Protolib findings presentation slides

Protolibfindings presentation

or ‘what we know after 3 intensive, surprising and fascinating months of

research, analysis & design’

Thank you…Alison ChewAmber RockwellAndrew AlexanderAndy Nightingale Ange FitzpatrickAngela CuttsBecky BlunkBeth SherwoodCatherine ReidCelia VartholomaiouCeline CartyChristine AlexanderClaire Welford-ElkinClara MidgelyCraig LaurenceDavid RushmerDavid WillsElaine SkidmoreEmma EtteridgeFrancesca Harper

Francesco MannuFrank BowlesGeoff ShippHannah HainesHeather MortonHelen MurphyHelen SnellingHolly PinesJack DixonJayne KellyJenni Lecky-ThompsonJo BaileyJo MiltonJulian FullerKasia DrabekKat SendallKirsten LambKirstie PreestLesley GrayLibby Tilley

Linda WashingtonLindsay JonesLucy WelchMarina BallardMarjolein AllenMark PurcellMartin FrenchMary KattumanMatilda WatsonMeg WestburyMorag LawNaomi WoodburnNatalie KentNiamh TumeltyNoelle SextonPatricia KilliardPri PaisRachel Walker

Ros EscheRose GilesRosie AustinSam PercivalShaun FrySimon GooseSimon HallidaySimon MeadSonya AdamsStuart StoneTom SykesUppy ButlerYvonne Nobis

Project aim & objectivesTo plan and provision the right types of library spaces at new and existing hubs in Cambridge, through the creation and close observation of a number of experimental library spaces

To gather insights into the needs, expectations, behaviours, goals and values of today’s library users and make library space recommendationsaccordingly

ApproachEmploying human-centred design and user experience research methods to build a reliable picture of current user need AND behaviour

Methods included: • co-design workshops• LEGO Serious Play• iterative prototyping• observation• behavioural mapping• feedback mechanisms• contextual interviews• expert interviews

Stats• Volunteers: 50• Observations: 317 • Exit interviews: 127• Graffiti wall comments: 377• Touchstone tours: 14• Expert interviews: 12• Comment cards: 287• Surveys: 46• Weeks spent in UL bunker: 4• Total no of sticky notes killed in action: 678,512• Design terms used and not understood by Andy or David: 17

Where are users sitting?

What are they doing?

What devices are they using?

Are they moving between print and electronic?

What else do they have with them?

Are they using any facilities in the room other than the desk (lamps, blankets, cushions, power etc.)

Does the room reach capacity/does anyone come in and leave due to perceived full capacity?

12:26D is at it again. Laughter about something on his laptop. Again no-one reacts.

12:29I check to see if anyone is wearing earbuds and no-one left in the room has them.

12:32 E is now writing notes up besides laptop but is no longer typing on it

12:36Although lots of people have books with them. Only B and G are actively using them at this time. Actually G is just now on his phone again checking something. He often reads his book by holding it aloft.

Subjective notes- Room feels very studious but there's actually a lots of distraction and displacement activity going on - moving between devices, fiddling with phones. - People regularly move between different ways of working and different items on their desk. - No-one has come into the space during the time and had to leave due to (perceived) capacity issues as they did previously.

Creating the Perfect Space?

The workshops revealed that there was greatest need for spaces for reading, writing, group work and analysis and what ‘perfect’ or optimal spaces for these activities might look like

Therefore our prototype spaces in new and existing spaces were initially modelled as ‘perfect’ spaces for different activities…

Analysis& Design

Findings

People choose their working environment based on 3 factors

There are 3 factors that significantly and consistently influence an individual’s choice of working environment

Students and researchers choose an environment based primarily on:

• their activity• the intended length of their visit • how they feel

People choose their working environment based on 3 factors

“This space is helping me work in a more relaxed way, and when I’m really stressed I can’t work. What would tend to happen is that I’d spend all my time trying desperately to work, trying to write and trying to get a chapter finished, and I wouldn’t take any breaks, whereas now I’m in a kind of relaxed environment, so I don’t feel like I have to perform so I can get work done.”

– PhD student. Interviewed outside the South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library

“Definitely the task, a combination of that and how stressed I am. If less stressed I’ll use the main Reading Room, if typing all day the Commonwealth Room (large monitors and better for posture, shoulder gets strained from using laptop all day). I use the South Reading Room if feeling stressed or want to read something, or want to think about stuff. Use North Reading Room if I want to type but feel too stressed to go into main Reading Room. I find those rooms (Protolib environments) really relaxing, and less intense.”

– PhD student. Interviewed outside the SouthReading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library

The intensity gradient


Activity, length of stay and wellbeing are expressed in an individual’s choice of working environment. Each environment can be defined by its level of intensity

The intensity is a constructive definition of an environment as it can be applied across disciplines and is not limited by a focus on specific working activity

The intensity gradient will always exist, regardless of changes in working activity in the future

High intensity environment

• Low transience (i.e. low level of movement through space, and longer stays in space)

• A silent, or close to silent atmosphere• The presence of traditional and formal desks and chairs• Usually a large open plan space• Low levels of individual personal space• A high level of exposure, either to staff, other users of the space or

a combination of the two

Medium intensity environment

• Smaller than a high intensity environment, with a maximum occupancy of around 40 people

• More ‘humanised’ than a high intensity environment, with added features such as plants and artwork

• More room for each individual working in the space to spread out. This is a particularly important feature of the medium intensity space, which needs to provide for people working with a lot of different materials at once

• Traditional desks and chairs

Low intensity environment

• Relaxed atmosphere, but still conducive to work rather than breaks

• Soft furnishings and a ‘soft’ aesthetic feel• Sofas and arm chairs, with no traditional desks or chairs in

the space• Quiet (i.e. an acceptable level of whispering but a low level

of working noise)• Comfortable


“This space provides a change of focus from the Library, and a new perspective when needed.”

– Undergraduate student, Faculty of English, University of Cambridge. Interviewed in the prototype break space at the Faculty of English

“I’m using this space as a break frommore intensive work.”

– MPhil student, Faculty of History, University of Cambridge. Interviewed outside South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library

The hierarchy of working activityA range of working activities make up the working day of a student or researcher. Observation has shown that although the specific tasks and behaviours will be different for each person, most academic work involves a hierarchy of primary, secondary and tertiary activities and that these affect where and how people choose to work.

“It’s an amazing space. I think it’s great having a range of spaces to work in. There’s a really good range now and lots of options. I wouldn’t want sofas everywhere but this is great!”

– University of Cambridge alumna. Interviewed outside the South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library

Providing a variety of environments is important for productivity

Moving between environments may have a functional benefit (e.g. moving to a desk to use a laptop). Beyond pure ergonomics people will change the environment in which they work periodically to help maintain their concentration and productivity or to create mental space in which to reflect upon their work.

Different types of working activity require different working environments with varied levels of intensity, and also specific types of physical environment and surface provision. An example would be an academic primarily working from a laptop, who then needs to read a chapter from a book may move from a medium to a low intensity environment to do so.

Providing a variety of environments is important for productivity

“I had been in the UL all morning and needed a change of scene, somewhere comfy to do data analysis.”

– PhD student, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge. Interviewed outside the South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library

“It’s important to have a room to ‘switch gears’. If the body is comfortable it allows the mind to work.”

– PhD student, University of Exeter. Interviewed outside the South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library

Location and context are important indicators as to how spaces will be usedWhen designing new library spaces it is important to consider the wider environment in which it sits. Are there other libraries nearby or spaces to take a break? Is there a café where groupwork is already taking place? What is the potential user base of your new space and what will they need to do in it?

Different environments will be seen as either convenience or destination spaces:• Convenience spaces are close to activities such as lectures

and supervisions, and have mainly short stay visitors• Destination spaces are ones which users travel to with the

primary intention of using the spaces and its resources

Hubs and halos

‘Sidgwick Nomads’

Many students were observed to regularly use library and non-library spaces beyond their disciplines. We started to call these people Sidgwick Nomads.

Disciplines of Sidgwick Nomads:Criminology, Development Studies, Economics, Geography, History, HSPS, Linguistics, Medicine, MML

Nomads were also from nearby colleges:Robinson, Newnham, Selwyn

Many of them were seeking groupwork and break spaces that were not available in their faculties.

Service touchpoints are best placed in high-traffic areas with clear signposting of the services provided

Interviews conducted with librarians revealed agreement thatplacing service counters in high traffic areas maximises the visibility of help to users of the space.

“There’s a lot to be said for visibility for glass, and an open door.”

However, many librarians suggested that the traditional library touchpoint is no longer enough:

“The old style library counter relationships no longer exists – it can be a real and perceived barrier.”

“The temptation would be to give it [the library] up as a space... and then break our service into every informal space across the building where it is really needed.”

Individual space provision is extremely importantThe space provided for each individual workstation is an important consideration. This can be in terms of the surface area of a desk, or the personal “bubble” needed in a low intensity work space

Investment in a space is directly linked to the length of stay

Control over the environment they are working in is important for an individual, not only to increase personal satisfaction in and with the space, but also so that they can optimise their individual work station, and ‘micro’ environment within the wider space

“The blankets are great. I love those. They’re being used in the North Reading Room too!”

– Undergraduate, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge. Interviewed outside the South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library

More chairs does not mean a higher level of occupancy

The purpose of a space needs to beclearly definedSilence is always the lowest common denominator in a library. In other words if a space is not clearly defined for purpose, and if acceptable noise levels are not marked in some way it will default to being silent.

Throughout the project, where spaces have seen as ambiguous in their nature, people using the spaces have not been comfortable enough in the knowledge of what behaviour will be permitted.

“You need to establish what the space is, if someone seems to be working here you don’t want to sit down and start chatting as you feel you’re interfering. If it were marketed or signposted as a space people could talk in this would be better. You wouldn’t mind chatting when people were working in the space.”

Positive zoning is important in defining spaces

“I appreciated them putting up notes saying ‘You’re allowed to eat snacks and stuff in here’, because at the start I was sort of like ‘Am I allowed to? Am I not?’ [...] Yeah, having that clarified was good.”

– Undergraduate student, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge. Interviewed in new Engineering Library

Importantly signage is rarely the most appropriate or constructive way to define the intended use of a space, including its intended noise levels and other characteristics. A lot can be done to define a space without signage, including the positive zoning of areas with different colour floors and walls, and different furniture used in the environment.

Wellbeing is an important issue, and can increase productivity

A surprisingly strong emergent theme is that attention to individual wellbeing in the design of environments can improve peoples’ productivity. It is therefore important that different environments are provided to support people working with different levels of individual mental wellbeing.

Wellbeing is an important issue, and can increase productivity

“I used to have a mental block in more traditional and serious spaces. I can start work instantly in here.”

– Academic staff, Faculty of English, University of Cambridge. Interviewed outside the South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at theUniversity Library

“This space supports my needs because I find Cambridge too intense and stressful.”

– Undergraduate student, Faculty of History, University of Cambridge. Interviewed outside the South Reading Room low intensity prototype environment at the University Library.

Group work requires open and closed spaces

Group work requires a mixture of open environments and closed environments, depending on the group activity and the intended length of stay

It is important to provide well thought out and functional break spacesProviding break spaces in or close to a network of working spaces is important. Being able to take breaks near to where they are working means that people will stay in a library or hub for longer. This means that their endurance and productivity will be raised.

Spaces need to adapt during peak periods

At different points throughout the year library services and spaces need to support different user behaviours and needs. It is important that the potential occupancy of a space can be increased temporarily to meet changes in demand.

An example would be a medium intensity space, which during peak revision periods can be modified with extra chairs and furniture in order to provide more individual work stations.

DesignPatterns








High intensity environment

Expertise points

Break space

It is important to consider the relationships between working environments

Environments with different intensity levels are mutually supportive

The need for boundaries between environments depends on their nature

Solid boundary Permeable boundary

The need for boundaries between environments depends on their nature

Furniture findings

• Furniture influences the intensity of the environment• Sofas and armchairs should provide surfaces to support

‘occasional desk work’• It is important to provide adjustable furniture, or a range of

furniture to support different needs• Providing suitable storage will reduce clutter and maximise

available work surfaces• Adequate provision of plug points is essential to ensure

length of stay• Always test furniture before buying!

Intensity mapping

Building blocks

Any questions?

Thank you for your time

Andy PriestnerDavid Marshall

~Futurelib Programme