Illinois Distributed Museum User Study Kristen Wilson Illinois
Illinois Distributed Museum User Study Kristen Wilson Illinois Distributed Museum Coordinator Other collaborators: John Laskowski Matthew Mayton Megean Osuchowski Joshua Lynch
Illinois Distributed Museum - Innovations that have happened on campus Online and physical components Innovation is broadly conceived as the processes, knowledge frameworks, methodologies and/or technologies that provide a novel approach to meeting a societal need or solving a societal problem. Innovation is further framed as a longterm collaborative and iterative process in which happenstance and serendipity may play a role. https: //distributedmuseum. illinois. edu/
Purpose for the Study ● Determine if people understand the concept of the website - particularly that the content is online and that they can visit locations around campus ● Features we focused on: ○ ○ ○ Home Page Tours Exhibit pages
Library Assessment Committee Grant - Found out that we could get money from the Library Assessment Committee Straightforward directions and application Directions have a timeline https: //www. library. illinois. edu/staff/assessment/grant/ What we asked for: - $20 per participant
IRB Process ● ● ● Exempt status - still have to apply but shorter turn-around CITI Training Components: ○ Description ○ Team Members ○ Marketing materials ○ Script for interviews ○ Funding proposal ○ Consent Form Willard Zemlin, photo courtesy of College of Applied Health Sciences
Timeline for Applications Started discussing user testing March 8 Received questions from LAC Feb March 15 Submitted IRB application Mar Feb 28 Submitted LAC grant March 12 Sent LAC revisions March 25 Received LAC grant March 20 Received IRB questions Apr March 27 Resubmitted IRB and received approval
Marketing the Study ● ● Flyers Eweek
Lessons Learned from Application Process ● ● IRB approval ○ Have to have it completely designed Look at past funding Money distribution It was easy and relatively quick
Design of the Study 2 parts: ● ● Individual User Testing Focus Groups
Timeline for Study 9 individual users tested Apr May Redesign website and Round 2 planning Jun Jul Meeting with stakeholder Focus Groups Sep Aug Follow-up meeting Oct Follow-up meeting Nov Dec Jan
Individual User Study ● ● ● 3 researchers and 1 participant Task based Introduction Questions Home Page thoughts Tasks ○ Find a specific exhibit ○ Find an exhibit based on place ○ Search Bar ○ Sources ○ Tours ○ Mobile View Concluding questions Jakob Kunz, Department of Physics, Courtesy University of Illinois Archives, ID 0007779
Changes we made ● ● ● Home page: ○ Simplified ○ Introduction text ○ Three buttons to press Tours: ○ Moved the exhibits and description to the top of the page Exhibits: ○ Changed where the map and locations to visit were located on the page ○ Changed where trivia was located on the page ○ Decide to try a grab bag style for how we display the exhibits
Focus Group ● ● ● ● ● Presented development website with the changes Planned on groups of 4; 5 researchers Group 1 had two participants and Group 2 had three participants ○ Had a few no-shows for both ○ One group had seen the website before one had not Beginning Questions Home Page Pre-task questions Complete task individually Group discussion Closing questions Meeting of the first Advertising Department at a University
Lessons Learned from the Study User Study ● Focus groups took 2 -3 times longer than just an individual session ● Plan for larger size focus groups ● Adapt Website ● Tours are hard to understand ● Confused on if it’s a physical place ● Map was not as necessary ● Want categories for the innovators and innovations ● Liked the content
Next Steps ● ● ● Margaret Erlanger, Professor of Dance, Photo Courtesy of the University of Illinois Archives Finalize new design Decide what platform would be best Implement the ideas
Thank You Any Questions? Contact Kristen (Allen) Wilson: klallen 3@illinois. edu
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