User involvement helsinki feb. 2011

User involvement in Mediaspace

- Beauty or Beast?

Knud Schulz and Marie Østergård, Aarhus Public Libraries, Denmark

Knud Schulz, Marie Østergård, 2011 2

From Main Library of Aarhus to Mediaspace

• All development since 2002 has focused on Mediaspace

• All user involvement is about the progress from transaction to relations

• How do we learn and what do we learn?

8.500 m2

17.000/27.000 m2


Issues of Involvement WHY?• To shape the library of

the future – but also enrich the present

• To add competences

• Iterations make us wiser

• Ask when there is a real possibility of influence

• Never forget that you are the decision makers

BUT• The challenge is

that we only get answers to our own questions

• How can we get answers to what we don’t ask?

• How can we make sure that our resources are well-spent?

• What if they say smth we don’t want to hear?

Examples of methods


Phototyping5 groups of people forming visions. Everyone gets a camera and has to answer in

pictures: what is it like to be a user in Mediaspace and what is it like to work there?

• A great variety of competences involved

• Using pictures communicates well

• Starts discussions and reflections


Phototyping 5 groups of people forming visions. Everyone gets a camera and has to answer in

pictures: what is it like to be a user in Mediaspace and what is it like to work there?

• Focus on group combinations

• Consensus groups risk becoming self-absorbed and non-challenging


Village SquareA Village Square where users and staff introduced ideas and projects and where

participants spent hours elaborating on developing those ideas

• Invites users to use the library space for ideas and projects

• A channel into user thoughts and ideas

• A test-space for topics we need developed

• Access to user networks


Village SquareA Village Square where users and staff introduce ideas and projects and where

participants spent hours elaborating on developing those ideas

• An enourmous amount of ressources spent

• No promise of tangible results

• Risk that users want smth else than us


User driven designChildren’s lab: A week’s workshop with children btw 9-14 prototyping a library. The

results were used as part of the competition programme

• Direct access to children and not just children’s adults

• Children carries a large network

• In 2014 these children are btw 16-21!


User driven designChildren’s lab: A week’s workshop with children btw 9-14 prototyping a library. The

results were used as part of the competition programme

• Need for unusual adult-competences to carry it out

• Difficult to ask the ”right” questions and not influence the result


Lead Users Mindspot: Target group from 14-20. Events inside and outside of the library meeting the users in their own environment. Hiring young people – Mindspotters - on a short

term basis to create events and develop ideas for this user group

• Using user competences

• Construct a universe • Access to new network and

user groups

• We change the image of the libraryworker


Lead Users Mindspot: Target group from 14-20. Events inside and outside of the library meeting the users in their own environment. Hiring young people – Mindspotters - on a short

term basis to create events and develop ideas for this user group

• If Mindspotters become too assimilated they loose their value

• Renewal is essential


User driven developmentDevelopment of new technology using recording of voices, scenarios and an

interactive table to conduct 10 interviews with user groups. Taking place in the library space.

• New formate creates new idea development from users

• Form makes a statement about being willing to risk smth


User driven developmentDevelopment of new technology using recording of voices, scenarios and an

interactive table to conduct 10 interviews with user groups. Taking place in the library space.

• Difficult as a ”stand alone” installation

• Prototypes demand a lot of caring

• Evaluation becomes time consuming

Prototyping35 staff members, 5 groups, inventing visions for activities, functions and services.

Ideas were used directly in the competition programme

• Inclusion of staff experience

• If you dare let the imagination free things tend to be possible

• Commitment and discussions of visions

Prototyping 35 staff members, 5 groups, inventing visions for activities, functions and services.

Ideas were used directly in the competition programme

• Risk that ideas are impossible

• Risk internal fight for m2

• Extremely time consuming


Involvement of other professionsProcess developing values. Involvement of large variety of professions asking them

their view on Mediaspace’s raison d’etreand consulting them about various issues

• A mash-up library – variety of versions of the library future

• Makes Mediaspace a knowledge hub

• Gives a view into the future of other professions


Involvement of other professions Process developing values. Involvement of large variety of professions asking them

their view on Mediaspace’s raison d’etreand consulting them about various issues

• What if they think Mediaspace is a horrible idea?

• All people have their own agenda

• We need to be able to filtrate the ideas


Participatory design6 workshops with citizens and architects, remodelling the building from a user

perspective

• A test space for ideas

• Let the users be experts on being users

• If we choose against users wishes we know what we are up against


Participatory design 6 workshops with citizens and architects, remodelling the building from a user

perspective

• What if the users want smth we don’t?

• Architect commitment is essential

• All involved must have process- and listening skills


next library/Halmstad

Conference. June 19-21 in Aarhus. 4 exceptional keynotes, 18 workshops

• Library professionals set the agenda

• Contribute to the design and knowledge of Mediaspace


next library Conference. June 19-21 in Aarhus.

4 exceptional keynotes, 18 workshops

• Beauty or beast? It depends on you……….


www.urbanmediaspace.dk

Education

User involvement helsinki feb. 2011