LAPL has already set

Well, where do I begin?! Since I did this project completely on my own, without the support of a budget, a team, or direct access to LAPL users/patrons, I had to make some informed assumptions based on the precedent that LAPL has already set. I worked on the project anywhere from 10–15 hours per week over nine weeks, so I also had to make the most of the time I could give to it.

If I had all of the support and time that an official project with LAPL would make possible, here are a few of the things I would do differently:

• Expert Interviews & User Research: While I was thankful that I could access LAPL’s 2015–2020 Strategic Plan to anchor my project to the research and insights that they’ve already collected, it was not an ideal method of design research. I would love to work directly with LAPL leadership, interview librarians at different branches, and conduct a more thorough and interactive study of how LAPL users interact with the Library digitally.
• Card-Sorting & User Testing: Conducting a card-sorting exercise with LAPL leadership, librarians, and LAPL users would have been very useful when mapping out the new information architecture (and probably would have helped me to arrive at a more streamlined navigation scheme). Testing my prototypes with users early on in the process would have also helped me to clarify what content should be featured on the homepage.
• Content Strategy: I would have liked to work directly with LAPL programming and strategy teams to inform how the website homepage can better showcase the resources, services, and programs that the Library wants to promote.