Hunt Library Touchscreens
An in-house, custom web application -- including wayfinding, room availability, events, and an "explore" feature -- is available on touchscreens in the Hunt Library.
Overview
Touchscreens in the Hunt Library utilize our in-house, custom web application.
The touchscreens offer:
Directions: Explore maps of the Hunt Library, find known locations, and watch the screen draw a path from your current location to your destination.
Events: Find out what is going on in the library today, or coming soon, and get directions to the right room.
Rooms: See which reservable study rooms are available right now.
Explore: Learn about the bookBot and other features that make the Hunt Library "Our Library of the Future." Rooms such as the Teaching & Visualization Lab are not always open, and so visitors can learn about them on the touchscreens.
Accessibility: Users can click "Move Buttons Down" to lower the entire interface for easy reach.
We conducted usability tests before and after deploying the screens. The usability test reports mention 16 screens, a quantity we reduced in 2018 to 12, and then in 2019 to the 6 most strategic locations in Hunt Library.
2022 Update: We have added 6 touchscreens to the D. H. Hill Jr. Library. They offer most of the functions of the Hunt Library touchscreens, plus a How Busy is the Hill Library? feature.
How We Did It
The application integrates feeds from several web APIs, including our room reservation system, Library event calendars in Google, and our hours in Drupal. The wayfinding section is built on a Javascript library developed at UC Davis School of Law.
Results
Team
Josh BoyerDepartment Head, User Experience
Matthew O'ConnellFormer Technology Support Specialist
AJ MiltonFormer Technology Support Analyst
Brent BraffordFormer Technology Support Analyst
Brooke PetersFormer Interim Head of Community Engagement and Visitor Relations