My colleague, Bea Downey, and I co-presented a poster and zine with several common scenarios that information architects and content strategists might encounter when engaging with stakeholders. For example, what could you say when a stakeholder is derailing a meeting to discuss an unrelated topic? What are some steps to take if there is disagreement among stakeholders? We provided practical tips and even mini-scripts for productive, positive communication.

It sparked a LOT of conversation during the poster session, and while we did provide lots of strategies, the poster was a Trojan horse whose real purpose was to learn from other attendees whom we invited to contribute their own tips and tricks! Some excellent examples:

• Not getting a response to your emailed request for input? Schedule an 8am meeting to gather the input synchronously. (Surprise: input will be emailed to you and you can cancel the meeting, to everyone’s relief.)
• Need help getting the conversation started or moving past disagreement? Use inversion: “Let’s briefly talk about what we aren’t going to do.” Then flip those ideas around to start collaboratively brainstorming.
• Stakeholders don’t understand each other’s conventions? Create a glossary with field-specific jargon and acronyms.
• Is there a mansplainer in the meeting? Don’t invite them to the next meeting (if possible): “You understood what we were talking about, so we met without wasting your time.”

Read the full handout, including attendee contributions →

Are you the only person thinking about user experience (UX) at your library? Most libraries don’t have a whole team dedicated to UX, so you’re not alone, even if it feels like it! This post offers practical tips, moral support, and bite-sized UX wins for solo UX advocates trying to make change from within.

Read the whole post on Libtech Insights →

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I pen occasional posts for LibTech Insights, a blog about technology in academic libraries from Choice, an ACRL/ALA publisher.

• Is it accessible? Use WAVE.
• How does it look on Google?
• How does it look on a phone browser?
• Do all the links work? Use a link checker.
• Is it down for everyone, or just me?

Read the whole post on Libtech Insights. I wrote it with library websites in mind, but these are actually relevant for all websites!

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I pen occasional posts for LibTech Insights, a blog about technology in academic libraries from Choice, an ACRL/ALA publisher.

Bold = faves (doesn’t include rereads)
* = rereads

Classics

I was pleasantly surprised by how contemporary the 135-year-old humor of Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) is. What a strange, hilarious little book. My plan is now to read books that were clearly inspired by this one, such as To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (1997).

At some point in the year, I had the thought that since my son is named Oscar, I’d better read all the other Oscar Wilde books and plays I hadn’t yet read. So I got started on that.

• The Importance of Being Earnest* (Oscar Wilde)
• An Ideal Husband (Oscar Wilde)
• A Woman of No Importance (Oscar Wilde)
• The Canterville Ghost (Oscar Wilde)
• Jamaica Inn (Daphne du Maurier)
• Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) (Jerome K. Jerome)

Contemporary fiction

About half of these were picks from my book club. I think Outlawed was the most divisive choice of the year.

The full-cast audiobook for Daisy Jones and the Six is criminally fantastic. I couldn’t stop recommending it to everybody within earshot.

Don’t ask me why I reread The Da Vinci Code. It was grosser than I remembered it being. It’s a tiresome male fantasy, and it constantly equates albanism with inner evil (???).

• A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)
• The Bright Sword (Lev Grossman)
• The Da Vinci Code* (Dan Brown)
• Daisy Jones and the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid)
• The English Understand Wool (Helen DeWitt)
• Hotel Nantucket (Elin Hilderbrand)
• Medusa (Jessie Burton, illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill)
• My Favorite Thing is Monsters 2 (Emil Ferris)
• Outlawed (Anna North)
• Sabine’s Notebook (Nick Bantock)
• The Secret History* (Donna Tartt)
• Wallflower at the Orgy (Nora Ephron)
• Year of the Tiger (Alice Wong)

Fan fiction

Yes, I’m somehow still into this. Don’t make fun of me, I know this is ridiculous. I simply cannot believe the number of high-quality, book-length stories are out there in the Dramione fandom. Several have earned their authors book deals — I eagerly await Brigitte Knightley’s original novel!

• Détraquée (Hystaracal)
• Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love* (Brigitte Knightley)
• Measure of a Man (inadaze22)

Romance

I dipped back into the romance genre this year for further escapism during election season (ugh). I was interested in reading some classics of the genre by Georgette Heyer, written in the mid-1930s. It’s always fun to see where various tropes come from. Looking at this list, I also realized that most of these were written by authors in the UK. Not sure what that says about me, except maybe I love when the protagonist falls to pieces over whether or not the love interest signs their text messages with x, xx, or (god forbid) no x at all.

• Between Us (Mhairi McFarlane)
• In Case You Missed It (Lindsey Kelk)
• Love Me Do (Lindsey Kelk)
• On a Night Like This (Lindsey Kelk)
• One in a Million (Lindsey Kelk)
• The Christmas Wish (Lindsey Kelk)
• I’ve Got Your Number (Sophie Kinsella)
• At First Spite (Olivia Dade)
• All The Feels (Olivia Dade)
• Shipwrecked (Olivia Dade)
• One Day in December (Josie Silver)
• Regency Buck (Georgette Heyer)
• The Convenient Marriage (Georgette Heyer)

Previously: Books I read in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009.

Since I started keeping track, I’ve read exactly 600 books for fun.

• Why (or why not) to hold interviews
• How to recruit participants
• Drafting research questions and interview questions
• Tips for facilitating an interview
• After the interview

Excerpt from facilitation tips:

When you ask a question, stop talking after the question mark. In normal conversation, you might ask, “How do you decide to attend an event? I know it can be hard to find time in your schedule or find something that’s relevant to your interests, and…” Don’t ramble, and don’t prime the participant with things to say! Just ask the question and put a friendly, open expression on your face. Remember, they should talk much more than you should.

Read the rest on Libtech Insights »

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I write occasional posts for LibTech Insights, a blog about technology in academic libraries from Choice, an ACRL/ALA publisher.

This will be my second time teaching these month-long asynchronous classes. I had a blast the last time! LJA course participants are engaged and have a breadth of experiences, which makes class discussions interesting and lively.

DIY Usability Testing

February 2025
Usability testing is a crucial component of user-centered design. It enables you to gain valuable insights into how patrons interact with library websites and applications—where are they encountering confusion, frustration, or delight?

This course equips librarians with the knowledge and skills to conduct effective, low-overhead usability testing with free tools.

Know Your User: Research Methods Beyond Usability Testing

April 2025
User research is critical for data-driven decision-making and the continuous improvement of library spaces, services, and websites. This course will cover a selection of user research methods beyond traditional usability testing: surveys, user interviews, observational studies, and diary studies. Learn when and why to use each methodology, as well as practical applications for designing and facilitating these studies.

After completing this course, you’ll be ready to transform questions about your users into innovative studies that reveal new insights about your user community.

Feel free to email me if you have questions about these courses!

Three things are certain in this world: death, taxes, and librarians sending out surveys. We are a patron-focused profession, and we crave user feedback. Moreover, some of us yearn for peer feedback for articles we write or hypotheses we test.

When you create a survey—if you haven’t yet, it’s just a matter of time—there are a few things you should keep in mind. These tips will improve your survey and help make it more likely that people will respond.

Read the rest on Libtech Insights »

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I write occasional posts for LibTech Insights, a blog about technology in academic libraries from Choice, an ACRL/ALA publisher.

The goal of a space observation study is to understand how users actually use spaces, which may differ from how the spaces were designed. An observation study may uncover unknown user needs or preferences, as well as how the space can be improved for users.

...

Sometimes, an observation study may simply involve walking by a given space a few times a week and taking notes with a prescribed template. Other times, the study may involve sitting in the space for longer periods of time, observing users completing tasks.

Read the rest on Libtech Insights »

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I write occasional posts for LibTech Insights, a blog about technology in academic libraries from Choice, an ACRL/ALA publisher.

Rather than creating a bio and choosing a name and a photo ... leave out these details and create realistic *archetypes*. These focus on needs, goals, behaviors, and tasks, which can still be of use during the design process.

Read the rest on Libtech Insights »

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I write occasional posts for LibTech Insights, a blog about technology in academic libraries from Choice, an ACRL/ALA publisher.

• DIY Usability Testing (May 2024)
• Know Your User: Research Methods Beyond Usability Testing (June 2024)

This will be my first time teaching a month-long asynchronous class. My goal is to make the classes as informative, interesting, and fun as I find user research itself to be.

Feel free to email me if you have questions about these courses!