OPL's business objectives are user base expansion, reaching all of those within their service area, and ensuring that the library system has stable, continuous funding (McKellar, 2018; Oakland Public Library [OPL], 2018, n.d.; Tom, 2019). Martin & Musgrove aspire to transform OPL's website into an archetype from which other libraries can learn. Our business objective is to make OPL's website delightful: one that exceeds the expectations of staff, elected officials, and the public (Covert, 2011). To accomplish these goals and objectives, it is necessary to reconcile them with the information needs of OPL's current and future patrons. This requires a deeper understanding of those who make up the communities that OPL serves.

Education

The average adult in California reads at a seventh-grade level (California Health Literacy Initiative, 2008). Of the students currently attending Oakland Unified School District, more than half are reading below their grade level (EdSource, 2020). Of all adults who are living within Alameda County, 21% have a literacy level at or below a Level 1 (Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies [PIAAC], 2017). The most recently published US Census (2021a) reveals that only 41% of Alameda County adults over the age of 24 have a degree higher than a high school diploma.

Researchers recommend that content on a public library’s website should be written no higher than an eighth-grade level (Skaggs, 2017). This allows for users to understand, navigate, and feel confident while on the website. Rosenfeld et al. (2015) recommend that the language used on a website reflect that of the language utilized by its users. It is important that user research is gathered in order to determine precisely what that familiar terminology is (Neilson, 2021). In this way, the site will be clear for the users: understandable, written at an appropriate reading level, and supply intuitive navigation throughout the site (Covert, 2011). Considering the full range of reading and education levels of those within the communities served by OPL, our design objectives prioritize the way in which language is applied. This includes utilizing the results of card sorting exercises and interviews to determine labels, organizational categories, and site navigation.

Languages Spoken

The US Census Bureau (2021b) revealed that 33% of Alameda County residents were born outside of the United States - a figure almost triple that of the US average. Nearly half of all Alameda County households speak a language other than English in the home: 16% Spanish, 12.4% other 9% Chinese, 4% Tagalog, 3% Hindi, and 2% Vietnamese (DataUSA, 2018). The imperfect relationship between non-native English speakers and the library has been thoroughly studied.

Being a non-native English speaker is the highest contributing factor to library anxiety, according to numerous research studies (Jiao & Onwuegbuzie, 2001; Sinnasamy & Karim, 2015). This anxiety leads to barriers between staff and patron, discomfort being in the library, and difficulty with library technology (Cleveland, 2004). Lu and Adkins (2012) identified difficulty with library technology as a top contributor of library anxiety for non-native English users. Kralisch et. al (2006) uncovered that a user's primary language affects their interpretation of a website's ease of use and usefulness as well as their preferences for text or visual cues. Non-native English speakers prefer visual cues over that of text and vice versa. These factors all influence the way in which we shaped our design objectives.

Martin & Musgrove's user research will continue to support ways to lower user anxiety while using the library website. The research Martin & Musgrove have done thus far reveals the importance of tailoring the site's navigation based on both text and visual cues. This makes consistency a priority for the redesign (Neilson Norman Group, 2020). According to Luna et. al (2002), when a site's content is presented in a language other than a user's first, the difficulty of navigation increases. This often leads to frustration and becomes a barrier for the user. However, Luna et. al (2002) show that graphic cues can offset this frustration. Martin & Musgrove will implement consistent labeling and graphic cues that follow the standards set by other websites (Neilson Norman Group, 2020). For example, all textual links that lead to the homepage will be labeled as 'Home' and all OPL logos will behave as hyperlinks, returning the user to the homepage. This consistency builds site learnability, usability, and will likely increase users rate of return to the site, regardless of their first language and education level. (Joyce, 2020).