Our goal is to meet our users' needs by providing access information and services. To do that, we must treat the website with the same respect we give our physical collections. 

FOCUS ON PATRON NEEDS

Understanding patron needs is central. Our work should take into account what real people need.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

• Patron needs should be at the center of every discussion.
• Focus web content and site organization around patron needs.
• Assessment content early and often.
• When something isn’t working, isn’t aligned with our goals, or isn’t worth ongoing maintenance, we should let go of it.

DESIGN AND BUILD FOR EVERYONE

Designing a website for inclusion is better for everyone. Our patrons are:

• novice and expert users
• desktop and mobile users
• people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive impairments
• non-native English speakers
• users with different cultural expectations.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

• Accessibility starts at the beginning of a project.
• Content should use proper markup and plain language. Multimedia requires extra effort (for example, videos should have captioning).
• Design for simplicity to help reduce barriers.
• Avoid introducing new technology that is not accessible. All new code must be accessible by default and we should improve legacy code.

DO LESS, DO IT BETTER

Our web presence is large and complex. Developing and maintaining it requires prioritization and re-prioritization over time. In other words, deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. 

WHAT THIS MEANS:

• Always ask if we need to do “this” and why. It’s an important part of the process and isn’t meant as a critique.
• Focus on unique things the library can offer.
• Focus on core content areas that have high user impact over niche, or “just-in-case” content.
• Reduce existing, and avoid adding new, technical debt.
• Redesign of core systems takes precedence over new systems.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Making something simple to use is difficult. 

WHAT THIS MEANS:

• Quantity of content matters. Users are better served by fewer pages that contain more concise and useful content. We should err on the side of being strategic over being exhaustive. And remember, you have to maintain everything you create.
• Quality of content matters. The better the content, the more useful and usable it is.
• Use simple user research methods that yield quality results.
• Use design to simplify and improve interactions.
• When considering new technologies, make sure the user need justifies the use.
• Be mindful of archival responsibilities, maintenance, and development overhead needed long-term.

TAKE A HOLISTIC VIEW

The website is the busiest branch of the library. Designing for the web and physical space is part of the whole user experience.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

• Use the same terms and design across physical and virtual spaces.
• Create content within the context of the whole library. Unit-specific content should not duplicate content applicable to everyone (or available elsewhere already). Present content that spans library departments according to user needs.

HAVE A SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

A healthy infrastructure ensures that the website is sustainable. The more we use our existing platforms, the more seamless the user experience will be. Connecting these platforms helps users and streamlines content creation and management.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

• Prefer to build new sites and tools within existing frameworks.
• Preference for CMS and database-based systems over custom, one-off “artisanal” sites.
• All sites and systems should have a consistent visual design and branding.