Group Study Room Bookings UX Study

In April 2017, the UX Team explored how students were experiencing the new online booking system for Group Study Rooms.

Research Questions

• What do students think of the new online booking system?
• How do students use the Group Study Rooms?

Methods

• We conducted short guerilla interviews with 46 students using Group Study Rooms at random times throughout the day.
• 7 random occupancy spot checks were conducted where we compared the online availability with the actual usage of each room for a given time slot.
• We conducted an environmental scan of Group Study Room booking options in other Ontario university libraries.

What did we Learn?

• Students found the online booking system easy to use and much preferred it to the old key method.
• The majority of students had to stay up until 12 am (on the dot!) to secure a Room as soon as they were made available for the following day. Most expressed frustration in having to do this, but understood the rationale behind our same day booking model.
• They would like to be able to book rooms for longer than 2 hours at a time.
• Several groups in the Group Study Rooms were working individually (not on group assignments) but wanted to be around their friends.
• They stressed the importance the Library plays in their studies. It is the only place on campus where they can book a quiet space for group work.

Our Recommendations

• Eliminate the confirmation email. This adds an unnecessary extra barrier for the user.
• Consider changing the start time for room bookings from midnight to earlier in the evening or first thing in the morning.
• Allow students to book more than 1 day in advance.
• Extend the 2-hr limit to allow one user to book 3 or 4 hours in a row.
• Explore easier ways of cancelling room bookings rather than forcing students to locate the confirmation email.
• Soundproof the rooms. They are currently located on “quiet” floors.
• Long term: rezone the quiet space in the Library to ensure it is not shared with staff offices and Group Study Rooms.