Today I was a part of the webinar The Future of the Library User Experience hosted by Urban Library Council. The webinar featured Nate Bolt, user experience leader with Bolt Peters. A key item that Nate suggested is that in order to be craft more significant user experiences for library customers in the future it’s important that we are aware of 3 Principles:
- Open Architecture Wins
- Build Small
- Behavior not opinions
The third point rang out for me very strongly. How important it is to see actual behavior–evidence–to drive our programs, design and decisions. Nate suggested that we never utter these words: “tell me what you think about our Web site.” This open ended request–used in many circumstances (replace ‘Web site’ with a choice of other offerings or services) can easily open up a can of unactionable input. Act upon behavior–not words. So, to drive home the idea of ‘Behavior not opinions,’ I offer up this quote from Michael Schrage, Serious Play: How the World’s Best Companies Simulate to Innovate:
Behavior change matters more than technological changes. The most intriguing perspectives don’t come from looking at what these new toys can do, but from using them to see how people and their organizations behave.
How about this: behavior. consideration. action.
Yes to Know 