Service-Led Change: Intro to Service Design for Libraries

Thu Apr 20 2017, 11:00am–12:15pm, Tuscany Room
 
SESSION DESCRIPTION
Generously Sponsored By: Vancouver Public Library
 
From common stumbling blocks experienced by library patrons to broader challenges facing libraries in the 21st century, this hands-on session provides a practical introduction to service design methodology that can be used to improve the quality of library services and prepare libraries for new services that might lie ahead.
 
Service design is an emerging discipline that combines user research, business strategy, and design practice to innovate the way services are traditionally conceived of and implemented. This methodology is based around interactions with users, touchpoints, service personnel, and stakeholders. It uses design thinking as an approach and follows a structured and organized process.
 
Drawing from our user experience and design expertise, we will highlight case studies of service design and user-centred design in practice with examples from the Vancouver Public Library and in other nontraditional design environments. We introduce participants to processes and strategies that can be used to identify or frame problems, test potential solutions, and implement evidence-based outcomes in their own libraries and communities.
 
Participants will be encouraged to bring their own experiences to the table as they engage in a collaborative design exercise that challenges them to apply these strategies to a real-life service problem in a library setting. Attendees will walk away from this session with a stronger understanding of how service-led approaches that put library users front and centre can powerfully impact the way libraries operate and adapt to change.
 
 
SPEAKERS
Mary B Castellanes, B.Des, Vancouver Public Library Biography: Mary Castellanes is a Web Graphics Designer at Vancouver Public Library with formal training in communication design, who has grown up with libraries very much a part of her life. She is interested in the open nature of web technologies, and the thoughtful application of design in our everyday lives. As a member of the Digital Services Web Team, Mary has been involved in the redesign of VPL.ca. The firsthand observations and feedback gathered from consultation and testing sessions with the public helped inform many of the visual design decisions for the new website.
 
Jessica Whu, MLIS, Vancouver Public Library Biography: Jessica Whu is a Web Librarian at Vancouver Public Library. Most recently, with her work on VPL’s website redesign project, she’s worked with staff across departments to assess and design web content that supports effective service delivery. Jessica loves how her work in information design, web development, and user experience intersect with her passion for people, communities, and user-centred services.