Library Tools, Tips, & Technologies tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog/532 2010-11-13T16:41:08Z Movable Type Enterprise 1.52 My blog has moved! tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71883 2010-11-13T16:38:57Z 2010-11-13T16:41:08Z http://nadaleen.com is where my new blog resides. Thanks!... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit http://nadaleen.com is where my new blog resides. Thanks!

]]> Emotional Design, Libraries, and our very own ISP model tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71287 2010-11-01T16:12:32Z 2010-11-02T21:50:03Z Emotional design is a pretty common concept in web design. Donald Norman has written extensively about emotional design, and come up with a methodology for designing according to the principles. Emotional design is user centered and focuses specifically on the... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit Emotional design is a pretty common concept in web design. Donald Norman has written extensively about emotional design, and come up with a methodology for designing according to the principles.

Emotional design is user centered and focuses specifically on the emotions of users and how design can effect emotion and be used to create positive emotion. If you think of products you like (not necessarily web based) you may find that they were designed in a calculated way to create positive emotions.

In the library world we don't delve into emotional design too much, though I think social media is changing that and putting a more human face on interfaces.

We do, however, have our very own 'Information Search Process Model,' created by Kuhlthau, that lays out a methodology according to emotions felt during users' common searching experiences. I wrote about this ISP model when exploring user centered design in libraries and my summary follows:

Information Search Process Model Some library literature has examined conceptual user interface search models that explore not only the physical actions of searching, but also emotional and cognitive aspects. Kuhlthau has standardized a library information search process model (ISP) that articulates users’ common searching experiences. Kuhlthau’s ISP model applies six stages to the information searching process and includes common emotions attributed to each stage. At the initiation stage, for example, uncertainty is the common feeling. The exploration stage begets confusion and anxiety followed by a steady movement (ideally) toward clarity in the formulation phase; direction in the collection phase; and relief and satisfaction or disappointment, in the presentation stage. The author argues that if systems and interfaces could be designed to anticipate common emotions present at each stage of the research process, design could account for anxieties by scaffolding and otherwise guiding users through certain stages of the search process. Intermediaries and the filtering of information are two suggestions the author offers as worth pursuing in order to alleviate user anxieties (Kuhlthau 1991).

I think delving further into emotional design and libraries would be a good direction to go.


Links:

Kuhlthau, C. C. Inside the search process: information seeking from the user's perspective. Journal of the American Society for Information Science v. 42 (June 1991) p. 361-71

The emotional design of firefox

Emotional design resources: http://www.deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/emotional-design.html

]]> Pesuasive Design tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71261 2010-10-31T23:59:38Z 2010-11-01T16:06:22Z Persuasive design is becoming a more common term in web design. Persuasive design aims to create sites that are engaging and gain and promote trust in users. It strikes me that one obvious way to gain trust in users is... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit Persuasive design is becoming a more common term in web design. Persuasive design aims to create sites that are engaging and gain and promote trust in users.

It strikes me that one obvious way to gain trust in users is to provide consistency in site content. This includes things like keeping faq's up to date, keeping news up to date, making sure links work, etc.

This is not so easy to do in libraries. I think of our users trying to access articles and getting incorrect links through SFX, or inconsistencies in where the links go-to Journal holdings, directly to the article, etc. This is but one of the many examples of how libraries may fail to gain the trust of online users in libraries. Others include:


  • Unsuccessfully pushing from a catalog to RefWorks or any other bib citation management tool.

  • A full text available link that may go to full-text, but provides an interface so confusing the user cannot determine where the full-text is to be found

  • Links from homepages to articles, databases, indexes, e-journals, etc., that are interchangeable to users and create confusion and frustration

  • Link rot

Because many of these interfaces are beyond our control, it seems to me that we are failing in persuasive design.

Links:
Furtive Librarian

UX matters:

]]> Technologies: Adding Google Analytics to your NYU blog tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71213 2010-10-29T18:41:44Z 2010-10-29T19:19:10Z Using NYU blogs? Want to track who is visiting your site using Google Analytics (free)? The documentation is less than ideal. So here are step by step instructions. Create an account in Google Analytics Upon login you should see an... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit Using NYU blogs? Want to track who is visiting your site using Google Analytics (free)? The documentation is less than ideal. So here are step by step instructions.
  1. Create an account in Google Analytics

  2. Upon login you should see an option to 'Create New Website Profile.' Add your blog url and select the 'finish' button

  3. Code will be generated. Copy this code (View screenshot)

  4. Go to your NYU blog dashboard and navigate to Templates (View screenshot)

  5. Select modules within the Templates area, then 'create new template module' (View screenshot)

  6. Paste the code you've copied from Google Analytics into the 'module body' and save the module as 'Google Analytics' (View screenshot)

  7. Go back to the main templates area and select your index template

  8. paste this code <$MTInclude module="Google Analytics"$> into the HTML header (View screenshot)

That's it. It may take awhile for the tracking to begin but to access your stats you simply login to Google Analytics.

Feel free to comment to me if this does not work for you or you need more detailed instructions.


]]> Technologies: What is Dropbox? tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71185 2010-10-28T23:32:50Z 2010-11-05T16:12:05Z What is it? Drop box is a free online storage systems which also offers sharing and syncing. Though there are many such tools, Dropbox has an intuitive interface and it's ease of use are propelling it past many of the... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit What is it?

Drop box is a free online storage systems which also offers sharing and syncing. Though there are many such tools, Dropbox has an intuitive interface and it's ease of use are propelling it past many of the other similar tools.


Is it free?

Dropbox offers both a free and pay service, but the free version allows for 2GB of storage.

How does it work?

Dropbox enables you to drop or upload a file into a folder that synced with Dropbox's web service. You can use any computer or mobile device with Dropbox and your files and folders will sync.


How do I use it? (What do I do?)

  1. Download dropbox: Go here and follow easy step by step instructions to install the appplication on your hard drive.


  2. The browser Dropbox interface looks like this

  3. Here's the interface for uploading a file

  4. share screenshot Here's how to share a folder with others

Other stuff

How are people using it?

Bibliographic citation management tools like EndNote and RefWorks allow you to attach files to your bibliographies. Here's a post about using Dropbox to sync your EndNote libraries.

Want more info?

For more information, see the support pages

]]> Mental Models tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71165 2010-10-28T16:46:54Z 2010-10-29T14:51:19Z I was thinking more about instructional design and user centered design processes. We're trying to determine the 'mental models' of our users, so our design can meet their expectations and be understandable to them. Mental models are "users' mental representations... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit I was thinking more about instructional design and user centered design processes. We're trying to determine the 'mental models' of our users, so our design can meet their expectations and be understandable to them.

Mental models are "users' mental representations of the system they work with (Zhang 2007). By designing interfaces that meet user expectations, extraneous cognitive load is minimized. Research has shown that user mental models differ from those of librarians (Veldof & Beavers 2001). Students tend to view research as a task, whereas librarians view it as a field in and of itself. Approaching library interface design using a task or goal based design methodology could more closely model a users conceptual model of the research task. (Tempelman-Kluit 2009)

So how does one explore and delve into the mental models of users? Partially with the tools we're already employing to create user centered interfaces-usability testing, focus testing, reference interviews, card sorting, analyzing ask a librarian questions, etc.

Another growing area of user centered design is in the employment of personas, "archetypal users of an intranet or website that represent the needs of larger groups of users, in terms of their goals and personal characteristics." (http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_personas/index.html) They don't need to be too formal or well developed. An article about website design in a list apart has this to say about them:

If you’ve ever worked with them before, you know how invaluable user personas can be to answering these questions. Maybe they’re not of the fake-name-and-glossy-headshot variety, but even the most rudimentary personas (i.e., “my mom” or “the skeptic”) transform your audience into real human beings. Human beings with day jobs, complicated espresso beverage orders, and no time to waste looking for things instead of finding them.

Exploring popular sites is another way to determine what users expect to see when they access interfaces. Huge corporate sites have spent a lot of money tracking consumers and determining what they need. Ethnographic studies are also incredibly useful. Steven Bell has written about ethnographic studies-see one post here.

]]> Elements of ID models to take with us as we design instruction tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71136 2010-10-27T22:38:51Z 2010-10-27T23:34:28Z My previous post questioned the role of Instructional Design Models to guide the creation of instruction. I mentioned that we should carry principles and practices of ID models with us but not necessarily feel confined or locked-in to a strict... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit My previous post questioned the role of Instructional Design Models to guide the creation of instruction. I mentioned that we should carry principles and practices of ID models with us but not necessarily feel confined or locked-in to a strict model.

I thought I should suggest which phases, elements, characteristics, and principles of ID models we may want to carry with us as we design instruction. Elements seen in most models include:

  • ID models are based on underlying learning theory. Early ID models (1960's) were almost solely based on behaviorism but current ID models are frequently either based on cognitive psychology, or constructivism. The Recursive and Reflective, Design and Development model (R2D2), for example, is based on constructivism. The author, Willis (1995) indicated that the ID process in constructivist models is recursive, non-linear, and sometimes chaotic. (http://www.ct4me.net/multimedia_design.htm)

  • Core elements of all ID models contain the five elements of ADDIE: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. ADDIE is not an ID model per se, but more illustrates components and elements of ID. ID models describe how to conduct the ID process.

  • Characteristics of instructional design include: learner centered, goal oriented, focused on meaningful performance, assumes measurable outcomes, is empirical, iterative and self-correcting, and is typically a team effort. (Reiser & Dempsey, 2007 pg. 13)


    • ]]> Have Instructional Design Models outlived their usefulness? tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.71088 2010-10-26T22:23:37Z 2010-10-26T22:58:58Z I'm reading up on how, if, or why Instructional Design Models (IDM's) are employed in librarianship. It seems to me that-unless familiar with the field of educational learning theory and instructional design-these models can hamper creativity rather than enhance it.... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit I'm reading up on how, if, or why Instructional Design Models (IDM's) are employed in librarianship. It seems to me that-unless familiar with the field of educational learning theory and instructional design-these models can hamper creativity rather than enhance it. Why? Because they seem daunting, overly formal, and inflexible. Sure, they claim to be flexible and not enforce their seemingly prescribed linearity but hey, lets call a spade a spade.

    Of course, there are hundreds of ID models alive and kicking, so I'm sure many are less prescriptive than some of the traditional ones like the ubiquitous ADDIE, or Dick & Carey, etc,. But that begs the question-if there are so many models to allow for greater flexibility in design (as clearly one size does not fit all) why not just have a grab bag of guidelines from which designers (either trained or not) can choose?

    Don't get me wrong. There are many wonderful aspects of ID models. Without them, people would not necessarily consider learning theories, audience characteristics, and specific design considerations, among other things, when designing instructional interfaces. But I think we need fewer road maps when considering the design of instruction for our users. We need to understand users, hear our users, identify with our users, learn their mental models, and respect them. We need no prescribed model for that. That's a philosophy, not a model.

    And evidence shows that librarians are great at listening to-and deploying-interfaces based on user input. Look at the NCSU blog about usability testing for their new integrated search interface for proof. There are many others. We're also great at assessment and evaluation. We have the tools. No model(s) needed.


    ]]>     What libraries can learn from sites like Epicurious.com-Part I tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.70987 2010-10-25T21:59:58Z 2010-10-26T00:20:14Z I'm on a two month sabbatical working on a book about instructional design and librarianship. I'm also using the opportunity to slow down a little and do things more mindfully. One of the things I've noticed about slowing down and... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit I'm on a two month sabbatical working on a book about instructional design and librarianship. I'm also using the opportunity to slow down a little and do things more mindfully. One of the things I've noticed about slowing down and having time to think is it allows me to make connections where normally I wouldn't.

    For example, I have been using epicurious.com as I've more time to cook and have been wanting to try different recipes. I've used the site many times before, but have not explored much of the functionality beyond emailing recipes to myself. Until now.

    In using the site more, it strikes me that it's more 'user centered' than many sites, both in discovery and delivery. It seems to have struck the elusive balance of catering to different audiences (from basic recipe searches for those who want quick and dirty, to 'power users' who want to share with the epicurious community, or use the site for personal recipe management.) It's done so not by paring down the content and options, but by laying them out in a way that makes sense and seems simple.

    From a discovery aspect, it provides a plethora of options for searching, but it all seems intuitive:

    -a basic keyword search with options for advanced search and browse under the recipes tab
    -color coded tabs with drop down menus to refine searching
    -facet refinement with a ajax sub-menu to refine even further. For example, refine this -search by main ingredients > flour
    -sort by relevance (including ratings, photo, name, newest)
    -the ability to search within results
    -a 'did you mean' search (try squas and they'll suggest you try squash)

    From a delivery perspective, users are able to:
    -print (3X5 card, 4X6 card, full recipe, ingredients)
    -email the recipe or ingredients to anyone
    sign in (my epi) and save recipes to the 'recipe box'
    -print a shopping list combining recipe ingredients from my recipe box
    -add friends and family to your network, thereby enabling them to view your recipes and comment via the fridge door
    -add and save your own recipes within your 'recipe box.'

    They've also done a lot with social media, and as well as adding these tools to relevant areas around the site (rate this recipe, review this recipe, tweet this recipe, like this recipe on Facebook, among many others) one of their tabs is called 'Community,' and combines the social aspects of their site.

    Rather than closing this post with a paragraph about how libraries should or could take advantage of site designs such as these, I'm going to explore several of these design aspects by creating a fictional library website culling from the user centeredness of epicurious and other truly 'user centered' sites. Stay tuned.

    ]]>     Updates for Bibliographic Citation Management Tools tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.68799 2010-09-24T14:30:18Z 2010-09-24T14:51:30Z Just a few updates on Bib Citation Management tools. 1. Zotero now works with Chrome, Safari and IE (thus far it's only worked well with Firefox). As well, they are making a standalone desktop version of Zotero, available for Mac,... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit Just a few updates on Bib Citation Management tools.

    1. Zotero now works with Chrome, Safari and IE (thus far it's only worked well with Firefox). As well, they are making a standalone desktop version of Zotero, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.

    A snippet from their blog:

    "Until now, this powerful functionality has been tied exclusively to the Firefox browser, which not all researchers can or want to use. Today we are announcing support for Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and Microsoft Internet Explorer, which account for 98% of the web’s usage share. Plugins for these browsers will soon allow users to add anything they find on the web to their Zotero libraries with a single click, regardless of the their browser preferences. Rather than use the Zotero pane in Firefox, users will have the new option of accessing their libraries via a standalone desktop version of Zotero, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux."

    2. EasyBib now has a source guide which helps students determine which citation style to use.

    3. CSL (what is this?) is being integrated into Zotero and Mendeley.

    4. NYU Libraries is working on its push to options via the e-shelf. Currently we have all the standard tools like RefWorks and EndNote Web. We should consider adding Zotero as it's going to have a standalone option (see above) and work with all browsers, and maybe Mendeley as well? I'd love to know what others are using in their push to options from catalogs, etc.

    ]]>     QR codes tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.68025 2010-09-15T16:35:29Z 2010-09-15T19:12:05Z QR codes are cool. I have been trying them out and think there are endless library possibilities. I'm going to create a business card with the QR code above for fun. The code above was generated using the Generate... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit qrcode

    QR codes are cool. I have been trying them out and think there are endless library possibilities. I'm going to create a business card with the QR code above for fun.

    The code above was generated using the Generate one here link below. It goes to my personal homepage but it could go to anything-library hours, instruction classes, call numbers....

    To learn more about them:


    ]]>     LibX browser extension tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.67649 2010-09-09T22:20:11Z 2010-09-09T22:21:58Z We finally joined the rest of the world (library world that is) and created an official LibX extension called MyNYULibrary. The Liguide is at: http://nyu.libguides.com/tools and it has downloading instructions.... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit We finally joined the rest of the world (library world that is) and created an official LibX extension called MyNYULibrary. The Liguide is at: http://nyu.libguides.com/tools and it has downloading instructions.


    ]]>     Social media presence on library websites tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.67331 2010-09-02T15:29:04Z 2010-09-02T15:52:35Z I've been looking around at various libraries to see how they deal with social media. NCSU Library includes a twitter feed on their homepage: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/ Denver public library includes a social media link on their homepage, which goes to this... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit I've been looking around at various libraries to see how they deal with social media.

    NCSU Library includes a twitter feed on their homepage: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/
    Denver public library includes a social media link on their homepage, which goes to this page: http://denverlibrary.org/social. There is a good post about it on this blog: http://www.sociallibraries.com/sp10/node/1734

    Many libraries have footers that include an RSS subscription icon, facebook, and flickr. MIT 's "social media" footer includes google scholar as well, which is incredibly clever as the link provides instructions on how to maximize google scholar (by setting preferences to discover things via MIT libraries.)

    Including all this social media is a great move, assuming the content is there and continues to be maintained, up to date, and dynamic. If not, however, libraries social media presence may backfire.


    ]]>     The zooming presentation tool-potential for advanced organizers! tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.67282 2010-08-31T21:49:09Z 2010-08-31T22:11:15Z I have been preparing a presentation about my position for an incoming group of library students. It seemed the ideal time to try a new presentation tool I've been wanting to try for ages-prezi (http://www.prezi.com). As I was playing... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit I have been preparing a presentation about my position for an incoming group of library students. It seemed the ideal time to try a new presentation tool I've been wanting to try for ages-prezi (http://www.prezi.com). As I was playing around with this new "zooming presentation tool," I realized that it's the perfect tool for the creation of advance organizers. It works by linking concepts together and orienting them within a greater interface.

    People have done some incredibly clever things with it. It has a lot of potential for library instruction.

    Here are a few examples found on prezi:
    http://prezi.com/ixbylinyjkrj/using-the-library-for-nursing-research/
    http://prezi.com/u7r_6wrl93uy/libraryresearch/
    Who else has used this tool? I can see creating a prezi than filming it in Camtasia as well. Food for thought. I'm going to try some samples-will post here

    ]]>     EndNote Web ResearcherID tag:blogs.nyu.edu,2010:/blogs/ntk2/blog//532.63163 2010-05-18T21:03:58Z 2010-05-18T21:16:15Z EndNote Web just released a new free product called ResearcherID that looks interesting. They call it a "global community where researchers connect." More on EndNote Web Researcher ID: ResearcherID is a global, multi-disciplinary scholarly research community. With a unique identifier... Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit EndNote Web just released a new free product called ResearcherID that looks interesting. They call it a "global community where researchers connect."

    More on EndNote Web Researcher ID:

    ResearcherID is a global, multi-disciplinary scholarly research community.
    With a unique identifier assigned to each author in ResearcherID, you can
    eliminate author misidentification and view an author’s citation metrics
    instantly. Search the registry to find collaborators, review publication lists
    and explore how research is used around the world.

    To get an account you can either request one through EndNote Web (after logging in ) or request one through Web of Science. To use ResearcherID your institution has to have both an EndNote Web account and a Web of Science account.

    The more I think about it though (having not even looked at it) the more I wonder how useful something this proprietary will be. My feeling is that you can only add Web of Science citations and they are by no means comprehensive (see earlier blog posts) and that you have to have an EndNote Web account. That limits the "globalness" of the tool-and the value seems like it would be in the global community. So I don't know. Not looking good.........how social and global can a tool be when only certain people can use it?

    ]]>