Report: May 11
As libraries, archives, museums, and other organizations navigate a changing information landscape, many are reinventing and renovating their physical spaces and infrastructures to reflect changing user needs. In these considerations, one of the biggest challenges is addressing current information requests and requirements, while also anticipating the potential future needs of an increasingly adept and savvy set of demographics, all in alignment with core professional principles.
For this exercise, students will draft a proposal to develop a facility serving a user demographic of their choice. The technology components of the space or facility will be the primary focus of the assignment, though other elements may factor in as well. Students will work under the assumption that a parent organization has set aside space dedicated for this purpose, and have already secured funding to award to a meritorious proposal. Basic IT and broadband infrastructure are a given, but further potential uses for the space will stem from the student’s vision.
The proposal should take into account the specific needs of a particular target user demographic, and will also require that students consider potential partner organizations as well as areas of potential expansion. Likewise, students will include with the proposal examples of sites and technology – real or conceptual – that served as inspiration.
A few questions among many to consider: What user need are you satisfying? How can the technology you’ve identified help satisfy the various aspects of that user need? What are the different technologies that will be offered at the site? Does the site’s web presence play a significant role in the provision of services offered? What role will consumer technologies play in the setting? Are there areas of the space dedicated to specific uses? Is there hardware or technology in the space that provides users a unique opportunity to accomplish a certain task or interaction?
Also note that inspiration does not have to come solely from library/museum/ux examples: galleries, airports, community centers, the private sector, etc. are all fair game, as is any site where technology is deployed to satisfy user needs.
Everything related to the Blank Technology Canvas Report will be presented via a website the student will create. An easy choice already familiar to 654-04 students is a simple Wordpress site using the free Wordpress option, where each of the three major components below would be included as a separate page on the site. Alternative tools for creating a website with the required information are certainly a possibility, but make sure to discuss the proposed alternative with the instructor beforehand.
The report will consist of three components: an annotated list of 8 or more sources of inspiration; at least two User Personae giving an example use case; and a separate written proposal (1000-1200 words) describing the overall space and the community it will serve, the primary technological components it will feature, and potential partnerships that might enhance the mission and usage of the space.
For the 8 (or more) sources of inspiration, students should search LIS literature sources as well as news sources and other media for examples—large or small—that relate to the service students are proposing to offer. Annotations should include a citation of the source, a 2- to 3-sentence description of the project or site, and a brief comment on how the inspiration source would be adapted or modified to serve the student’s proposed purpose. At least 3 of the 8 inspiration sources should be hardware of some kind, which can include consumer or enterprise hardware products.
The written proposal should provide a narrative synthesizing the inspiration examples with a broader description of the student’s vision for the space, as well as any relevant background concerning the larger building or organizational context housing the space, and potential partnerships with other organizations that could serve to enhance the site’s mission. (For partner organizations, it is sufficient to identify potential partners, or identify groups whose mission and constituency overlap with the proposal’s intended use.)
• At least 8 documented and annotated inspiration sources; at least 3 of the 8 sources must be hardware of some kind, which can include consumer or enterprise hardware products. Each inspiration source must include:
◦ 2-3 sentence (minimum) description:
▪ Description of how inspiration source technology satisfies a user need
▪ Comment about how source might be modified or adapted to student proposal
◦ Citation of the source
• At least two User Personae (400 words max, each), describing an example use case for the technology in the proposed space, each including:
◦ Name of persona
◦ Paragraph of fictional background and basic relevant demographic information
◦ Narrative description of specific user need
◦ Bullet point examples of use case example interactions with technology in the proposed space
• Written report, including the following:
◦ A technology space proposal of between 1000 and 1200 words, covering:
▪ A clear description of a specific target user demographic to be served (feel free to reference User Persona as an example here)
▪ A clear description of the institutional context for proposed technology installation/site
▪ Specific proposals for technology components to be included, citing references to the annotated inspiration components
▪ Potential partner organizations
• All of the above to be turned in as part of a single website with all the components linked from the home page (using Wordpress or other site creation tool)
• Email the address of the website to ashley.blewer@gmail.com to turn in the assignment before class on the day it is due