The Library Learning Bar
Experience Design
Duration
Role
12 weeks
Synthesis, Modeling, Form, Rendering
Year
Advisor
2024
Noah Posner
Team Members
Daniel Lee, El Pimentel, Phoenix
Overview
Answer the Question: What is the future of Public Libraries?
Description
The Library Learning bar a hub for librarians to connect patrons to resources. By drawing on the mental model of a bar, the library learning bar creates moments for social connection between the patron and librarian and heightening visibility for the library’s lesser-known offerings.
This is Mel. They walk into the library and head straight to their favorite spot in the back. On their way, they glance at a few flyers on the wall but don’t pay too much attention to them. They sit down and begin to work on their resume for an upcoming job application. Unsure with where to start, they begin to search online on how to develop their resume. Discouraged, they leave the library feeling unsure about how to move forward.
This isn’t because patrons aren’t interested. It’s because they don’t know about these other services.Librarians hang up these walls full of flyers that they tell us their patrons don’t notice.One librarian told us that she’ll stop a regular patron on their way out to say “Hey, we see you here all the time. Do you have a card? Would you like a card?’ Because it's free, but people don't realize it's free.” Librarians are trying so hard to tell people about these resources, but they’re still not getting through.For some patrons, that might mean missing out on an event that would be perfect for their interests. For other patrons, that might mean not getting food stamps.
We went through rounds of concept development to creat our final design, a bar that connects librarians with patrons.
