I’m writing a column for Library Journal called The User Experience. It’ll appear every other month.
In this month’s I explain what UX is, make the case for librarians as designers, and even talk about Paul Renner.
Every time librarians create a bookmark, decide to house a collection in a new spot, or figure out how a new service might work, they’re making design decisions. This is what I like to call design by neglect or unintentional design. Whether library employees wear name tags is a design decision. The length of loan periods and whether or not you charge fines is a design decision. Anytime you choose how people will interact with your library, you’re making a design decision. All of these decisions add up to create an experience, good or bad, for your patrons.
