Improving search experience and content with British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the second largest library in the world by number of items catalogued, with well over 150 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British Library receives copies of all books and journals produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including a significant proportion of overseas titles distributed in the UK.
Stats
12 lab-based user testing sessions
12
2 days of contextual enquiry and onsite observation helped understand the journeys of new and regular users.
2 days
6 stakeholder interviews
6
The Challenge
Through stakeholder workshops, user testing, and contextual enquiries in London and Sheffield, the project identified key usability challenges and opportunities for improvement. Comparative analysis of similar library catalogues provided valuable insights, while experience mapping detailed user journeys from discovery to study.
The findings increased understanding of user needs, validated internal hypotheses, and provided evidence-based recommendations to improve accessibility. This research has empowered the British Library to make informed strategic decisions, ensuring its services remain accessible and user-friendly in the digital age.
To improve our services for everyone who wants to do research, the British Library needed to investigate how users currently discover and retrieve content at the Library, focusing on:
- The current search experience on the main catalogue, containing millions of items
- How easy it is for users to view content, in person at the Library and online
- How the British Library compares to other similar institutions
The strategy
What we delivered
- A stakeholder workshop to establish user types and create sketch personas
- 6 stakeholder interviews to understand current business processes and pain points
- 12 lab-based user testing sessions in London and Sheffield with existing and potential Library users
- 2 days of contextual enquiry and onsite observation to understand the different journeys of new and regular users at the Library
- Review of the search experience on 4 comparable catalogues from both university and national libraries
- An experience map showing a user’s path from first hearing about the British Library to studying with items at the Library
- Reports of findings
- Multiple stakeholder presentations
The result
- Evidence to inform strategic decisions to achieve the British Library’s vision, of making our intellectual heritage accessible to everyone for research, inspiration and enjoyment in a digital, global age
- Increased understanding of different types of users, and their different needs and perceptions of the British Library
- Increased knowledge of the severity of existing usability issues by understanding their impact on users’ journeys
- Validation of internal hypotheses around issues caused by existing infrastructure and constraints
- Awareness of comparable library catalogues’ strengths to leverage or adapt their approach where appropriate
Evidence about existing processes that are proven to work well
Client Testimonial
GAIN delivered a very high-quality research study, with strong evidence and clear recommendations. This evidence has helped motivate staff at all levels to act on the results – which is exactly what we wanted. The researchers and other GAIN staff were all extremely professional, hardworking, innovative and a delight to work with.
Sally Halper
Head of Research Service and Content Strategy, British Library