User Experience (UX) at the Libraries

What is User Experience (UX)?

User Experience (UX) is a broad concept that covers a user’s feelings, attitude, and behavior while using a system, service, or space. In fact, in some ways libraries have always been very user-focused. We always want to ensure that our patrons have the best possible experience. 

Our Mission

The User Experience Team at Syracuse University Libraries is a learning community of students, faculty, and staff dedicated to removing barriers to the field of UX.

We provide a variety of resources for UX enthusiasts of all levels of expertise, such as hands-on workshops, events, and participatory design opportunities. Our mission is to create a community of like-minded UX practitioners and professionals in order to expand UX skills and expertise at Syracuse University.

Meet Our Team

• Natalie LoRusso, User Experience Librarian
• Michelle Mitchell, Reference and Instruction Librarian
• Pavan Kumar Reddy Katasani Bali Reddy, UX Graduate Assistant
• Shivani Sadare, UX Graduate Assistant

Consultations for students, staff, and faculty are available on the following topics:

• UX project planning and strategy
• User research (interviews, usability testing, focus groups, card sorting, etc.)
• Survey creation, form design, and Qualtrics
• Recruitment for library research studies
• Design Thinking/brainstorming workshops
• Wireframing with Figma and/or Adobe XD
• Prototyping with Figma and/or Adobe XD

If your question falls outside of the above list, or you aren't sure where to start, please reach out anyway! 

Goal 3: Ensure Student Engagement and Success

Objective 3.2: Expand engagement and outreach efforts to students

• Strategy: Form student affinity groups, such as library student employees, or student inventors and entrepreneurs who founded companies with assistance from the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library, and engage with them during and after their time on campus.
• Strategy: Continue extracurricular events and programming to complement the academic work happening in our spaces, such as the Human Library, poetry readings, lectures, student-generated events, art shows, etc.

Objective 3.3: Enhance the library student worker experience

• Strategy: Create opportunities for student workers to use their knowledge and interests to create projects that enhance their professional experience.
• Strategy: Maximize the role of student employees in our assessments and usability testing, and help them be advocates for library services.