Implimenting and Mitigating Change with all of this Newfangled Technology

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Mark Dehmlow, Head of the Library Web Department at the University of Notre Dame At the University of Notre Dame, we recently implemented a new website in concert with rolling out a “next generation” OPAC into production for our campus. While much of the pre-launch feedback was positive, once we implemented the new systems, we started receiving a small number of intense criticisms and a small wave of problem reports. This presentation covers how to plan for big technology changes, prepare your organizations, effectively manage the barrage of post implementation technical problems, and mitigate customer concerns and criticisms. Participants are encouraged to bring brief war stories, anecdotes, and suggestions for managing technology implementations.”

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Thanks

• People Whose Ideas and Work that Contributed to this Presentationthis Presentation– Dan Brubaker-Horst, Project Applications Developer

(dan.brubaker.horst@nd.edu)Robert Fox Sr Systems Administrator– Robert Fox, Sr Systems Administrator(rfox2@nd.edu)

– Tim Jones, Interface / Graphic Designer(Timothy Jones 378@nd edu)(Timothy.Jones.378@nd.edu)

– Tom Lehman, Digital Access Librarian(tlehman@nd.edu)A B l S t Lib i– Aaron Bales, Systems Librarian(abales@nd.edu)

– Andre Murniek’s Design Class

Overview

• Motivations for Change• Cycle of Planning and Implementation• Tools for Web Developmentp• People and Managing Change• Personnel Needs• Personnel Needs• Continuous Integration• Next Steps

What Precipitated Change

• WebsiteSense of overwhelm (particularly novice users)– Sense of overwhelm (particularly novice users)

– Need for better marketing space– Enhance the visual character

• Catalog– Meet our user’s search/retrieval expectations/ p– Reduce the amount of work and expertise needed to

get from query to research materialImprove service– Improve service

– Needed and extendable platform– Plurality of metadatay

Outcomes

• Provide access to a large number of dissimilar resources in a simple clean dissimilar resources in a simple, clean interface that doesn’t overwhelm users

• Meet needs of advanced/power users• Meet needs of advanced/power users• Provide both search and browse access

to resources and services to to resources and services to accommodate different information interaction stylesinteraction styles

• Enhance visual look of site

Project Management CycleAssess

Idea/PPImplement

InternalInternal

ExternalMaintenance

TestTest

External

Development

Assessment

• Usability• Web statistics• Focus groupsg p• Feedback

Anonymous– Anonymous– TargetedSurveys• Surveys

• Competitive Intelligence

Testing

• Internal• Usability

– Designed around a series of tasks• Release to stakeholders

– What to keep in mindWhat to keep in mind– Why formalize?

Usability

• Undergrads• Graduates & Faculty• Sample:p

1. Find three books discussing American department stores.2. Find three journal articles on AIDS in Africa.3. Does the library have access to the article "Reflections on the End 3. Does the library have access to the article Reflections on the End

of History, Five Years Later," by Francis Fukuyama, published in History and Theory 1995 34(2): 27-43?

4. What time does the Main Library close on Friday?5. Find the page that tells how to renew books you have checked

out online.

Usability Cntd.• Keep it simple

Develop basic scale– Develop basic scale• What to consider

– Time on task– Number of clicks– Success or failure

• Morae– Measures clicks– Records session (screen and participant)( p p )

Idea

• Define problems• Brainstorm added

features• Sketch wireframe and

paper prototypepaper prototype

<T t><Test>

Develop

• Rapid development around prototype– Integrate basic design elements

• Experiment with tools, decision• Formalize the design – IA• Construct Templates• Construct Templates

<Test>Fi i• Fix issues

Wireframes

Implement

• Migrate site, prepare project for d tiproduction

• Flip to production• Collect feedback

– (Clear your calendar for 6 weeks)(Clear your calendar for 6 weeks)– Mitigate Problems– Fix issuesFix issues

Start Over

Back to Assesment

http://davidakin.blogware.com/200808271106.jpghttp://www.alexross.com/81382-big.jpg p g jpgp g jpg

New Website - Decisions

Tools

• CMSCSS F k• CSS Frameworks– Blueprint, jQuery UI CSS FW, Yahoo YUI

J i t Lib i• Javascript Libraries– jQuery, Yahoo YUI, prototype

(http://jqueryui.com/demos/)( p //jq y / /)

• Widgets– Colorbox, jQuery UI, Carousel, jQ y ,

• Analysis– Urchin, analog, google analytics, g, g g y

Tools cntd• In browser analysis

– Firebug (Firefox) Web Developer (Chrome)– Firebug (Firefox), Web Developer (Chrome)• Browser Testing

IE Tester ( )– IE Tester (http://www.my-debugbar.com/wiki/IETester/HomePage)

QA – Quality Assurance

• Determine representative pages for t titesting

• Determine browsers and OSs– get from log analysis

• Determine environmentsete e e o e ts– Screen Resolution, W3C

(http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_display.asp)( p p y p)

People• Develop Partnerships

Departments– Departments– Key stakeholders

O t it– Opportunites• Design class

G t F db k• Get Feedback• Integrate Suggestions• Determine appropriate level of

committee decisioningg

Change Management

• Change is disruptive• People have different tolerances to

change– Change Style Indicator (Discovery

Learning Press)

Conservers Pragmatists Originators

Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model• Create Urgency• Form a Powerful Coalition• Form a Powerful Coalition• Create a Vision for Change• Communicate the Vision• Remove Obstacels• Create Short-term Wins• Build on the Change• Build on the Change• Anchor Changes in CultureSource – MindTools - http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM 82.htmp // /p g / / _

Stages of Change

Resistance Confusion Integration Commitment

Source: “Traveling Through White Water: A Manager’s Guide to Organizational Change.” Linda R. Fisher & Rose L. Kennedy

Preparing the Organization• Garnering organizational support• Focus Groupsp• College Visits• Targeted Emailg• Campus Newsletter• Story in Campus PaperStory in Campus Paper• News Channel in Campus Portal• Online FeedbackOnline Feedback

– incentives– 350+ responsesp

Mitigating the Fallout

• What were the biggest issues– My stuff moved– Preferred Links

• Dealing with upsets– Kill them with kindness– Don’t take it personally– Thank them for their input and address Thank them for their input and address

their inquiry

New Website

Enhancing the Catalog

Enhancing the Catalog

Enhancing the Catalog

What it Takes to Bring it Together• Customization and development require

– Programmers to lead d l t d developments and extend systems

– Web Developers with basic with basic understanding of scriptingTime and support

patron

– Time and supportfor those withpotential to developneeded skillsneeded skills

– Willingness for somerisk

Learning Technologies

• Learn through doingTi ti l l t – Tie practical goal to learning technology

• Choose “gateway”• Choose gatewaytechnologyphp– php

– Perl• Graduate to more sophisticated technology

http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/1/2/0/5/0/ar120996349105021.jpg

• Graduate to more sophisticated technology– procedural code vs object oriented code

Managing Programs/Site

• Multiple Environments– dev, preprod, prod

• Version management– Subversion, CVS

• Build ToolsBuild Tools– Ant, Capistrano

• Continuous Integration• Continuous Integration– Hudson

Deployment

Subversion

H dPPrd

Hudson

oh crap!rollback

DevPrd

oh crap!rollback

Next Steps

• Post-mortem• Reorganizing• Communication• Implementing

RecommendationsRecommendations• Future Planning

St t• Strategy

Post-mortem

• How it went– First two weeks insane

• What we missed– More communication, earlier– Education about CatalogPlusg– More testing of CatalogPlus

Reorganization

• Creating Teams– Advisory group– System Architecture /

UI team• Leveraging existing

teams– ELK – Library Communications Committee

Communication

• Move WPIT to WAG (formal input)• Annual meetings with key

departments• Education / Outreach• Visit satellite sitesVisit satellite sites

Implementing Recommendations

Implementing Recommendations

Implementing Recommendations

Future Planning

• Primo Central – aggregated index• Content Management System

– Integrated database driven data• Holistic Discovery / Services Approach

– Integrated request queueIntegrated request queue• Developing technologies

Single sign on• Single sign on• Explore Portalization

Strategy - Holistic

syndicationmobiledesktopTestProduction TestProduction

discovery

services

BetaExp content BetaExp.

Resources

• Organizational HR trainings• O’Reilly Books (Safari)• Websites

– 37signals Signal vs. Noise - http://37signals.com/svn/– A List Apart - http://www.alistapart.com/– Smashing Magazine - http://www.smashingmagazine.com/– UX Magazine - http://uxmag.com/– Fast Co. Design - http://www.fastcodesign.com/– Dribbble - http://dribbble.com/

User Interface Engineering: http://www uie com/articles/– User Interface Engineering: http://www.uie.com/articles/– Jakob Nielsen's Website: http://www.useit.com/

Source: Tom Lehman and Tim Jones

Thank You

Mark DehmlowDigital Initiatives LibrarianDigital Initiatives Librarian574-631-3092mdehmlow@nd.edu

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