The Challenge

Over the last two decades the public-facing website for our nation's largest cultural institution, the Library of Congress,  grew massive and unwieldy. Many of these problems were caused by various divisions of the Library acting independently without any knowledge of what others were doing. Other problems were caused by a lack of expertise in user-centered design.

With very little organized structure, hierarchy, or centralized governance, LOC.gov evolved into an unmanageable, disorganized and confusing experience. This became detrimental to the Library's brand and its mission to make its resources available. 

Solutions

The Library had no web strategy when I arrived. I helped create a high-level strategy to address the major issues with the Library's web properties. These properties include LOC.gov, Congress.gov (formerly known as Thomas), and Copyright.gov. The strategy revolved around the principles of robust search, portable content, and tools to help users better understand what they were experiencing. The first priority initiatives outlined how the Library's website must provide more efficient use and access to the Library's treasures, but  in a way users could logically find, explore and gain context around them.

Creating a common framework and global navigation for 3 brands

To address brand fragmentation my team developed a consistent global header and footer treatment for the Library's core web properties. This global system:

• Enforces the Library's brand identity policies.
• Provides users with ubiquitous, consistent access to key Library web resources from any page on the site, regardless of user entry point.
  
• Defines the site's organization and provides users with an overview of diverse Library content and services at a glance.
• Facilitates navigation between the three core areas of the Library’s web content – Congress, National Library, and Copyright.
• Serves as a key element in normalizing design, layout and branding across Library web properties
• Highlights areas of strategic emphasis, including Search.
• Reduces maintenance and management burden by creating a single set of common components to manage and upgrade.
• Provides additional exposure to Library content, programs, and services currently hidden deep in the Library’s large web site.

Creating a flexible, robust template system for Formats, Collections and Objects

To address problems with scalability I had my design team create an entire new set of templates for displaying the Library's holdings online. The template system provides context between various items and collections. The framework contains 3 major components: "Objects", "Formats", "Collections".

• Object: Every digitized object in the Library has its own page with bibliographic details, catalog information, links to relevant and related content, and a way to view, watch or listen to the item.  Every object also serves as a gateway to the rest of the Library's collections.
• Format: Every digitized object in the collection has a format associated with it, such as Newspaper, Manuscript, Print or Photograph, and so on.
• Collections: Many items in the Library also belong to collections. There is now a landing page where users can browse items in a specific collection. These collections describe the inter-relationships within a group of objects, and also link to other objects and other collections in context.

Rethinking search and introducing faceted navigation

The Library's holdings are to massive to navigate in conventional ways. Browse lists and old search paradigms were leading users down rabbit holes.  A powerful, robust, search was required.

Based on our strategy to improve finding, I had my UX team create a system which leverages existing meta data to drive a new, faceted search paradigm which allows users to pare down their results, much like shopping on many commerce websites.  Additionally, we ensured that all of the new page templates had proper metadata to improve Search Engine Optimization.

Fishing where the fish are: Leveraging social media

Part of making the Library's resources more available is placing it's content where large user communities already exist. When I arrived at the Library, the institution was just dipping it's toe in the waters of social media.  I was a part of a group that pushed for fully participating in social media as an institution. Since then, the Library has successfully implemented a diverse set of social media initiatives to communicate with and expose its content to the American public. These initiatives spurred the development of new strategies on how to connect with Library patrons and make Library resources and expertise available, discoverable and useful. The objectives or the Library's social media efforts are to:

• Increase portability, subscription and sharing opportunities to facilitate dissemination of Library content.
• Increase the effectiveness of Library communications to get information to the people who are most interested in that information.
• Maintain a Library presence in large communities of interest where there is an intersection with the unique resources of the Library or to the Library and its programs
• Facilitate meaningful two‐way engagement that taps community expertise and encourages activities with measurable outcomes.

Sharing expertise with a personal voice through blogs

 The Library has deep expertise in historic materials, preservation methods, and Library best practices. Connecting this expertise with the public in an engaging way has always been challenging.  In 2007, I helped the Library start its first blog. Today the institution has 10 different blogs.  These channels allow Library curators to share fascinating facts and their expertise with a personal voice.  They have all been warmly received by the public, and the scholarly community.

Creating re-usable tools

My team created a standard viewer for looking at prints, photographs, maps. We also designed and developed standard a audio and video player. These tools work with HTML5 and many can be embedded on external sites.  All of them are branded with the Library's identity.  The Library now has one set of tools, maintained in one place, for a consistent user experience. As these tools roll out, the legacy tools and technologies are being retired.

Making it all responsive

For many users, a mobile device is there only access to the internet, especially in low income communities. Users should have a pleasant experience regardless of which device users are viewing the Library's content.  To accommodate this, I encouraged our team to design templates that are responsive to various devices.  Library content is also accessible to those with disabilities. 

My Role

• Led the redesign of all the Library's major web properties.
• Developed the Library's preliminary web strategy and was a member of the Library's web governance board. Together we refined and finalized the Library's web strategy.
• Helped author the Library's social media strategy and executed that strategy.
• Directed all UX and mobile design work performed at the Library of Congress for the last 5 years.
• Managed the Library's brand on the web, mobile applications, and all social media.
• Pitched ideas and frequently briefed senior Library executives.