user-centered design principles

Starting this morning off in a heavily-attended session on user centered design. I've been familiar with the work of one of the presenters, Nancy Fried Foster (an anthropologist involved in the content recruitment effort for the University of Rochester's DSpace IR system). Right now, David Lindahl, who also works at the University of Rochester, is describing next generation systems. He pointed out that next generation systems basically meet (not exceed) the expectations of our current users. He listed these attributes for next generation catalog systems:

• Compete
• Faceted
• Not just a destination
• Community participation
• Flexible privacy and filtering
• Open

He then described the XC effort, based at Rochester. This is an intriguing concept. XC is a front-end interface for ILS systems and other data sources, and provides tools for integrating databases into a single search system. XC would sit side-by-side with the ILS, and provide an alternative front-end to the ILS WebOPAC.

Foster noted that the University of Rochester, where the XC development is based, is a largely residential campus. That could be of value in considering XC's application to the WSU environment. She noted that the usability work performed at Rochester made it easier for librarians to engage students on campus in one-on-one conversations, better informing the Libraries' technology building process.

Summary of next gen options for WSU: 1) Innovative Interfaces Encore, 2) Ex Libris Primo, 3) OCLC WorldCat Local, 4) an extension of the Orbis-Cascade development currently underway to develop a next gen interface for INN-Reach, and 5) XC.