user-centered design and the lis curriculum: reflections on the ux program at pratt institute

User-Centered Design and the LIS Curriculum:

Reflections on the User Experience Program at Pratt Institute

Craig M. MacDonald, Ph.D. Assistant Professor

School of Information & Library Science Pratt Institute

User-Centered Design (UCD) is: “a structured product development methodology that involves users throughout all stages of Web site development, in order to create a Web site that meets users' needs. This approach considers an organization's business objectives and the user's needs, limitations, and preferences.”

User-Centered Design and the LIS Curriculum | ALISE 2014 | Craig M. MacDonald 2

Source: usability.gov

Three Principles of UCD 1.  Early focus on users and tasks –  Start with a thorough understanding of your

users and what they want/need to do 2.  Evaluation –  Regularly evaluate the design using established

methods 3.  Iteration –  Continuously update the design based on

evaluation results and/or user feedback User-Centered Design and the LIS Curriculum | ALISE 2014 | Craig M. MacDonald 3

Source: Gould, J. D., & Lewis, C. (1985). Designing for Usability: Key Principles and What Designers Think. Communica)ons of the ACM, 28(3), 300-‐311.

The UCD Process


Source: Rogers, Y., Sharp, H., & Preece, J. (2011). InteracTon Design: Beyond Human-‐Computer InteracTon (3rd Ed.). Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Is UCD important for LIS? In a 2012 survey of LIS graduates from UT-Austin and FSU, it was reported that: –  93% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that

“The concepts I learned in my usability/UCD course have helped me on the job.”

–  94% of respondents were likely or very likely to regularly “use the general theories and principles I learned in my usability/UCD course.”

– But, only 20% of respondents reported being hired explicitly to do usability/UCD work.


Source: Bias, R., Marty, P., and Douglas, I. (2012). Usability/User-‐Centered Design in the iSchools: jusTfying a teaching philosophy. Journal of EducaTon for Library and InformaTon Science, 53(4), 274-‐89.

Why is UCD important for LIS? Because: 1) Users don’t adjust their behaviors or expectations when using a library or archive website. – Our digital tools will be judged the same way as

Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon, etc.

2) Focusing on the user is always important, whether you’re building a tool or developing a new service.


From UCD to User Experience (UX)

With historical roots in HCI, UCD is the foundation of the UX profession. Usability is still a core principle, but a focus on “experience” broadens the scope of UCD. –  It goes beyond task-based user performance (i.e.,

usability) to the emotional aspects of interacting with digital tools through multiple devices and in dynamic contexts.


Source: Law, E. L. C., Roto, V., Hassenzahl, M., Vermeeren, A. P., & Kort, J. (2009). Understanding, scoping and defining user experience: a survey approach. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in CompuTng Systems (pp. 719-‐728). ACM.

Educating UX Professionals The proliferation of digital technologies has opened up a myriad of opportunities for trained UX professionals. Which, in turn, has created several challenges for UX education. – Students need to not just be familiar with a

multitude of methods, but also provide evidence that they’ve used the methods successfully (and can effectively communicate the results).


Source: Churchill, E. F., Bowser, A., & Preece, J. (2013). Teaching and Learning Human-‐Computer InteracTon: Past, Present, and Future. ACM InteracTons, 20(2), 44-‐53.

The UX Program at Pratt General premise: – Since LIS professionals possess expertise in

information organization, retrieval, use, etc., they can be valuable contributors to UX projects.

Thus, an LIS-based educational program should: – Build on established LIS competencies – Cover a range of design/evaluation methods – Offer opportunities for practical experience – Help students connect with industry professionals


0. UX Program: Foundation Program-level student learning outcomes:

1.  Research •  Students carry-out research, apply critical thinking, and use research

methods effectively to assess information environments and issues. 2.  Communication

•  Communicate effectively across digital media and produce professional writing.

3.  Technology •  Use digital tools and technology effectively and apply technical skills

in meaningful ways to investigate, analyze, and present information. 4.  User-Centered Focus

•  Apply and represent user-centered perspectives and demonstrate knowledge of diverse of user communities

5.  LIS Practice •  Produce professional-level work, advance and contribute to the LIS

field, reflect ethical and legal practices, and keep pace with current trends.


Research Use qualitative

and quantitative research methods

Communication Create and

convey content through social/digital media

Technology Use digital tools effectively and in meaningful ways

User-Centered Focus

Understand user needs and

perspectives

LIS Practice Work within the

framework of the profession

0. Pratt SILS MSLIS Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes

1. 12-credit Concentration Two required core courses: – LIS-643: Information Architecture & Interaction

Design (design methods) – LIS-644: Usability Theory & Practice (evaluation

methods) Two electives: – Advanced Topics: Human Info Behavior, Research

Methods, Info Visualization, Topics in UX – Contexts/Technologies: Digital Humanities, Digital

Libraries, Programming for Cultural Heritage, Digital Content Management, Web Production







User-Centered Focus


perspectives




1. 12-credit UX Concentration LIS-643

Information Architecture & Interaction Design

Design Methods

LIS-644 Usability Theory & Practice

Evaluation Methods

Advanced Topics

Research Methods

Info Visualization

Human Info Behavior

Topics in UX

Contexts/Technologies

Digital Humanities

Digital Libraries

Cultural Heritage

Programming

Content Management

2a. Student Interest Group The Pratt UX/IA group was launched in March 2013 and became an officially designated student group in September 2013.

–  Led by an elected 4-member executive committee (2 co-chairs, secretary, community manager)

Activities: –  Hold monthly meetings around a specific topic, with occasional

guest speakers (UX portfolios, freelancing, mobile UX, library UX, etc.)

–  Offer technology tutorials (Axure, Omnigraffle) –  Coordinate trips to local UX events (2013 UX Awards) –  Organize UX site visits (Bloomberg, Google) –  Maintain a website with helpful UX resources (ux.prattsils.org) –  Maintain a dedicated UX e-mail discussion list







User-Centered Focus


perspectives






Design Methods


Evaluation Methods

Advanced Topics

Research Methods

Info Visualization

Human Info Behavior

Topics in UX


Digital Humanities

Digital Libraries

Cultural Heritage

Programming

Content Management

2a. UX Student Interest Group

Events Guest Speakers

Helpful Resources

Tutorials

Tours/Site Visits

2b. Consulting Group Give students opportunities to apply skills learned in their coursework to real world projects. So far, completed six projects with 19 different students: – Brooklyn Visual Heritage UX Evaluation (7 students) –  Linked Jazz 52nd Street UX Evaluation (6 students) – Pratt CCPS Usability Study (8 students) – NYU Card Sorting Study (3 students) – CUNY Academic Commons Usability Evaluation (2

students) –  Social Gifting UX Design (6 students)







User-Centered Focus


perspectives






Design Methods


Evaluation Methods

Advanced Topics

Research Methods

Info Visualization

Human Info Behavior

Topics in UX


Digital Humanities

Digital Libraries

Cultural Heritage

Programming

Content Management

2a. UX Student Interest Group

Events Guest Speakers

Helpful Resources

Tutorials

Tours/Site Visits

Projects with external clients

2b. UX Consulting Group

Recent developments So far, about 25 students have indicated that they are pursuing the UX concentration, but I expect that number to grow this semester. Some other recent developments include: –  NYU Libraries UX Practicum

•  6 Pratt students doing a 100-hour internship with Nadaleen Tempelman-Kluit, Head of new UX Department at NYU Libraries

•  Students assigned specific roles: 1 information architect, 2 interaction designers, 3 usability researchers

–  First Paid UX Consulting Job •  3 students working with a start-up music discovery service.

–  Pratt UX/IA Speaker Series •  First speaker: Abby Covert, incoming president of the IA Institute


Lessons Learned in Year 1 Institutional, Practical, and Pedagogical

Administrative Support A critical factor in the early success of the program was gaining support from members of the Pratt administration. SILS Dean Tula Giannini was not just supportive – she actively encouraged its development. – She facilitated 2 of the UX consulting projects,

one of which was requested directly from Provost


Institutional

Faculty Support Getting faculty support and buy-in was also critical. I received many helpful comments and suggestions on early drafts of the concentration, including some great conversations about which courses would be appropriate electives.


Institutional

Student Demand When I came to Pratt in Fall 2012, I didn’t come with the intention of developing a UX program. But, we soon realized many students were interested in learning how to do UX, and asking questions about what courses they should take if they wanted to go into the field. The program developed organically from there, but it never would have happened without that initial student demand.


Institutional

Leveraging Current Courses All of the concentration courses were already offered at Pratt. The concentration allowed us to formalize their relationship and help students select a pathway through the program. –  I substantially re-developed the two core courses,

but there was pre-existing demand for the topics. – Selecting the elective courses was relatively

straightforward, as SILS already had a built-in emphasis on research, communication, and user needs.


Practical

Infrastructure There is no dedicated usability lab at Pratt, but we have a number of technology-enabled classrooms. Once the UX program was formalized, it helped facilitate getting free (or discounted) licenses for many popular UX software tools: – Axure RP (prototyping) *FREE – Balsamiq (wireframing) *FREE – Optimal Sort (card sorting) *DISCOUNT – Morae (usability testing) *DISCOUNT – UserZoom (remote usability testing) *FREE


Practical

Student Engagement While there was pre-existing interest in UX-related courses, engaging students outside of the classroom has helped grow the program and generate student interest. The first idea was to offer students an opportunity to work on an extra-curricular UX evaluation project. –  There was immediate interest, as 7 students volunteered

for the first project. The second idea was to have an informal UX meet-up every month to get students interested and engaged with each other and the UX community. –  About 20 students showed up to the first meeting, and it

eventually grew into the Pratt UX/IA student group.


Practical

Student Engagement (2) Building connections with alumni has strengthened the program. A few recent SILS alumni who had just gotten UX jobs offered to come back and share their experience with current students, which further solidified student engagement with the program. Alumni still attend Pratt UX/IA meetings and events, and two alumni even volunteered to offer workshops for current students on using popular UX tools.


Practical

Balance Theory & Practice Balancing theory and practice is important, but also quite difficult to do. Once the UX concentration was launched, it clarified the role of the two core courses. – The core courses only needed to expose students to

different design/evaluation methods; students could apply these methods in other courses (or through internships or extra-curricular projects).

Aligning the courses this way helped to strike the right balance between theory and practice, and removed the need for “real world experience” to be integrated into the course.


Pedagogical

Interactive In-Class Exercises As an educational topic, UX lends itself well to interactive in-class activities designed to help students apply course content in engaging ways. I’ve developed (and borrowed) several activities of this nature, including: – Rapid Fire User Research – Collaborative Sketching –  Icon Exercise (for understanding cognition) – Team-based Heuristic Evaluation


Pedagogical

Portfolio-building Projects It is now expected that prospective UX professionals have an online portfolio showcasing their UX experience. At SILS, we now require all students to submit an e-Portfolio consisting of course projects that demonstrate the five student learning outcomes. The courses are therefore designed around individual and group deliverables that can be added to students’ UX portfolios. – Plus, the design course now requires students to

submit a summative “design story” tying together all of their deliverables into a single package, which can be added to their SILS e-Portfolio.


Pedagogical

Focus on the UX Profession Our experience so far has re-enforced the need to ground the program in professional practice. – We named it “UX” rather than “Human-Computer

Interaction” because UX was more recognizable Starting this semester, the courses and projects were re-organized around different UX jobs. –  information architects, interaction designers, usability

researchers, etc. Rather than trying to create a “UX Unicorn,” we instead help students to focus on specific UX roles and their associated goals and responsibilities.


Pedagogical

Future and Next Steps The UX program is still less than a year old, so much remains to be learned. Moving forward, we plan to: – Convert the concentration into an Advanced

Certificate; would be first offered by an LIS program – Develop and formalize relationships with industry

professionals to maintain a strong connection to UX practice

– Explore additional partnerships for UX-related internships

– Develop a dedicated usability/UX lab – Assess the program’s impact on placing students in

professional UX positions


Thank You Questions or comments?

Craig M. MacDonald, Ph.D. E-mail: [email protected] Twitter: @CraigMMacDonald Web: www.craigmacdonald.com

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user-centered design and the lis curriculum: reflections on the ux program at pratt institute

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