11/04/2023

Authentication and usability

mark.williams@ja.net

UK federation manager

Mobile resource problems:

2Mobile resource problems

»About Jisc

»The situation

»Work done already

»The problems

»Sector requirements

»Solutions

3About Jisc

»Covers UK HE, Research (and FE, equiv of community college)

»National broadband network for education (Janet, UK equiv of Internet 2)

»UK access management federation (equiv is InCommon)

»Jisc Collections - Central licensing

»R&D in library and IT

4

Time

Use

mobile

desktop

The situation: A tipping point

5Links

» Jo Alcock, (Jisc M-library community support project), Evidence Base, Birmingham City University., j.o.alcock@bcu.ac.uk , @joeyanne

» Claire Koch, University of Surrey, c.koch@surrey.ac.uk, @claire_joanne

» Claire Gravely, University of Surrey, c.graverly@surrey.ac.uk , @library_claire

» Keren Mills, (MACON: Mobilising Academic Content Online), OU, @mirya

» Ben Showers, Jisc, b.showers@jisc.ac.uk, @benshowers

» Mark Williams, Janet, mark.williams@ja.net

Contributors

6

MACON projecthttp://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/macon/

7

Mobile Technology in Librarieshttp://mlibraries.jiscinvolve.org/wp/pathways-to-best-practice-guides/

8

Library Success Wikihttp://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=M-Libraries

9The problem

»Massive growth of the use of mobile devices

»Publishers respond to demand for apps

»Publishers respond in many different ways

»Response breaks existing models of:› Discovery & research pedagogy› Authentication› Application usability› Content usability› Licensing

A response to demand

10Library issues: Discovery

»Discovery

› Following a VLE link

› Via a mobile optimised library site

› Via Google - “would you like to download an app”

› Silosation of content via apps

› Mobile – Consumption device or a discovery device

Difficult and interfering with the pedagogy

11Library issues: Authentication

» Authentication› Federated login (institutional login) - WAYFLESS

urls??

› IP - ‘Access via this app is IP only – connect to your campus’ Mobile??

› Activation key (Desktop created or publisher sent) - Often need to be on campus

› Facebook, Google etc – Secure?

› Device twinning – Time limited and often needs advance warning

› The authentication and discovery Mobius strip

Inconsistent & confusing

12Library issues: Mobius

13Library issues: Maze

14Library issues: Square one

15Library issues: Discovery

A pity because:

16

Library issues: Discovery & authentication

» JISC UBIRD study

»Users often don’t move onto an alternative authorative resource

Results of failure in the ”Discovery to download” phase

17

Library issues: Application & content usability

»Off line or online access?

»Content reflow

»Crashing….Redirect links (breaks mobile browsers)

»Content or marketing fluff

»Loss of library led walled garden – wild west of apps

»W3C

Poor experience

18Library issues: Licensing

» Apps› Free? Pay? Double dip? Is it extra / new content?

› Counter Stats?

› Does student know if content is available via institutional subscription

› Full content?

› Meeting Model licence standards?

› Export / Download?

Already a subscriber

19

What libraries want: A manifesto for mobile

» Simple, consistent and clear login experiences

» No crashes

» Mobile adapted content – not “Apps”

» Cross platform compatibility - ( LBJ library ”your iphone” )

» Transfer across devices

» Continuity - apps appear and then disappear - idea of life cycle

» Core product not just a “value added, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK offering”

Wish list

20

Way forward: Working with libraries & publishers

» Two Jisc workshops

› Oversubscribed

› Exactly right audiences

› Near unanimous agreement on problems & possible solutions

» Highlight standards for developing for mobile.

› Best practice

› Exemplar content development by Jisc

› New standards? NISO / EPUB?

» Authorative Wiki on mobile resources

› Jisc Collections

› Criteria

› Self declared questionnaire / completed

› Comment moderated and reviewed by Jisc and publisher invited to comment

› Epub support grid, Library success wiki as examples

› International

21Way forward: Criteria building»App, web app or mobile site compliance

definitions:› App or Web app?› Platform compatibility› Mobile browser auto-detect› Mobile url› Mobile federation WAYF› Embedded federation discovery› Direct url access to content (VLE links etc)› Content availability (full, partial)› Authentication methods› Site usability› Content usability (what standards do we use)› Cross platform portability

22Opportunities Barriers Who Increase access and usage Focus on specific mobile issues Discoverability- see in a list Use for discussions between publishers

and societies Help product development Publishers would have access to more

direct Feedback Conversation with users Publisher checklist Credible, objective ratings Consolidate list of requirements and

best practice and provide targets for product development

Could prove model for communication about standards for other products

Subjectivity Cost Legacy content hard to represent People who don’t have to the resource

rating and commenting Criteria too library focused rather than

end user focused Lack of opportunity to respond to

negative comments Too UK focused Too much work to keep up with

comments and responses Fear of buyers being put off by

negative ratings Lack of standards / is there a

community census of criteria and requirements in UK /globally

Resource available to complete form so make it clear what is high priority

Initial set up by one organisation Content crowd sourced with guidance

from the initiator Libraries /Jisc determine checklist

criteria Publishers provide factual data Users/libraries/crowd sourcing provide

ratings Moderation by independent groups Publisher owns checklist Right of reply ISO /NISO? working group to establish criteria up

to date and maintain criteria contribution to assessing products

from libraries and users Who represents end users? Libraries?

Publishers/ student bodies

UK but have global agenda

Where?: In one central place, open, backed up and easy to edit globally. Jisc?

23Ultimate aim

publishers can closely engage and work with libraries to ensure that they are producing a product that meets the needs of users

24Discussion

» Is this go the way to go?

»Any mobile problems not mentioned?

»Any US specific issues we need to think about?

»Who should Jisc work with in US?

Questions