for UX and Patron Studies was appointed at the University Libraries of Lille in 2017. The refurbishing of the Law Library “Culture Zone” was a first shot to involve colleagues in a user-centered approach and to show the necessity of this coordination, in newly merged University Libraries. Three years after this experiment, many new projects emerged. Keeping a cross-functional view of Libraries activities, testing methods on projects with different scales and being flexible enough to follow the organization’s priorities were key elements to disseminate UX to a larger scale, from frontline staff to senior management.

CARRIE DONOVAN
University of Pittsburgh, USA
Paper: Trust the process: re-envisioning library organizations through user-centered practice
Abstract: Professional identities and organizational cultures carry with them a sense of power that, once developed, is resistant to change; however, academic librarians can apply what we know about user experience in order to transform ourselves and our organizations. The critical reflection and flexible mindsets that are central to user-centered practice are also helpful for reframing our professional roles and workplace cultures. This presentation will explore opportunities for re-envisioning the foundational elements of libraries, as well as approaches for building trust among ourselves and with our communities in a user-centered context.

SARAH HALLIDAY & PETER HANNA
University of Hertfordshire, UK
Paper: Ripples of UX: sharing techniques and practice with students and staff
Abstract: At Hertfordshire we are creating ripples of UX by taking what we’ve learned from our library-focused UX projects and encouraging others across the University to adopt our approach. In this session we show how we’ve shared our thinking and how it is being put into practise across the university, most particularly with our Students’ Union. Attendees will learn about the tools and techniques we’ve developed to help others adopt a UX approach, understand how we’ve gone about sharing these with both students and colleagues (from inside and outside the library service), and see outcomes achieved in different areas.

Left to right: Paul Harding (UK), Ned Potter (UK), Ashley Brewer (USA).

PAUL HARDING & NED POTTER
University of York, UK
Paper: Ask not what your organisation can do for UX, ask what UX can do you for your organisation
Abstract: tl;dr: Let’s sell by doing.
Longer version: You can’t change a culture by talking about it; you have to change a culture through actions. Rather than focusing on the features of UX to advocate its use in our organisations, we should showcase and celebrate its benefits through truly user-driven change.
Using a UX-led catalogue improvement project as a case study, this session will illustrate how to overcome resistance to change by reframing the internal conversation to not being about UX so much, overcoming cynicism through the sheer quality of the work, and asking for neither permission nor forgiveness.

ASHLEY BREWER
Virginia Commonwealth University, USA
Paper: The Web User Experience Working Group: one academic library’s grassroots and outside-the-org-structure effort to build an inclusive culture of UX
Abstract: In the absence of a UX department or anyone with UX in their title, how can a library scale and resource UX research for informed web and service design decisions? This paper will share one library’s attempt to build a culture of UX outside the organizational structure lines through the creation of a diverse, cross-divisional working group, convened by the Web Systems Librarian (now the Senior Web and User Experience Librarian) and charged with shared learning about UX methods and best practices and with helping the Libraries’ web team conduct UX research. Now in its fourth year, we’re examining the group’s successes and struggles — and the actual sustainability of such a model.

Left to right: Jarmo Schrader (Germany), Ninon Frank (Germany), Leonie Kamminga (Netherlands), Julie Willems (Luxembourg).

JARMO SCHRADER & NINON FRANK
University of Hildesheim, Germany
Paper: “Did you already post that in our library channel?”: Instant messaging as a tool to improve staff engagement in discussing user-related issues
Abstract: The COVID-induced shift to remote working prompted Hildesheim University Library to introduce the instant messenger ‘Rocket.Chat’ as a means to improve communication within and between teams of the library. A major goal was to increase participation in discussions around user- and service-related issues.
We will use structured interviews with all members of staff as well as analyses of individual discussion threads to assess how the introduction of Rocket.Chat affected daily communication among library staff and whether using an instant messaging tool can encourage a more open and equitable communication style.

LEONIE KAMMINGA
Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands
Paper: Using student experience sessions to improve information literacy education
Abstract: The Education Experience team at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) was established to help to improve information and services for and communication with students and teachers. Using Customer Journeys, Design Thinking (DT), and Mind Mapping sessions, the user needs and experiences are mapped. For WUR-Library a DT session was conducted to assess the desires, wishes, and expectations of students involved in information literacy education. During my presentation I will elaborate on the organization, outcomes, and perspectives of this DT session and on how the Education Experience team in embedded within WUR.

JULIE WILLEMS
University of Luxembourg
Paper: How UX methods helped the transition of the library team into a new library building
Abstract: A year and a half before the opening of the new University library building, how do you prepare three small teams from different campuses to merge into their new work environment, the Luxembourg Learning Centre? How do you empower the staff to take ownership of the new infrastructure and to adopt a new service culture?
The presentation will outline how UX methods used internally can help improve the quality of service and develop a user-centered organisational culture and how important it is to consider the library staff as a user and to consciously conceive and design services for both library users and its library staff.

UXLibsVI – sponsors

A huge thank you to this year’s corporate sponsors without whom UXLibsVI could not take place. Please click on the logos below to visit their websites.


Our sponsors are: GOLD – ProQuest; SILVER – EBSCO; BRONZE – OpenAthens.


 

GOLD

ProQuest, part of Clarivate, supports the important work of the world’s research and learning communities. The company curates six centuries of content – one of the world’s largest collections of journals, ebooks, primary sources, dissertations, news, and video – and builds powerful workflow solutions to help libraries acquire and grow collections that inspire extraordinary outcomes. ProQuest products and services are used in academic, K-12, public, corporate and government libraries in 150 countries, helping these organizations achieve better research, better learning, and better insights.

 

SILVER

EBSCO has partnered with libraries for more than 70 years by providing quality research content, powerful search technologies and intuitive delivery platforms. We innovate through research and relationships, and we learn from customers and their users. Because our goals are those of our customers, we enable the greatest value in our services. We offer technologies that make workflows easier for all.

 

BRONZE

OpenAthens is the gateway between the online world of subscription-based content and those who want to access it via their organization. It is the dashboard that makes librarians’ lives less complex. It is the portal that extends the audience of publishers. It is robust, reliable and ever-evolving.

Implications of COVID-19 (coronavirus)

9 March 2020

We have no current plans to cancel the UXLibsVI conference due to COVID-19. However, we are of course monitoring the situation very closely. Official advice regarding events like ours (200 international delegates) may change. Also, institutions and/or countries may take decisions that will have an impact on whether we can hold this year’s event. At the moment, we are still taking bookings and preparing for the event as normal, but if this situation changes we will contact all registered delegates immediately and post an update here and via the mailing list.

As published on our website, the cancellation deadline for a full refund is 11th May 2020, but if the conference is cancelled or a later cancellation date is necessary due to travel restrictions or underlying health issues you will be entitled to a refund given the exceptional circumstances.

If you have any questions please email us.

Andy Priestner
Chair, UX in Libraries

UXLibsVI – Useful Information

VENUES

Conference venue: Northumbria University City Campus East 1 (CCE1): Business and Law School Faculty Building – City Campus East, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 8ST. Tel: +44 (0)191 232 6002

Social evening (optional) venue: Pitcher & Piano Newcastle – 108 The Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 3DX. Tel: +44 (0)191 232 4110

Gala dinner venue: The Biscuit Factory – 16 Stoddart Street, Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE2 1AN. Tel: +44 (0)191 261 1103


ACCOMMODATION

Below you’ll find a map showing the locations of the conference, social evening and gala dinner venues, as well as many of the hotels within walking distance – click on the icons to see further information, or see the text below the map.

A.  93a Grey Street Apartments
One bed apartment from £220 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
City Centre. 13 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.3 on booking.com

B.  Maldron Hotel
From £169.10 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 17 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.1 on booking.com

C.  Dream Apartments City Centre
Two bed apartment from £258 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
City Centre. 16 min walk from conference venue.

D.  Hampton by Hilton Newcastle
Queen/twin room from £192 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (incl. breakfast)
City Centre. 17 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.6 on booking.com

E.  Grey Street Hotel
Twin room from £144.50 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 12 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.6 on booking.com

F.  Sleeperz Hotel
Double room from £106 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 17 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.4 on booking.com

G.  Vermont Hotel
Double room from £178.40 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (incl. breakfast)
City Centre. 15 min walk from conference venue. Score of 8.4 on booking.com

H.  Motel One
Double room from £138 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (£9.50 extra for breakfast)
City Centre. 14 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.0 on booking.com

I.  Premier Inn Quayside
Double room from £74 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (Breakfast extra)
Quayside. 13 min walk from conference venue.

J.  Travelodge Newcastle Central
Double room from £82.50 for 2 nights (6/7 June) (incl. breakfast)
Quayside. 8 min walk from conference venue.

K.  Dream Apartments Quayside
One bed apartment from £220 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
Quayside. 9 min walk from conference venue. Score of 7.8 on booking.com

L.  Staybridge Suites
One bed apartment from £207 for 2 nights (6/7 June)
Quayside. 8 min walk from conference venue. Score of 9.3 on booking.com

N.B. When booking check a site such as booking.com to see if any special rates are available.


TRAVEL

By air:
There are regular direct flights to Newcastle Airport https://www.newcastleairport.com from Paris, Amsterdam and London Heathrow. The Airport is 8 miles north west of the City Centre.

Take the Metro between the Airport and the City:
The Metro rail system is the easiest and cheapest way to get between the Airport and Newcastle City Centre: https://www.nexus.org.uk/metro. There are trains every 12-15 minutes from approximately 5.38am (Sundays 6.26am) to 00.06am. The journey to the Metro stations in the City Centre (Haymarket, Monument or Central Station) take around 20 minutes and one-way fares are around £3.70 only. Manors is the closest station to the conference venue – 4 minutes’ walk, while Monument is the closest to the centre. The Metro is super easy to use and has great UX – Andy swears by it and used to go to school via it when it was brand new in the late 70s!

Take a taxi between the Airport and the City:
The alternative is to take a taxi which will cost around £25. The dedicated Airport on-site taxi service is Arrow Cars: tel: +44 (0)191 2449966, email: newcastlebookings@arrowcars.co.uk.

By train:
Newcastle Central Station is 5 to 10 minutes’ walk from the City Centre and 20 minutes’ walk from the conference venue. There are direct trains to Newcastle from most major UK cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

By car:
The A1(M) connects Newcastle and the North East of England with the rest of the UK. If you require a car park space in Newcastle visit: https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/parking-and-permits/car-parks-and-street-parking

Travel during coronavirus:
If you are travelling to UXLibs from outside the UK, you can check on the current Covid travel restrictions here.


DATES / START AND FINISH TIMES

The event will start on the afternoon of Monday 6 June with the optional pre-conference workshops followed by a social evening. The conference will finish on Wednesday 8 June at approximately 4.30pm.


Questions?
If you have any questions about any of the above please contact Marisa who will be happy to help.

UXLibsV presentations

Links to many of the presentations from UXLibsV can be found below – more will be added as they come in.

Main presentations:

Barriers to UX Design (Opening Address) – Andy Priestner

Leadership is Key: My UX Journey (Keynote 1) – Anneli Friberg

Working in Difficult Environments: Lessons from the World of Civic Design (Keynote 2) – Suzanne Chapman

Delegate presentations:

Workshops:

Blogposts:

See also our Past Conferences page for links to blogposts reviewing UXLibsV and all the previous conferences.

UXLibsV – Sponsors

A huge thank you to this year’s corporate sponsors without whom UXLibsV could not take place. Please click on the logos below to visit their websites.


Our sponsors are: SILVER – ProQuest, EBSCO, IS Oxford; BRONZE – OpenAthens.


 

SILVER

ProQuest. (PRNewsFoto/ProQuest)

ProQuest is a key partner for content holders of all types, preserving and enabling access to their rich and varied information. Committed to empowering researchers and librarians around the world, the company’s portfolio of assets – including content, technologies and deep expertise – drives better research outcomes for users and greater efficiency for the libraries and organizations that serve them.

 

EBSCO has partnered with libraries for more than 70 years by providing quality research content, powerful search technologies and intuitive delivery platforms. We innovate through research and relationships, and we learn from customers and their users. Because our goals are those of our customers, we enable the greatest value in our services. We offer technologies that make workflows easier for all.

 

IS Oxford is an Employee Owned Trust that develops and supports the Heritage Library Management System, here in the UK. 2019 marks our twenty fifth year, which we decided to designate as a ‘Year of Learning’. So, we attend this conference not with our sales hats on, but as colleagues, eager to learn more about the changing information landscape.

 

BRONZE

OpenAthens is the gateway between the online world of subscription-based content and those who want to access it via their organization. It is the dashboard that makes librarians’ lives less complex. It is the portal that extends the audience of publishers. It is robust, reliable and ever-evolving.

UXLibsV – Paper Presenters

In addition to our keynote, plenary and workshop speakers we are delighted to announce our talented paper presenters, who were selected via a blind review process in February 2019. Find out who they are and what they will be presenting on below…

Left to right: Kitte Dahrén (Sweden), Kineret Ben-Knaan (USA), Andrew Darby (USA), Nathalie Clot (France).

KITTE DAHRÉN (co-author: Ingela Wahlgren)
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SWEDEN
Paper: The UX Button: an exploratory approach to UX embedding
Abstract: At the SLU University Library we have a strategic goal stating that the library should “work strategically with user centered methods in order to create relevant, seamless and cohesive user services”. To deliver on this goal we launched a prototype UX support service called the UX Button in December 2018. The support is scalable and we expect it to change with the needs of our organisation. We hope to inspire you to experiment with how to embed UX in your own institution and how to design and communicate UX methodology support in a simple and concrete way.

KINERET BEN-KNAAN & ANDREW DARBY
University of Miami, USA
Paper: Assessing UX Work Over Time: A Data Management Approach
Abstract: This presentation outlines planning and strategy for managing user experience data across the duration of a complex website redesign process. We discuss the use of a master spreadsheet to collect and visualize this data, and how this tool helped inform our post-assessment approach.

NATHALIE CLOT
University of Angers, FRANCE
Paper: An accidental UX project: the case of toilet management in a French academic library
Abstract: This is the story of how, by observing, interviewing, surveying and using, we improved the user experience of the toilets in an academic library in France between 2010 and 2019. Through exploration of a seemingly trivial problem, using simple UX methods with valuable results, the toilet case study helped us to learn how to articulate and conduct UX methods and to iterate upon their design until we arrived at the best experience for our users.

Left to right: Claire Chickly (France), Pauline Moirez (France), Nadia Marks (UK), Carl Barrow (UK).

CLAIRE CHICKLY & PAULINE MOIREZ
French National Library, FRANCE
Paper: How did UX help us switch from an institutional idea of project incubator to a meaningful innovation squad?
Abstract: In 2017, our library created a project incubator to foster “innovative projects” internally, but without knowing what these projects would be and who would carry them out… We saw that the only way to come up with a proposition of real value was to involve project managers of the library. We organized workshops with different profiles and asked them to tell us stories of what problems they faced daily and did not manage to overcome alone.
We then used this material to design a first package of services for a “pilot season” in 2018 that was quite different from what we had previously imagined…

NADIA MARKS
London School of Economics (LSE), UK
Paper: Untangling the legacy: the user experience of archival research
Abstract: In 2018 LSE Library embarked on a project to merge two archive catalogues. Knowing that staff found the catalogues difficult to use, the project provided the opportunity to find out why. This presentation details the process we followed to design improvements to our archives catalogue. At the start we knew very little about how users experienced the catalogue and so we utilised interviews, focus groups, co-design, and usability testing to develop our understanding. Ultimately, we made the catalogue more user focused, while improving the training and advice we provide and developing a wish list for future developments.

CARL BARROW
University of Hull, UK
Paper: Culture eats the design process for breakfast
Abstract: Institutional culture can have a huge impact on the design process. For some it means that important insights are never acted upon, for others it means they don’t try new things for fear of failure. This session will consider the impact, its effect on embedding UX research and moving into that important prototyping phase, where things are not perfect and have a higher risk of failure. By referencing some important UX research in Hull around trust in the workplace, it will demonstrate how cultural changes are helping us to feel empowered, be brave, and more importantly, move into that prototyping phase.

Left to right: Tim Graves (UK), Riitta Peltonen (Finland), Kiti Vilkki-Eriksson (Finland), Keren Stiles (UK).

TIM GRAVES
University of Sussex, UK
Paper: Passionate about Floorplans
Abstract: As an in-house passion project, the University of Sussex Library chose to develop its own interactive floorplans. These were designed to guide people to the right shelves: smartphone in hand. The design process took its principal inspiration from the London Tube map and the navigation screens in shopping malls, and involved a series of rapid prototypes tested iteratively with students. The Sussex floorplans offer no functionality that cannot be bought from third party suppliers for a few thousand pounds. However, this end product was completed at zero cost, and is a direct fruit of feedback from the library’s own students.

RIITTA PELTONEN & KITI VILKKI-ERIKSSON
National Library of Finland, FINLAND
Paper: User research affecting strategic decision-making and service design: Case Finland’s national bibliography and discography
Abstract: National Library of Finland is renewing primary customer interfaces of national bibliography service Fennica and discography service Viola. This project is a textbook example, how to use Double Diamond service design process and include user research and participatory design already into the early phases of the project and strategic decision-making. The research brought into discussions the needs of the users beneath the current solutions. UI improvements were just one aspect it affected. It also initiated two use cases that would benefit from automation and for which National Library of Finland already has suitable APIs to offer.

KEREN STILES
The Open University, UK
Paper: Completely Shelfless: reinventing a physical library for an online community
Abstract: The Open University library’s user experience work has tended to focus on our taught students, who as distance learners typically use our online library. Last year we learned the importance of conducting UX studies with all parts of our user community, and found ways to hear from non-users. Examining the needs of university staff and postgraduate research students using mixed UX methods empowered us to improve our library building strategy to the benefit of our campus based community.

Left to right: Stefan Fleig (Sweden), Hannah Fogg (UK), Lorraine Noel (UK), Debbie Phillips (UK).

STEFAN FLEIG (co-author: Lina Karlsson)
Umeå University, SWEDEN
Paper: Active sitting – give the users a more mobile library experience
Abstract: This presentation is about how the Umeå University Library used UX techniques and an agile way of working to develop better and more ergonomic working conditions for their students. Different UX techniques were used in the process of gaining a deeper understanding of the user’s needs. One central theme that emerged during the ideation process was the need of a better ergonomic and more varied study environment. Inspired by modern offices, a concept focusing on active sitting was developed. It was first tested small scale, and by using UX as a tool for evaluation improvements were made along the way.

HANNAH FOGG & LORRAINE NOEL
Anglia Ruskin University / University of Huddersfield, UK
Paper: Tales of the UneXpected: Two case studies on how whole teams of frontline staff have employed UX techniques to influence service development and enhance service delivery
Abstract: At both Anglia Ruskin and Huddersfield we’ve mainstreamed UX research into the roles of frontline staff. Our teams have worked in small groups to design, execute and report on modest but meaningful projects. In many cases these have resulted in changes and enhancements to our services and facilities. We’ll consider how this approach is working, and how staff feel about it – empowered or put-upon? As managers, are we making real changes as a result of their efforts? We’ll look at some of the projects and methodologies, the service enhancements that resulted, and the changed roles and perceptions of frontline staff.

DEBBIE PHILLIPS (co-author: Emilia Brzozowska-Szczecina)
Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Paper: Love at first sight: consolidating first impressions
Abstract: In Welcome Week of September 2018 we conducted a cultural probe with new students at Royal Holloway, a joint project between the Library and the Campus Life team (a first for us). Turns out, they love the library building but don’t always attend induction sessions – how do we capitalise on this to make them love us forever? This session outlines proposed changes to the Library’s approach to induction for next year, based on the students’ reports of their first impressions of the Library, and their experience of their first two weeks here.

Left to right: Claire Browne (UK), Maria O’Hara (UK).

CLAIRE BROWNE
University of Birmingham, UK
Paper: Internships and ethnography: students researching students 
Abstract: What are the benefits of allowing students to lead your UX research, and how can they contribute to your understanding of the lived experience of your users? Over the summer vacation, we were joined for 12 weeks by a 2nd year undergraduate student, who led a cultural probe into the post-graduate experience at Birmingham. The project also investigated and analysed various UX techniques. In this presentation I’ll discuss the benefits (and negatives) of having an intern within the Library team, some of the findings and insights from the cultural probe, our thoughts on the various techniques used, and of course what has happened with the findings since the project ended.

MARIA O’HARA
King’s College London, UK
Paper: Peers of the Realm: embracing students as UX researchers at King’s College Libraries
Abstract: This year at King’s we decided to do things differently, we’ve decided to see what happens when we let students do the research. Armed with training and guidance, we’re sending 10 students out to try some UX on their peers. Come and hear the inside scoop on our experience, what was it like to guide students through their first experience of UX? Will their findings and insights differ from those of staff? What will we learn and what will we do differently next time? Watch this space to find out.

ELLA ABEL
University of Worcester, UK
Paper: Think like a designer, query like an analyst, test like a user
Abstract: In 2015, the University of Worcester overhauled its library website, and along the way examined everything from the department’s name to its vision. The project was a success, with page views up 265% and a 6% increase in library student satisfaction. This session revisits our methods, grouped into three mindsets.
–  Think like a designer: be brutal with your brief and focus on visuals.
–  Query like an analyst: interrogate data and adapt your message to convince stakeholders.
–  Test like a user: assume nothing and be ruthless.
By applying these mindsets, we resolved the majority of issues prior to testing.

DANIEL PSHOCK
University of Houston, USA
Paper: Reports are boring and you know it
Abstract: Giving busy people a report is a great way to get ignored. Yet, this is what many of us do to communicate our research findings and testing results. Moving research data into design means you have to communicate what you found effectively. Otherwise, your data will be unused and UX runs risk of being undervalued. In this session, I will explain why just writing a report is not likely to be successful, cover ideas on other methods of approach, and discuss the importance of taking time for critical reflection on your communication strategies.

 

UXLibsV – Useful Information

VENUE

This year the conference, pre-conference workshop, social evening and gala dinner are all taking place at the same venue: Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX. Tel: +44 (0) 1784 434455.


TRAVEL

The Royal Holloway Egham campus is only a 15-minute drive from London Heathrow airport, and easily accessible from central London by train (35-40 minutes from London Waterloo to Egham). Further information on the various travel options are given on the venue’s ‘Getting Here’ page.


ACCOMMODATION

Two nights’ bed-and-breakfast accommodation (in individual en-suite double bedrooms at Royal Holloway) is included in the conference package cost – check in is from 16:00 on Monday 17 June (check out on 19 June). Further details on where to check in will be provided in the joining instructions sent out a week before the conference.

For those wishing to stay an extra night after the conference, it is possible to book the same room for the night of 19 June at an additional cost of £78.50 (room-only rate) – please email to request this.

Unfortunately the same rooms are not also available to book for the 16 June, although there is limited availability in the Hub Guesthouse on the Royal Holloway campus, at a cost of £85 for a double room (room-only rate) – please email to enquire about availability.


DATES / START AND FINISH TIMES

The event will start on the afternoon of Monday 17 June with an optional pre-conference workshop followed by delegate registration from 6pm and an evening meal and pub quiz. The conference will finish on Wednesday 19 June at approximately 5pm.

View the draft programme.


Questions?
If you have any questions about any of the above please contact Marisa who will be happy to help.

UXLibsVI Cancellation Policy

In the unfortunate event that you can no longer attend the conference and need to cancel your place, please be aware of the following important dates:

  • If we receive your cancellation by Monday 9 May 2022, you will receive a full refund.*
  • If you cancel from 10-23 May 2022, you will receive a 50% refund.
  • If you cancel from Tuesday 24 May 2022 (inclusive) onwards you will not receive a refund.
  • If you do not contact us to cancel your place before 24 May 2022 then the invoice will stand in full.

* We regret that any bank/payment charges incurred by UX in Libraries cannot be refunded.

If you are cancelling under exceptional circumstances you may be entitled to a full refund – please contact us to discuss.

NOTE: In most cases it will be possible for you to simply send a replacement delegate if you yourself cannot attend – please let us know as soon as possible if this is the case.

UXLibsIV – Lanarkshire Interviews

The following interviews with Oliver Coates and Philippa Briant (librarians at the University of Lanarkshire engaged in UX research) are intended for those delegates at UXLibsIV who feel that they do not have sufficient experience of UX research to draw a cognitive map or be interviewed about UX.

> INTERVIEW with PHILIPPA BRIANT

> INTERVEW with OLIVER COATES

Click on the above links to listen or download them

Make notes about their experiences, reflecting on the barriers and problems they face. These should be fed into your team’s collation of experiences.

Many thanks to Philippa and Oliver for being such willing interviewees!