UX Toolkit

Introduction and links to the UX toolkit materials

We think we know through our own experience of working in libraries what our users want from our service.  We often design our physical and online space without a thought of finding out about the requirements of our customers but on what we think is best for them.  We often rely on our library statistics to determine what resources are being used without understanding why. If we do decide to consult our clientele it is often through a survey or focus group which can be useful but give us limited information. UX can help change this. It uses ethnographic methodologies to give us information on how our services and resources are being/not being used, highlighting not only positive experiences but frustrations and dissatisfaction, pinpointing why this might be so.  Through data analysis, ideation and protyping we can then start to make the necessary changes or come up with new designs to ensure our services, products and spaces are truly user centred. This toolkit has been written to help get you started on your UX journey.  

It is split into five sections, follow these links for the materials themselves:

• UX Methodologies
• Data Analysis
• Ideation
• Prototyping

It has been created by some academic librarians in the North of England as part of the Academic Libraries North UX Community of Practice (formerly the Northern Collaboration UX Special Interest Group).  It was adapted, with permission, from a toolkit started by Sheffield Hallam in 2018.   

We would love to hear from you if you do use any of the documentation and would be interested in your feedback.  Email your comments to ALN-UX-COP@jiscmail.ac.uk 

Materials under this toolkit are released under a CC-BY licence unless otherwise stated in the materials.

This toolkit is dedicated to the memory of Michelle Anderson, the group sponsor and initiator of this work who sadly died in 2019.