Teaching
I teach two courses through Library Juice Academy, which offers online courses on a range of topics for library professionals. These asynchronous courses use the Moodle platform. I aim to make them as interactive and hands-on as possible!
The month-long courses have a fee of $250. Often, students’ employers can fund this professional development opportunity.
Do-It-Yourself Usability Testing
Dates: February 3–March 2, 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.
We’ll cover user research basics, best practices for designing and facilitating a usability study, practical logistical considerations, and how to interpret and communicate results. As part of this course, you’ll conduct two usability testing sessions on your own, and you’ll get valuable feedback from your classmates and instructor. After taking this course, you’ll be ready to conduct a usability study with real users at your library.
Previous session: May 6–June 2, 2024
Know Your User: Research Methods Beyond Usability Testing
Dates: April 7–May 4, 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.
Previous session: June 3–June 30, 2024
Other workshops
I also teach workshops occasionally on technical topics.