Brooklyn Public Library
Navigation Redesign
Project Logistics
Timeline
1.5 Weeks
My Role
Information Architect
Our Team
Chris Aflague
Nancy Che
Project Overview
As one of the nation’s largest public library systems, Brooklyn Public Library system is recognized for its significant and exceptional contributions to the communities in Brooklyn. In response to the current pandemic, the Brooklyn PublicLibrary (BPL) website has become the main tool for browsing services, borrowing books, and attending their online classes.
More library patrons were experiencing difficulties while using the Brooklyn Public Library website. The main issues are locating information regarding ebook availability, as well as keeping up with the newly released titles in the Brooklyn Public Library.
Scope of Work
Our team set out to explore and discover ways to improve the patron’s navigation experiences on the website.
We studied the existing client website, as pictured here, extensively through a tree study, open and closed card sorts, and a heuristic evaluation.
We then took our findings from the existing website and created a proposed navigation design. This update was then also tested via a tree study and closed card sort, allowing us to compare the results to the existing website results.
The Challenge
It is difficult to find titles that are currently in stock at the Brooklyn Public Library. As a result, library patrons have difficulty finding non-fiction books that are available to borrow now.
How might we provide access to information on which titles are available to borrow in real time?
Our Solution
Primary Navigation
Expanded to 6 categories, the primary navigation now runs horizontally at the top of the page rather than vertically on the left side. The search bar has been made less prominent and moved to the utility bar to encourage the use of the primary navigation.
Secondary Navigation
Hovering over or clicking on a primary navigation item will open the secondary navigation menu. Secondary navigation items have been organized under sub-headings to group the numerous items together.
Breadcrumbs and Color Coding
As the user navigates through the site, they will know where they are through the addition of breadcrumbs below the BPL logo. Additionally, color coding has been used to group all pages within a primary navigation category; Books & Media are green, Digital Tools are periwinkle, Services are red, and so on.
To help our persona Kelley find titles that are available now, we added a filtering option under new arrivals for Available Now.
Our Navigation in Action
Click play to view the prototype and how Kelley could find a non-fiction, new arrival that is available now.