Restructuring a Library Platform
Balancing 3 Types of Stakeholders | Repairing a Chaotic Lack of Hierarchy | Navigating Operational Constraints
Details
Role
UX Designer, UX Researcher
User
6th Grade middle school students
Skills
User Research and Testing, Visual Design, Wireframing, Prototyping
Tools
Figma, Optimal Sort, Otter.ai, Whimsical
Duration
80 hours
Client
Private Middle School
Key Problem
Participant observations, informal and formal interviews with faculty, and user interviews indicated an ineffective cycle of students struggling to use the library platform, classmates getting distracted while teacher is occupied with students, and classroom curriculum completion becoming slowed as a result. The current site displays 105 resources on one page with minimal hierarchy. Minor refinements in the platform’s navigation design could have valuable impacts on increasing usability and productivity.
Key Business Implications
North Cross School is a private college-preparatory school with a 100% college acceptance rate. Teaching students to better navigate the library platform in order to conduct research and complete assignments gives the school a competitive advantage by equipping students with college skills at young ages. It also increases user engagement in the school's resources and decreases the development cost and time of the existing platform.
Solutions
Visual Design Enhancements
Simplified information architecture, ranging from optimizing page hierarchy through adding headers and descriptions to incorporating icon filters and tags on resources, making it easier to navigate to needed resources
Product Enhancements
Introduced best design practices to create a UI kit inspired by the school’s branding guidelines, website, and Material Design
Productivity Enhancements
Prioritized and recategorized library resources, using the platform’s analytics and card sorting, to give users an opportunity to see the breadth of options
Student’s Prototype Test
Impact
Doubled Task Completion Rate
Usability testing and qualitative feedback showed 50% more students were able to find resources without initial instruction
25% Reduction in Links
Reduced content load by deleting unnecessary links from the platform and emphasizing frequently used resources
Reduced Operational Impacts
Qualitative data showed students were able to find resources without initial instruction, allowing the teacher to gain 10+ hours of teaching to further advance in the curriculum
