Morris County Library, NJ
Website Redesign
Team Six:
Fawnie Erickson, Casey Fox, Janine Pino, Kylan Shireman, Catherine Tyler
Morris County Library, NJ
Website Redesign
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ..................................................................................................... 1
Requirement Analysis ................................................................................................ 2
Organization, Vision, and Goals ......................................................................................................................... 2
Website Redesign Goals ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Data Collection ........................................................................................................................................................ 4
User Personae and Scenarios ............................................................................................................................. 5
Conclusions .............................................................................................................................................................. 7
Appendix A: Detailed User Profiles ................................................................................................................ 8
Bibliography for Requirement Analysis ..................................................................................................... 10
Structural Comparison ............................................................................................11
Overall Design ....................................................................................................................................................... 11
Homepage ................................................................................................................................................................ 13
About MCL .............................................................................................................................................................. 14
New Content ................................................................................................................18
Books, Movies, and More ................................................................................................................................... 18
Borrowing at MCL ................................................................................................................................................. 20
Ask a Librarian ....................................................................................................................................................... 20
Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................................. 22
Controlled Vocabulary .............................................................................................23
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 23
Metadata Scheme .................................................................................................................................................. 23
Thesaurus ................................................................................................................................................................. 28
Controlled Vocabulary Hierarchy .................................................................................................................. 34
Blueprint for Usability Testing ..............................................................................53
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 53
Overview ................................................................................................................................................................... 53
Phase 1: Wireframe Testing ............................................................................................................................ 54
Phase 2: Prototype Testing .............................................................................................................................. 54
Phase 3: Preliminary Testing .......................................................................................................................... 54
Phase 4: Live Testing .......................................................................................................................................... 54
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Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................................. 54
Memo to Instructor: Changes Made Based on Feedback ............................. 56
Report 1 Memo ...................................................................................................................................................... 56
Report 2 Memo ...................................................................................................................................................... 56
Report 3 Memo ...................................................................................................................................................... 56
Group Six Reflections ................................................................................................57
Fawnie Erickson .................................................................................................................................................... 57
Casey Fox .................................................................................................................................................................. 57
Janine Pino ............................................................................................................................................................... 58
Kylan Shireman ...................................................................................................................................................... 58
Cathy Tyler .............................................................................................................................................................. 59
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Morris County Library, NJ
Website Redesign
Executive Summary
In January of 2014, Morris County Library (MCL) entered into an agreement with Team Six to
assist in upgrading the current MCL website, by providing blueprints and wireframes which would
incorporate solutions to current website problems identified both by MCL and Team Six’s analysis. MCL’s
frustrations with the website in its then-current form included an abundance of “old, tired” webpages,
less-than-prominent information regarding library programs and events, lack of a workable mechanism for
online reference assistance, and lack of a consistent presentation emphasizing the website as an extension
of the physical library.
The team embarked on a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the current website. Based
on the client’s input and user testing via carefully selected proxies (as this was a long-distance project), the
team defined five specific redesign goals to form the basis for the rest of the project. These goals were
meant to address the client’s frustrations as well as incorporate design best practices into the website, and
were as follows:
1. Identify and understand the current website users as well as potential users in order to redesign
the website in a manner that reflects their needs.
2. Clearly represent the organization as well as its purpose, mission, goals and values.
3. Help users find specific information on the website as well as to introduce them to new content.
4. Help users interact with and navigate the website.
5. Standardize and create consistency throughout the website.
With these goals in mind, the redesign team took the following actions in redesigning the MCL
website:
1. The creation of blueprints and wireframes of both the current MCL website and its proposed
redesign. The outlines of the current site helped to crystallize its problems and those of the
redesign helped the team envision how users would navigate the new site and how the site would
meet the proposed goals of the redesign.
2. The development of a controlled vocabulary for the new website that contains both a metadata
scheme and a thesaurus. This will serve to guide and inform consistent design and modification of
the web pages, and to ensure that users searching the site will not be hindered by their choice of
search terms.
3. The creation of a plan for user testing of the redesigned site, using mockups of the site pages and
working with some of the original users who had tested the site at the beginning of this project.
If the Morris County Library incorporates this report’s recommendations into its site redesign,
Team 6 is confident that MCL’s online representation will be vastly improved. The current site is a trove of
valuable information about Morris County and about the library itself, and the team’s suggestions would
make the process of finding this information much easier for both MCL’s staff and its patrons.
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Morris County Library, NJ
Website Redesign
Requirement Analysis
Organization, Vision, and Goals
The selected organization is the Morris County Public Library (MCL) located in New Jersey. MCL has
been in operation since 1922, with its first librarian, Edith L. Smith, beginning work on July 1, 1922.
Currently located on Hanover Avenue, the library moved from its previous location at the Morristown
County courthouse in 1968. MCL currently serves approximately 487,000 residents and is joined with other
municipal libraries through the Morris Automated Information Network (M.A.I.N.). Throughout its 84 years
MCL has won several awards for services including the NJ Library Association Swartzburg Preservation
Award, awards for its audio tour, and twice won Librarian of the Year (About n.d.). MCL currently has 65
full-time equivalent staff and keeps collections for reference, children’s, music and media, reader’s
services, local history, and periodicals with the collection totaling around 300,000 items (Sara Weismann,
personal communication, February 6, 2014).
The Morris County Library’s primary mission is to provide a welcoming environment as well as
knowledgeable and courteous staff. They seek to provide lifelong learning opportunities as well as striving
to meet the informational needs of the Morris County community by maintaining a full range of timely
resources in various media. Additionally, the Library’s vision focuses on the development and maintenance
of collections in support of the Morris County community and maximizing the cost effectiveness of the
public investment (Morris County Library Strategic Plan 2009-2014). MCL seeks to provide the best
possible collection with its current budget. Although its primary emphasis is on non-fiction, it does collect
fiction materials. The current collection focuses on the information needs of the general public rather than
on university level coursework and aims to create a solid collection that will allow most patrons to find
their needed information on the shelf. MCL acknowledges that some items in its collection will not appeal
to every individual but subscribes to a policy of intellectual freedom in accordance with the “Library Bill of
Rights, the “Freedom to Read Statement,” and the “Freedom to View Statement” of the American Library
Association (Collection Development Policy, 2009).
Morris County Library wants its website to act more as an extension to the physical library rather
than as a full-service virtual branch unto itself. The site should provide program information and event
registration, online reference assistance, and access to the online catalog for searching, browsing and
placing item requests. Ultimately, MCL wants the site to encourage foot traffic to the library. This desire
goes hand-in-hand with MCL’s mission to provide a welcoming environment and to create a sense of
community and an information hub within its walls (Sara Weissmann, personal communication, February
6, 2014).
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Website Redesign Goals
This website redesign project was undertaken with several goals in mind. The first goal was to
identify and understand the current website users as well as potential users in order to redesign the
website in a manner that reflects their needs. If the website redesign project is to be successful, it is
necessary to understand what kinds of users are accessing the website and to identify ways to shape the
content and organization of the website to meet the information needs of those users (Morville &
Rosenfeld, 2007). It is also important to identify potential users and ways to attract those users to the
website.
Unfortunately, the website’s current design does not provide a strong reflection of the kind of
users accessing the website. Looking at the website in its current form, it is difficult to determine who the
major user groups are or the kinds of information they are seeking. Because of the nature of how the
information is organized, those potential users who are unfamiliar with the site may have difficulty finding
the information they are seeking. Overall, the website could benefit from a more deliberate approach
related to its design, one that focuses on the users and incorporates user feedback into the actual design
process. During this project, our team was able to accomplish this goal through user interviews, usability
testing as well as the development of personas and scenarios. In future expansions of this project, further
tasks to accomplish this goal may include the incorporation of graphic design elements to help establish an
attractive interface which utilizes pictures, graphics, colors or other visual elements.
The second goal was to clearly represent the organization as well as its purpose, mission, goals and
values. For a successful website redesign, it is essential to understand the context in which the website
will be nested as well as the goals of the organization itself (Morville & Rosenfeld, 2007). Ideally, the
website redesign should allow users to understand what is important and unique about the organization as
well as its services, events or other important information.
Unfortunately, the website’s current design fails to accurately showcase all of the services and
opportunities at the MCL Library. While the website’s current ‘About Us’ section gives a great overview of
the history of MCL, our goal for the redesign was to expand that section in a way that users were able to
understand the breadth and depth of the MCL’s services and role within the community. Overall, the
website could benefit from a redesign that actively showcases MCL and incorporates the goals of MCL staff
into the redesign project. Our team accomplished this goal through interviews of staff at the organization
as well as research into organizational documents and the current content on the website.
The third goal was to help users find specific information on the website as well as to introduce
them to new content. For a successful website redesign, it is vital to organize information in a manner that
allows users to easily access the content they are seeking as well as to be exposed to new content of
possible interest to them. This kind of redesign will leave users feeling good about the website and will
encourage them to return and explore the website further.
Unfortunately, the website’s current design does not provide an intuitive organizational structure.
While there is a substantial amount of valuable information for users, the content lacks effective
organization and presents users with a difficult task of wading through information not pertinent to them
in order to find the information they are seeking. For many users, this can be a frustrating task that may
result in them leaving the site before obtaining the information they actually need. Overall, the current
website could benefit from a redesign utilizing a strong organizational structure, one that makes the user’s
experience easy, fun and encourages both new and returning users to come back to the website. Our team
accomplished this goal through the establishment of an organizational system with intuitive categories
that reflect the needs of the users as well as the organization. These categories help simplify and provide a
sense of order for the website content. In future expansions of this project, further tasks to accomplish this
goal may include the incorporation of search systems that allow users to search content on the website or
within specific pages of the website.
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The fourth goal was to help users interact with and navigate the website. For a successful redesign,
it is essential to utilize navigational systems that guide users through the website in an effective manner.
Ideally, the website redesign should help users understand where they are in the website, where they can
go in the website and how to navigate through it (Morville & Rosenfeld, 2007). It should help them get to
specific information they need or relevant information they may want to browse.
Unfortunately, the design of the current website lacks a strong system for navigation. Users can
get lost within the website and may even have difficulty getting back to the home page. The system fails to
show users where they are in the website, how they got there or where they can go from there. Users may
click on link after link without any idea of how to get through the maze of information. Overall, the current
website could benefit from a redesign that utilizes navigational systems to help the user travel throughout
the website. Users should have a clear idea of how the website flows and how to get to where they need
to go. Our team accomplished this goal by utilizing navigational systems such as hierarchies, menus,
submenus, sitemaps, breadcrumbs, etc. These navigational tools support the overall organization of the
website and provide an essential source of direction for the user.
The fifth goal was to standardize and create consistency throughout the website. For a successful
redesign, it is essential to ensure that the website is consistent and predictable. Ideally, the website should
help users understand what various headings represent and how the information in the website is related.
Users should be able to click between different parts of the website and experience the same kind of
consistency throughout.
Unfortunately, the design of the current website does not reflect standardization, nor consistency.
There currently is no indication of a labeling system or any kind of controlled vocabulary, or thesaurus.
Overall, the current website could benefit from a redesign that incorporates a labeling system that both
describes the site’s content and assists users with the retrieval of information. Our team accomplished this
goal by the establishment of a labeling system that incorporates controlled vocabularies, metadata
schemes and thesauri. Used together, these tools accurately describe the “categories, options, and links in
language that is meaningful to users” (Morville & Rosenfeld, 2007, p. 43).
All of these goals represent a framework for how the website was redesigned as well as an
understanding of the steps necessary to reach the final project. Throughout the redesign process, our
team continued to reflect on the reasons behind why the project was started as well as the project’s
overall end-goals. This kind of strategizing allowed our team to develop a redesign that accurately
reflected the needs and goals of both the Morris County Library as well as the users of the library’s
website.
Data Collection
The team selected two primary user groups for testing – patrons and staff. These broad categories
made for a good starting point to identify the major needs of a wide variety of library website users. We
tested five patrons and four library staff using a set of user tasks modeled from the Navigation Stress Test
(http://instone.org/navstress) and then asked them to browse the MCL site with no direction from the
tester, while the tester recorded their responses and experiences.
From this testing, our team obtained valuable feedback that helped direct our redesign process.
The patron group that was tested provided numerous opinions focused primarily on the navigational and
organizational issues of the website. Several expressed frustration with their difficulty completing the tasks
and several actually gave up when they were unable to find the information after a substantial amount of
time. Some of the patrons mentioned the numerous hyperlinks on the site without any apparent
organization while others pointed out the lack of navigational menus throughout the site and their need to
overuse the “Back” button for navigating. Many of the patrons emphasized that they generally felt
overwhelmed by the volume of information on the site and expressed their anxiety when looking for any
specific information. One user immediately acknowledged that she would not use the website for her
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children’s learning needs because of the current design. Another user pointed out that he was confused by
the search function on the home page as he wanted to search for a book but did not realize that the
catalog search was in a separate place.
The staff group that was tested had similar responses to those provided by the patrons. Most of
the staff discussed the organizational and navigational issues of the website. Several of the staff
commented on the volume of content and how difficult it was for them to navigate through. Like the
patrons, the staff felt hindered by the numerous hyperlinks on the website without any kind of
organization. Most staff appreciated the content on the site and felt it would be beneficial for users;
however, they acknowledged that it was largely inaccessible due to the current design.
Overall, our team gleaned several themes from both user groups. The first theme was to simplify
the website and create a coherent organizational structure. While users generally liked the content on the
site, most expressed frustration by the way it is organized and their difficulty finding specific information.
The second theme was to create some kind of navigational system to aid users during the informationseeking process. Users generally felt confused about where they were in the website and how to get to
where they needed to be. Many of the users ended up clicking hyperlink after hyperlink until they no
longer knew how to get back to the home page.
Based on the feedback from these users, our team implemented the suggestions and themes from
this testing into the redesign process. We made it a priority to simplify the website and organize it in a
logical, easy-to-understand manner. We implemented navigational systems to assist users moving
throughout the website and we also implemented labeling systems to better describe the website and
allow users to make connections between related content on the site. For more detailed information
about the user groups tested, please see Appendix A.
User Personae and Scenarios
Persona 1: Library Patron
“If I can read it and click on it, I should be able to find it.”
Background
Jane Smith (49) is a married woman with two children in college. Jane has a
bachelor’s degree in finance, and has spent the last fifteen years working in
human resources. She uses technology on a daily basis, to check her email and
to search for information online; but Jane is not an expert in technology or
research. She did not grow up using computers, and still struggles with new
software and technology. Work and family life keep Jane very busy, so she does
not travel often to the public library. Sometimes, Jane will visit the library’s
website to find new books and music. Lately, Jane has also been interested in
library programming, such as adult learning workshops and entertainment.
Motivations



To find new books and music; what is available for download, and what would the library suggest.
To learn more about library programming; what classes are available, at what time, and for what
age group.
To receive library assistance; discovering library services and finding information.
Behaviors
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


Is familiar with an internet search engine, and wonders how she can search the library’s website.
Is unfamiliar with library services or jargon, and prefers to see things spelled out.
Has limited time to browse the website, and will get frustrated and give up after multiple dead
ends.
Scenario 1:
Jane Smith has some time on her lunch hour, and decides to visit the MCL website to find out
whether there is a library program tonight that she could attend. She finds the site using Google, and sees
that there is a schedule of events on the home page. There is no evening event listed that night and, about
to scroll down to look at upcoming events, she sees that she can filter1 the events by both time of day
(morning, afternoon, evening) and targeted audience by age (child, teen, adult). She filters by “evening”
and “adult” and finds a program in the following week that she makes plans to attend.
At the end of her work day, as she is gathering her things together to leave the office, Jane realizes
that she has nothing to listen to on the long drive home. She thinks that maybe she will swing by the
library to pick up a book on CD by one of her favorite authors, if the library has it on the shelf. She goes
back to the library website (earlier today she used the “For Return Visits, Bookmark This Page” feature on
the homepage2), and searches the library catalog for3 “W is for Wasted,” the latest Sue Grafton novel. She
sees that the book on CD is checked out, but notices that as she’s searching by title, the system is
suggesting other formats to her, including a downloadable e-book. This won’t help her for the drive home
tonight, but she has a Kindle that her daughter gave her for Christmas, and so she decides to stop by the
library tonight anyway, pick a book on CD from the shelf, and ask a librarian to help walk her through the
download process for her Kindle. Before she leaves the site, however, she notices the “Ask a Librarian”
feature on the home page, and clicks on it. Up comes a phone number to call for questions about finding a
book. She decides to make the call and ends up telling the librarian that she was hoping to get the latest
Sue Grafton novel, but could the librarian recommend something similar and hold it for her? She will drive
by the library on her way home and check it out.
1
No such filter yet exists
is a “bookmark this page” feature, but it is not on the homepage
3
A Patron cannot presently access the library catalog directly from the homepage
2There
Persona 2: Library Staff
“The information is all there . . . you just need to hunt for it.”
Background
John Deere (30) is a married man with no children. John has a bachelor’s
degree in sociology, and is pursuing his master’s in information science. He
has worked in the public library system for nine years, as a branch
assistant and recently as an assistant manager. John is fairly skilled in
technology and research. He spends much of his time assisting library
users with the website; but more time than he finds necessary. As a
backend user, John does not always realize how difficult the website can
be to navigate. He does not like the search bar results, the architectural
design or the visual presentation. He is very proud of his library’s
collection and community programming, and would like to see them
better displayed.
Motivations
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


Directing patrons to the library catalog and collection.
Encouraging library visits and event participation.
Teaching patrons to use the website independently.
Behaviors



Spends little time on the public website, and does not realize how confusing it can be.
Does not understand web design or metadata choices to improve search bar results.
Will lose patience with the website and direct patrons elsewhere.
Scenario 2:
John Deere is working a morning shift on the reference desk, and a patron apparently in his late
fifties approaches him and asks for help in finding information about the new health insurance laws. John
politely asks the patron to have a seat in front of John’s desk, and swings his computer screen around so
that the patron can see what he is doing. He shows the patron how to access the library catalog from the
home page of the library website. A simple keyword search of the phrase “new health insurance law”
brings up two useful titles, including one in large print. John scrolls down to show the patron other helpful
features of the catalog, including “map it” (shows availability of copies at branch locations) and a table of
contents description. He indicates the call number of an available copy at the main branch, writes it down
for the patron, and gives him directions on how to locate it in the stacks. He also tells the patron, “I believe
our library is also offering one-on-one informational consultations by volunteers in one of our meeting
rooms, on a weekly basis. Let’s search our programs and find out.” He goes back to the home page and
types “health insurance” in the library events search box3 to obtain details for the patron. Finally, he
encourages the patron to come back if he is unsuccessful in finding the book in the stacks or has any
further questions.
Before John gets to take his coffee break, he gets a phone call from a young-sounding female who
says she has heard that there is a way to take SAT practice tests through the library website. John
answers, “There certainly is!” He asks if she has access to the internet while they are talking, and when she
answers in the affirmative, he directs her to the MCL home page and from there to the “teen” link at the
top. He then directs her to the SAT registration and practice link4 within the page, as well as to other useful
college-preparatory information like YouTube/edu and college rankings. She then says, “I was thinking of
coming by the library later; do you have wireless, and can I access it on my Macintosh?” John says, “Yes,
indeed,” and instructs her to return to the home page and find the link labeled “Wireless access,” which
includes special instructions for Mac users.
3No
such search capability exists now
current links are broken
4The
Conclusions
Based on the analysis of user tests and the stated mission, needs, and desires of the Morris County
Library, our team created and implemented a plan to improve the clarity and usability of the MCL website.
Many needs became apparent during the research process, and the most pressing of those served as the
primary goals of the redesign project. These guiding goals included meeting the needs of MCL’s specific
user population, clearly representing MCL’s values, mission and physical space in the virtual world,
facilitating user searching and information discovery, improving the site’s navigability, and creating
consistency in labeling and wayfinding.
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Appendix A: Detailed User Profiles
USER GROUP 1: PUBLIC LIBRARY PATRONS
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Patron 1 (interviewed in person)
o Fifty-eight year old female with a Bachelor of Arts degree who works as a bookkeeper
o Library use: rare
o Library website use: often
o Tech skill 3/5
o “If I had to look on this for something for my children to do, I wouldn’t”
Patron 2 (interviewed in person)
o Fifty-nine year old male with a with a post-graduate education who works as a consultant
o Library use: moderate
o Library website use: often
o Tech skill: 4/5
o “Menus ought to be on each page”
Patron 3 (interviewed in person)
o Fifty year old female with an Associate’s Degree who works as an occupational therapy
assistant
o Library use: rare
o Library website use: often
o Tech skill: 2/5
o “What I have to look for it?!”-Regarding the back button
Patron 4 (interviewed in person)
o Twenty year old autistic male with a high school degree who does not work
o Library use: rare
o Library website use: rare
o Tech skill: 3/5
o “Believe me, I’ve seen worse sites.”
Patron 5 (interviewed in person)
o Sixty-nine year old male with a Master’s degree who retired from working as a pilot and
telephone system salesman and currently works as an organic farmer.
o Library use: often
o Library website use: rare
o Tech skill: 2/5
o “If you can read, you can click.”
Patron 7 (interviewed in person)
o Thirty-four year old male with a Bachelor’s degree who works as a tech for a telephone
company
o Library use: sometimes
o Library website use: sometimes
o Tech skill: 5/5
o “There are too many hyperlinks leading you to somewhere else…to somewhere else…to
somewhere else.”
Patron 8 (interviewed in person)
o Thirty-five year old male with a high school diploma who works at a shipping company
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o
o
o
o
Library use: rarely
Library website use: never
Tech skill: 5/5
“The search function on the home page does not work. It should let you search for books.
USER GROUP 2: PUBLIC LIBRARY STAFF
-
-
-
-
Staff 1 (interviewed in person)
o Twenty-six year old male with a Bachelor of Arts degree who works as a desk assistant at a
branch library
o Library use: often
o Library website use: sometimes
o Tech skill: 4/5
o “Lots of good content, but very hard to navigate or find”
Staff 2 (interviewed in person)
o Twenty-four year old female with a Bachelor’s degree who works as a library assistant
o Library use: often
o Library website use: sometimes
o Tech skill: 4/5
o “It’s like I’m clicking in circles; there’s just no logical progression from one page to the
next.”
Staff 3 (interviewed in person)
o Thirty-one year old female with a Bachelor of Arts degree who works in development for a
public library system
o Library use: often
o Library website use: often
o Tech skill: 4/5
o “Too many words and lists!”
Staff 4 (interviewed over the phone)
o Fifty-seven year old female with a Master’s degree who works as the Adult Service
Librarian for the central branch of a public library system
o Library use: often
o Library website use: often
o Tech skill: 5/5
o “The information is all there, you just have to hunt for it.”
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Bibliography for Requirement Analysis
About. N.d. Morris County Library. Retrieved from http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/about.html
Freedom to Read Statement. (2004). American Library Association. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/freedomreadstatement
Freedom to View Statement. (1990). American Library Association. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/statementspols/freedomviewstatement
Library Bill of Rights. (1996). American Library Association. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/
Morris County Library. Retrieved from http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/.
Morris County Library Collection Development Policy. (2009).
Morris County Library Strategic Plan. 2009-2014.
Morville, P. & Rosenfeld, L. (2007). Information Architecture for the World Wide Web. Sebastopol, CA:
O’Reilly Media Inc.
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Morris County Library, NJ
Website Redesign
Structural Comparison
Overall Design
The Morris County Library (MCL) serves a population of almost 500,000, with a circulating collection
of 300,000 items, and about sixty research databases. In a 2013 Annual Report, MCL counted 225,000
visits to the library’s physical location, and 376,000 visits to the website. The current design (Figure 1)
contains a great deal of useful information, as well as many links to off-site sources.
Figure 1: The Current MCL Blueprint
This wealth of information
strengthens the library’s online
presence. On the other hand—
based upon our team’s user
research and a general analysis
of the website structure—we
have concluded that the
information architecture could
be improved in several ways.
For instance, some current main
categories might be combined,
so as to streamline the website
and reduce its daunting
appearance of complexity. The
content beneath each “main
page” category could be
reorganized and relabeled. At
present, the website is a
sprawling experience, without
logical or intuitive navigation.
This issue can be addressed in
the following Figures, a set of
blueprints and wireframes
developed to characterize
current flaws and detail
possible improvement.
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Several flaws in the current website’s information architecture have been addressed in the
redesign (Figure 2). The eleven broad categories have been condensed into six clearly-defined sections:
“Books, Movies & More,” “Research & Learning,” “About MCL,” “Events, Classes & Programs,” “MCL
Teens” and “MCL Kids”. These major sections will improve user navigation by removing unnecessary
cross-posting. Subpages have been organized one level down, redistributing web content and online
resources.
Figure 2: The Redesigned MCL Blueprint
Consistent elements have
also been added onto every
page, such as a multipurpose search bar. This
will increase access to both
the M.A.I.N. and digital
catalogs, as well as improve
website exploration.
The addition of a dynamic
newsfeed, added to the
homepage, will attract new
users and provide quick
information about the
library and its collection.
The event calendar,
retained from the current
website design, will provide
a quick preview of the
library’s services and
events.
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Homepage
Figure 3: Current MCL Home Wireframe
While much of the information
available on the Morris County
Library’s main page (Figure 3)
has remained the same, the
redesign team has strived to
make it easier to find and access
through a combination of visual
redesign and label modification
(see Figure 4 on the following
page).
A major issue identified by the
team’s user testing is the large
number of main categories
located on the global navigation
bar. MCL librarian Sara
Weissman requested that the
site not contain drop-down or
hover menus, so a series of tabs
has been used for the global
navigation bar.
Clicking on a tab will then take
the user to the “front page” for
that particular section, which
offers choices for further
exploration in a sidebar. The tabs
not in use are shaded to allow
users to easily orient themselves
within the site. The organization
of this navigation bar is primarily
topic-oriented, with the
exception of the final two which
are audience-oriented (for
children and teens).
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Figure 4: Redesigned MCL Home Wireframe
Front page priorities, as
relayed to the redesign
team by Ms. Weissman,
include a dynamic
events calendar, access
to the catalog, library
hours and contact
information, and access
to patron accounts.
Many of these priories
have been addressed by
a redesign of the site
search bar.
The current search is
not intuitive, leaving
many users wondering
whether the search box
searches the site as a
whole or directly
searches the catalog. In
the redesign, this search
box has been expanded
to include additional
options and then placed
on all pages within the
website.
The dynamic event calendar, news feed, and new release list all link to their respective subpages
that provide further detail for users. The new release list adds visual interest to the front page while
advertising recently acquired titles, while the news feed keeps patrons abreast of the newest services
MCL offers as well as information such as library closings. Ms. Weissman emphasized the importance
of the event calendar, so it remains in a prominent location on the front page.
One of the major weaknesses of the current MCL site is its lack of continuity from page to page.
Some pages have breadcrumbs and some do not, some link back to the main page and some do not,
and there is very little visual cohesion. To help remedy this problem, the top and bottom navigation
bars remain the same throughout the site, framing each individual page’s content and allowing the
user access to the global navigation bar, search bar, contact information, a site map, patron accounts
and library hours from anywhere on the site.
About MCL
To better illustrate the new structure, the team has created a bottom up blueprint (Figure 5) to
demonstrate the redesign in greater detail. Specifically, user navigation through the homepage and into
the “About MCL” section has been highlighted. Note that some home page features are consistent on
every page such as the multi-purpose search bar and links for the user’s account, contacting the library and
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viewing the site map. Local and remote navigation options are available including:
Figure 5: Redesigned About MCL Detailed Blueprint
(1) Hours and Location: a local page
containing library hours of operation
and driving directions.
(2) Services: a local page directing the
user to content located in other
sections of the website: “Interlibrary
Loan,” “Events, Classes and
Programs,” “Books, Movies & More,”
“Research and Learning,” and “Ask a
Librarian.” Ultimately, the user may
navigate to the M.A.I.N. Catalog for
print books and movies, or the
Overdrive Catalog for digital e-books
and audiobooks.
(3) News: an external link to the
Morris County Library’s blog at
Blogspot.com
(4) Staff: a local page containing staff
names and contact information
(5) Annual Report: a downloadable
PDF file of the most recent budget
report
(6) Frequently Asked Questions: a local page directing the user from commonly asked questions to the best
possible answer under “Events, Classes and Programs,” “Books, Movies & More” or “Research and
Learning.”
(7) Contact Us: a local page containing library contact information and a link to the “Ask a Librarian” form
MCL’s current “About MCL” subpage (Figure 6) showcases the endemic issues with the MCL website.
Figure 6: Redesigned About MCL Detailed Blueprint
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The page lacks a global
navigation bar at the top of the
page. Without a global
navigation bar that is included
on all of the pages within the
site, users may have difficulty
navigating to or from this page
as well as other pages within the
site. Perhaps in an attempt to
mitigate the navigation issue, the
page features a drop-down
menu at the top of the page,
which would be unnecessary if
an effective global and local
navigation system is used.
The redesigned “About MCL”
page (see Figure 7 on the follow
page) retains the information on
MCL’s current “About MCL”
page, but adds a sidebar and
reorganizes the content into
different sections for easier
browsing. Rather than having
MCL’s history, staff and policies
on a single page, the redesign’s
main subpage contains a
narrative about MCL’s history,
with additional information
located under relevant sidebar
categories: “Hours and
Location”, “Services”, “Polices”,
“News”, “Staff”, “Annual
Report”, “Frequently Asked
Questions”, and “Contact Us”.
This categorical arrangement
will allow a user to quickly
find the type of information
he or she is seeking without having to read through big blocks of text.
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