Florida State University Libraries: Website Redesign Project Overview
- Overview
- Why?
- How?
- When?
- Communication
- Questions & Answers
- Public Comments
Project Overview
In short, the FSU Libraries are undergoing a user-centered, evidence based website redesign. Several key individuals across the libraries have been tasked with reviewing the effectiveness of our current web presence and finding areas for improvement. In addition, this project team is being asked to gather feedback from various library constituencies in order to ensure the new design provides optimal service to all library patrons.
What is going on right now?
We scheduled our next 3 open sessions and reserved the Graduate Instruction room.
The sessions will take place at the following times:
- Monday April 15: 10 to 11am
- Tuesday April 16: 2 to 3pm
- Thursday April 18: 4 to 5pm
A Website Redesign survey was posted on the rotating image promotion area of the homepage on Tuesday, April 2.
We'll leave it up for a week, then check responses. (You are welcome to take the four question survey below).
We'll post results under public comments when they are available.
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Why is this being done?
Our website serves over one hundred thousand individual visitors on a monthly basis. It is the digital face of our services and has become one of the main ways in which patrons interact with the library. The FSU Libraries leadership recognizes the importance of this tool and wants to ensure that our patrons are being served in the most effective way possible.
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How will this be accomplished?
In order to collect evidence that supports the changes being made to the website, the project team will use various research tools throughout the redesign process. These will include, but are not limited to, surveys, focus groups, one-on-one interviews and usability tests. All members of the project team have undergone research with human subjects training and FSU’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) has approved the tools being used.
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When will the website redesign be completed?
A Beta site will be available for public testing in the Summer of 2013. The new website is expected to launch in the Fall of 2013.
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- For the Content Audit Group, you are looking for 1-2 Public Services contacts out of a total of 5-7 people
The Content Audit group will be looking at areas and pages of the current site and identifying those departments who would be likely to work with that content. Right now we are looking at 2 from Public Services, then one from each of the areas: Special Collections; Technical Services; Administration; Collection Development; and Technology. The core audit team will then report to their areas creating department audit teams to discuss their own content.
- In the structure that you showed with pre-production, test, and development if the different content owners make changes can you make them live automatically or do they have to go to one of the earlier areas?
They would be live.
- If you wanted a change made on the website would you give it to your departmental representative (content owner) or would it have to go through someone, for instance, Favenzio or Matt?
The changes to text or paragraph structure, or to change an image, dates, announcements, etc. will not need any approval before they are posted. Larger changes, such as page structure or additional pages would.
- What is the time line for the assessment and reaching out to people outside of the library?
At this time, there is no specific date. We know where it fits into the details of when it will occur, but before a date can be set there are a few usability and assessment we need to work out first. We have our IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval to begin testing human subjects. We have identified preliminary faculty, staff, and students to begin testing. The process will be on-going throughout the project. We will be testing all populations before, during, and after site design.
- Will you take into account distance students?
Distance education students are an important part of our patron population and they will be included in future website improvements. We are not planning to do any specific distance learning testing during our first redesign, preferring to focus on the larger populations discussed at the presentation (undergraduate, graduate students, faculty and library faculty and staff).
- Will this process tackle catalog search changes or are those types of changes tied to FLVC?
No. Not during this part of the redesign process. We will be identifying issues that arise from all parts of the website and these will be addressed separately from our redesign process.
- Is there going to be a time frame for how long the beta site is going to be up? Is there going to be a choice to go to the old site if needed?
Yes. A good example of how this will be done is how larger commercial sites like Amazon or EBay roll out a new design. In the beginning there will be a link to "View out new site", then after release a link to "take me back to the old site". This is so we can remove some anxiety a new site will bring.
- Is the time line for the beta site and the old site (the overlap time of having two sites available) more for the patrons or for staff?
It's for both, but staff will be the biggest reason.
- Is an environmental scan of other libraries' websites part of the process?
A literature review is on-going and we have identified several Academic Website Homepages based on NCES statistics of peer institutions in our population size (+ or - 30%), Carnegie classification (15 - Doctoral/Research Universities-Extensive), gate count (+ or - 20%), and total library expenditures (+ or - 75%). We will continue with the environmental scan throughout the redesign and after.
- Someone mentioned LibGuides as our current dynamic content provider, will the LibGuides be mined for information and new content for the Content Audit Teams?
Libguides are used primarily for research guides. There are a few guides that have been used for other content, such as undergraduate technology services and training documents. Yes, these guides will be considered during the audit.
If there are LibGuides that are used for something that would be better suited for internal documents on SharePoint then this content will be moved. SharePoint training is currently taking place initially based on need but will eventually involve everyone who would benefit from SharePoint.
- We want to move to a more user-based website, are we going to move to a more internal type of site for training, policies, etc.? If so, does that site include access for OPS and volunteers?
All internal content will be moved to SharePoint. Anyone has an @fsu.edu or @my.fsu.edu email will have access if they are given permission. Access is enabled from any location with internet.
- Is there a grace period for the old site before moving to the new site?
Yes. During the summer we will be running both sites. Staff will have time to get used to the new site.
- Is it going to look radically different from our old site?
We expect the initial redesign will produce a result substantially different from our current website. Our goal will be to make changes that make sense and can be proven to improve access to our patrons.
- Could there be places on the site where we could get feedback or input from users? An example might be if Special Collections wanted to put up undocumented photos and get patron feedback or information about those photos.
That is certainly something that can be addressed. To begin we are working on getting the new site up and running. Once that happens with your help we will be looking at new ways to engage users.
Public Board Redesign Comments
You may have seen questions posted on white boards in the Dirac Science Library, Learning Commons, and Scholars Commons areas. Post-it notes are available for visitors to answer the questions posed. Questions and posting times will change during the redesign process.
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Q. 1: What Do You Use Most on the Library Website?
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Databases
J-Stor
E-books
Omni
Web of Science
Eric
Science Direct
Ref Works
OED
Chat with Librarian
U-Borrow
Resources for Theatre
Catalog for Plays
Book Search
Catalog Search
Technology Catalog
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Contact Us
Course Reserves
Advising & Tutoring
MLA Citations
Tips page for most asked research questions
Check for DLSR cameras
Smart Room Check out times
? Remove the "search" tab
Q. 2: What do you wish you could do on the website?
Online Reservations (Room Booking)
Remember Me (Long Term cookie)
Long Term Login (Single Sign-On)
Login to Library Account with FSUID instead of Library
Tweet my favorite books
Search for related books and reserve text
Reserve laptops and ipads
Search DVDs, Movies and Reserves (search individually)
More intuitive search
Check computer availability (supported 4 times)
Link Resolver problems
Simpler Interface (home page is overwhelming)
Read and checkout ebooks online
(These ideas are set aside for review after launch of site)
A Webcam showing how busy it is (different areas)
Staff provided ez listening playlist
Buy books from website
End Note Proxy
Fun games about Dirac's antimatter
Web Forum for staff and students ez to use like facebook
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