A new look for an established tool: Building a new interface for room reservations with user testing and APIs

Abstract

The Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis University Library has used Springshare's LibCal product to manage study room reservations since 2017. One of the student's chief complaints with the system was the interface when reserving a room. Over the last year, the User Experience/Project Management Librarian collaborated with students from IUPUI's Human-Computer Interface program to redesign the interface based on student feedback. This included Single Ease of Use surveys, interviews, and persona creation. After completing the user testing, the library harnessed the power of LibCal's API to rebuild the front end, while allowing library personnel to continue using the administrative tools that LibCal provides. This session will discuss some of the user testing, the experience of working with students in design, and demonstrate how other libraries can move forward using the LibCal API to build their own interfaces.