[OPLINLIST] Website Redesign Worries

[SWON Info]

/Our website needs a redesign/. That’s a scary thought. You start to 
imagine countless hours and dollars disappearing as you build a new 
website from scratch. So you think, /A fresh coat of paint, a new look, 
is all we can handle right now/.


    Any change takes hours and dollars

If you’re going to put any time into changing your website, make it 
worthwhile. Ask again what patrons want to do at your website–ask 
yourselves /and ask your patrons/. And look for ways to help them /do/ 
things–find books, download music, register for programs–as well as 
showing them what the library has.


    Be honest about your competition

You may be very aware of what other libraries are doing, but I bet your 
patrons are more aware of Target and Amazon and iTunes. Go to their 
websites and get ideas from what works and doesn’t work there. You’re 
making progress when you say, /I want people to be able to *do* this/, 
not /I want the website to *look like* this/.


    You aren’t starting from scratch

Don’t throw out your old site. You need it. Do an inventory and find out 
what’s on your current website. You see sections for children and teens. 
Should there be an adults section? Talk about it. Physical items and 
download items are in different places, and maybe the tech won’t let 
them be listed in one place. Could you talk about music–CDs, MP3s, 
streaming–in one place? Discuss it. That’s putting pages in a new order, 
editing and revising, not writing a whole new book.


    Designing a website isn’t interior decorating

A website is an instruction book. /Follow these few steps and you’ll be 
able to do this, and this, and this. You can read this, learn that, take 
all these things home with you/. Good instructions, whether in a bad 
photocopy or glossy print, help people work. Focus on what people want 
to accomplish, and you’re on the right track.

Ready to learn more about website usability design and testing? The 
Nielsen Norman Group’s website has lots of research-backed articles 
<http://www.nngroup.com/articles/> to help you dive in.

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    Website usability design and testing

At Tuesday’s Website Usability Testing Level-Up Lab, we discussed some 
website usability and testing basics. One-on-one testing with a patron, 
for example, can be easily done with an hour and a $25 gift card. What 
you gain is documented evidence that can greatly inform your intuitive 
“This is what I do, and I bet others do too” anecdotals.

Want help with usability testing, or want to learn more? Nathan’s happy 
to field questions and he’s available to consult on your projects. Call 
him at (513) 751–4422 or email him at nathan at swonlibraries.org 
<mailto:nathan at swonlibraries.org>.

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    Summer Reading Program Workshop

Even if you haven’t caught your breath from Summer Reading, planning has 
started for next year’s SRP. SWON’s Summer Reading Program Workshop is 
just over a month away, on September 22. Plan now to join us for a day 
of heroes (that’s the theme) and sharing with your colleagues (that’s 
you). Get the details and register here: http://bit.ly/srp2015

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Connect to SWON online: Website <http://www.swonlibraries.org/> : 
Calendar <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_list.asp> : Facebook 
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Calendar excerpts from the next two weeks. (Please register for online 
classes at least two days before they take place.)

  * *CLEAR Review (SIG) Meeting
    <http://swonlibraries.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=463284&group=>*
    - (8/15/2014) - SWON Meeting Room
  * *Generational Harmony: Teaching, Training, and Interacting
    <http://swonlibraries.site-ym.com/events/event_details.asp?id=454818&group=>*
    - (8/19/2014) - Online
  * *How to Measure and Document the Performance of Your Employees
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=454837&group=>* -
    (8/21/2014) - Online
  * */19th Annual Picture Book Read-In
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=435844&group=>/*
    - (8/26/2014) - Indiana Wesleyan University, West Chester
  * *Board Books: Not Just for Babies
    <http://swonlibraries.org/events/event_details.asp?id=454795&group=>* -
    (8/26/2014) - Online

SWON Libraries - http://www.swonlibraries.org<http://www.swonlibraries.org>
10250 Alliance Road, Suite 225
Blue Ash, OH 45242
phone (513) 751-4422 - fax (513) 751-0463
To subscribe or be removed from SWON's Events list, click 
here:http://lists.swonlibraries.org/mailman/listinfo/events
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