http://dbl.lishost.org/blog Just another WordPress weblog Sun, 11 May 2008 01:23:25 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Interesting graphic in the back of the current Harvard Business Review. A nice warning not to rely on shiny new toys to drive interest, but rather we need consider the real issues/barriers preventing success and start there. Think of this as the librarian behind the reference desk-- you get shiny ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/05/11/shiny-new-toys/ The latest issue on IN, BusinessWeek's design supplement, is now available online. If you are into innovation, this is a must issue for you. The focus is on the most innovative companies. The report ranks the 50 companies that value creative people in good times and bad. This special report ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/04/27/latest-in-all-about-innovation/ Empathic design is an important part of an overall design thinking approach to designing better libraries. It's all about understanding your users from their perspective - putting yourself in their shoes so to speak - as a way of rethinking how your library could deliver better products and services. If ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/04/22/the-applied-empathy-framework/ Owing to a hectic week of travel, both personal and professional, I didn't get to finish a post I'm working on, so I guess I'll take my cues from the mass media. When it doubt, rehash old content. Well, maybe I can do slightly better than that thanks to a ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/04/11/catching-up-on-ideas-for-better-innovation/ I was glad to come across the blog Design for Service recently because it helped me to better grasp and articulate the difference between what normally happens at our service desks and what could be happening. I had been referring to desk interactions as "transactions" which is not entirely inaccurate ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/04/04/encounters-and-experiences/ There's nothing quite like reading good, clear explanations of the basic concepts and approaches we focus on here at DBL. Librarians may struggle as they seek to understand and familiarize themselves with design thinking, user experiences and other important elements of a library that delivers a great user experience. That's why ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/03/27/the-interview-learning-experience/ Every library gets to experience the excitement of developing or acquiring some new product, technology or service. Once most  of the hard work of design and implementation is completed, the fun part happens - letting it loose on the user community. But what's the best way to do that? The ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/03/17/soft-launch-vs-big-blowout-which-makes-for-better-design/ Two things are on my mind lately. I've written previously about what would constitute a good user experience for a library user, and I continue to explore how we could make this happen for our local library user community. But to do accomplish that I've also been thinking about what holds ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/03/07/overcoming-the-rules-culture-in-our-libraries/ It had to happen sooner or later. A business journalist decided it was time to burst the design thinking bubble. Does she succeed? Lara Lee, in a BusinessWeek article titled "Innovation at Risk" writes: There's a belief in some quarters that design can keep innovation relevant—that applying design thinking to our biggest business ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/03/03/designing-thinking-backlash-surfaces/ I have no intention of turning my DBL posts into some version of the user experience police, but I might on occasion point to what could be a bogus use of the UX concept. Whether it might be because the use in case is an example of pointless bandwagon jumping, total misuse of the concept or ... http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2008/02/21/another-example-submitted-for-your-reaction/