UX research: Asti Library Website

This project addressed a critical question: “How can we improve the usability and accessibility of the Asti Library website content?”

Here’s the original website homepage:

Link of the original website: https://bibliotecastense.it/

Starting with UX design theoretical foundations, I conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the current website’s layout and information architecture. Using methods including card sorting, heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough, and usability testing, I gathered extensive data about user experiences and identified key pain points.

Using Figma, I created wireframes and prototypes to demonstrate potential solutions. This work can serve as a blueprint for the Asti Library’s website restructuring and could potentially set usability standards for other regional libraries, ultimately enhancing user experience and increasing website engagement.

Methodology

I conducted a comprehensive user research combining quantitative and qualitative methods:

1. Heuristic Evaluation

Conducted a thorough analysis using Nielsen’s 10 usability principles, revealing:

2. Card Sorting (15 participants)

• Identified users’ mental models for content organization through Card Sorting

3. Cognitive Walkthrough

Analyzed 5 key user tasks:

• Catalog book search
• Contact form completion
• Membership information lookup
• School projects search
• News filtering

4. Usability Testing

Conducted with 5 diverse users:

• Ages ranging from 21 to 68
• Different tech literacy levels
• Including users with accessibility needs

5. System Usability Scale (SUS)

• Overall score: 35.5/100 (well below acceptable threshold of 68)
• Individual scores ranged from 0 to 55
• Highlighted significant usability issues
• Confirmed need for comprehensive redesign

This multi-method approach provided both broad insights into user behavior and specific usability issues to address in the redesign.

Solution & Design

Based on these findings, I reorganized the information architecture and made some redesign proposal through wireframes and mockups.

Future Development

Two key next steps emerge:

1. Prototype redesign proposals to validate improvements
2. Technical feasibility assessment of proposed changes
3. Iteration

Impact

This project demonstrates the value of a methodical and user-centered approach. The findings provide a foundation for making the Asti Library website more accessible and user-friendly for all visitors.