The joys of accessible design with an open source catalogue

The joys of accessible design with an open source catalogue

Sandra Reed & Sara Osman

Start of our journey Defining our

requirements Interface design Benefits and

challenges Student feedback Future developments

Getting an accessible catalogue

Card Catolog01.jpg , commons.wikimedia.org,2004

Start of our journey• Need for a new

library management system

• Art and design heritage

• Student feedback• Greater focus on

accessible servicesImage credit Zarar Chaudhri, CSM, 2013

Defining our requirements• Review of student

feedback• Voyager survey• LibQual survey

• Visits• What do we mean

by accessibility?

Image credit Zarar Chaudhri, CSM, 2013

Student comments

Student comments

Layout … is generally a bit cluttered/confusing. I find it very hard to navigate.

Reduce not useful text around the search result.

It is very important that each book has an image … sometimes I remember books just for the cover.

Improve the spell check, it's urgent.

The spell check is crap! Most of us are dyslexic!

Modernise the design of the pages.

E-Library - Hard to find what you're looking for.

What do we mean by accessibility? Who are our users? How will they use the catalogue? Going beyond ‘DDA compliant’ UAL context

20 % of students declare SpLD 5 % declare another disability 49 % international students

User groupsFoundationUndergraduateMasters

Home EUInternational

Dyslexic studentsStudents with other disabilitiesStudents with no disabilities

ResearchersAcademics

Possible transactions• Search for a print book• Comprehensive search on a topic

(print and e-resources)• Background search on a topic• Checking for most up to date edition• Renew loans• Pay fines

Design solutions – tender requirementsColour optionsFont size optionsEasy to see loans/finesDid you mean…?Customised helpSuggestions as you typeScreen reader compatible

IconsBook jacketsClear/clean lookClear languageNo jargonScalable

Additional tender requirements• Compare systems

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA

• Customisation must not impact accessibility “Chalk on pavement” by Virtual EyeSee, 2011 licenced by CC

Interface design

Information landscape Articles plus

Articles and other e-resources

Library CatalogueUAL collections and e-booksBooks and e-booksJournal/ e-journal titlesSpecial collections

Design work-up

Students contributed during the design process…..

….influencing the final design

Students as partners

Image credit: Ana Escobar, 2016

Library Search


Screen options


Advanced search


Suggest as you type


Did you mean…?


Search results


Your account


Help pages

Library Services dot voting, LMDS 2015

Benefits and challenges of open sourcePros ConsTargeted accessibility features Easily broken Scope to improve & refresh Cost of maintenance & bespoke

development

Design freedom Can result in bad design‘Free’ Cost of implementation – not

‘cheapest’ option

Sharing knowledge & collaboration Time commitmentChoice of support vendor Smaller / newerStaff development opportunities Skills gapsFlexibility Achieving consensus

Student feedback post implementationLikes:• Easy to search catalogue• New books cover images• Design of simple search• Layout of Your account

Suggestions:• Default to home library for

print books• Improve screen options• Link to reading lists• Promote e-resources Image credit Susan Forsyth, Chelsea, 2014

Future developments• Screen options• Mobile view – and app• Improve facets to refine

search results• WCAG Level AAA

compliance• Raise awareness of e-

resourcesCylinders by Kweku Bennin Image credit: Luke Potter, 2011

Any questions?

Sandra ReedDiscovery Librarian (Resources & Communications)[email protected]

Sara OsmanAssistant Librarian (Access & Inclusion) [email protected]

libsearch.arts.ac.uk

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

The joys of accessible design with an open source catalogue

Education

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