I was the UX Lead for a massive project which piloted and then released a next generation cloud based library discovery tool called WorldCat Discovery.
the platform
WorldCat Discovery is a cloud-based search tool that helps library patrons discover more than 1.298 billion items from libraries around the world in a single search box.
the pilot
We partnered with approximately 25 libraries to gather customer and user feedback. Pilot libraries reported a 114% increase in interlibrary loan requests and a 61% increase in borrowing requests from their consortium after implementing WorldCat Discovery. This proved that WorldCat Discovery allowed patrons to discover and access library resources that they previously could not find.
UX Research & Design for WorldCat Discovery Pilot
create personas for different libraries and different patrons.
We conducted extensive interviews and workflow analysis for the different types of patrons and the different types of libraries in the Pilot. These were drawn into Personas which were shared with all of the Pilot teams.
sketch rough concepts and user flows
We facilitated concept and design workshops where we created preliminary concepts to begin putting in front of users for feedback.
gather feedback through extensive usability testing
After a prototype was created, we did a significant amount of usability testing, refinement, and re-testing to determine the best discovery experience for all kinds of library patrons.
create hi-fidelity mockups and prototypes
Once we were confident in the design direction, we refined the visual treatment which allowed for library branding.