Given that the CSUMB library is primarily used for studying and that the bookshelves see minimal student traffic, our team redesigned the navigation experience to not only assist those who do use the shelves but also to spark greater interest in browsing books.
1/2 Product Designer
Jan - May 2023
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Signage for the Staircase
Highlights what topics are on the second floor with fun characters!
Signage for the Elevator
Highlights what topics are on each floor!
Signage for the Bookshelves
Map on top orients the shelf relative to the rest of the floor. "On This Shelf" shows the subtopics on each shelf, color coded with the main topic.
We observed that students find library bookshelves pretty overwhelming, which leads to a lack of engagement with physical books—there was only one checked-out book during our visit! Most students gravitate toward online articles and eBooks for their quick access. Librarians are eager to bring students back into the books and spark moments of serendipity in their research experience.
Students don't know how to navigate through the library bookshelves!
Weighing out our options and looking back at our research, we found an opportunity to redesign the bookshelves' current signage. The current signage is only understandable to students that know the Library of Congress Classification System.
With the problem and solution, I still didn't know where to begin. I dove back into our research and found clarity through our users. I found that location of the signs was the place to start.
After establishing my game plan, I jumped right into designing signs for the elevators, stairs, and bookshelves. I wanted to attract the students, so I opted in for a fun, eye-catching approach. We tested with students and reiterated our design over and over based on their feedback.
With our final designs, we conducted another field observation and a user walkthrough to see what the students thought. Spoiler...they loved it!
Before starting our project, my team of 4 met up to set goals, expectations, strengths, communication styles, and just got to know each other. This one meeting made our time together smooth as possible. Understanding our strengths and how we can use them to support each other, helped us reach our goals.
Finding a balance between ambition and reality helps focus your attention on work that is impactful. Don't get attached to your work and try to force something that is not working.