Hi, I would say that one of our major problems (which we also have recognized) is how alot of how WE would like our user experience to be, has been centered around OUR own workflow. To give you a few examples:
On the Danish Union Catalog Webpage: http://bibliotek.dk/?lingo=eng , We actually offer "Command Search" (CCL queries) on the same level as Advanced Search - This is great for libraries but not for the general public. (When was the last time you had CCL query classes in your public library ?)
Then we have various Library Catalogs, were often we flood the user with useless book information. Take this sample discription from the boston Library on one of their books:
Publisher:
Boston, Houghton Mifflin [1972]
ISBN:
0395126118 039512610X (pbk.)
Description:
xii, 244 p. illus. 22 cm.
Bibliography:
Bibliography: p. 231-233.
Notes:
A textbook tracing the history of China from prehistory to the present.
- How many of our patrons do really care that the book has 2 different ISBNS ? or that it's 22 cm tall ? There are alot of information which could help the users more, even a simple thing like which colour the book is, so they can find it on the shelf. But all of this information is part of our daily workflow, we can't order books that are too large for the shelf, just as much as we have to be sure we order the right issue (ISBN).
- So yes, We really do want something different that our users, and right now alot of our OPAC's are proof of this difference in agenda.
- Regards,
Bernd Wunsch.
-----Oprindelig meddelelse-----
Fra: Next generation catalogs for libraries på vegne af Alexander Johannesen
Sendt: fr 04-05-2007 02:30
Til: NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu
Emne: Re: [NGC4LIB] user-centered design
On 5/4/07, MULLEN Allen <Allen.MULLEN_at_ci.eugene.or.us> wrote:
> And along the same lines, its up to catalogers to determine the subject
> needs of the users. ;-) If we based our cataloging on what the users
> want, we'd never get to do what we want because we'd be too busy
> reacting to them.
I found this one interesting. What exactly is it that *we* want that's
detached from what our users want?
Alex
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project Wrangler, SOA, Information Alchymist, UX, RESTafarian, Topic Maps
------------------------------------------ http://shelter.nu/blog/ --------
Received on Fri May 04 2007 - 07:40:05 EDT