News & Views, February  20010  (mp3 file; 4.2 MB; 4:31 min.)
The User Experience,  Re-energize for Summer Library Program!; Annancy Tale flannelboard




The concept of an experience economy and focusing on the user "experience" is not a new one, but one that bears revisiting from time to time, especially as so many changes take place around us--and through us!    We all try to provide a good user experience, even if we don't call it that, or deliberately think of it in that way.  But maybe it would be a good thing TO think of it in a deliberate way, to consciously choose what we want the user's experience of the library to be and how we can go about making that happen.   And remind ourselves of it regularly, to check back in with it.  We all have too much to do, and day-to-day workflow doesn't always allow us time to reflect and consider.  So, sorry, yes, I guess I am about to suggest taking a few minutes--from time to time--to take a look at what you're doing to enhance the user's experience, pat yourself on the back for what you're doing well, and do any tweaking that needs to be done.

The first step is to think about what you want your library user experience to be; you probably already know, you just haven't articulated it in that way.  You want them to feel welcome, or you want the library to be the community living room, whatever it might be.   Then jot down some ways to ensure that that is the experience your users have.  A greeting for EVERYONE when he comes in the door; a reply to a question within x amount of time, or say yes whenever possible. (You may have been reading or hearing about the Colorado library that keeps a file of all the times they've had to say no to a patron, not as a punitive thing, but as a way to look at how they can turn that into a "yes" for the next patron who has that question or circumstance.)

It doesn't need to be an elaborate list, perhaps just two or three things that you and the entire staff do consistently well.  It can make a huge difference.