Library of Congress work highlights
As a senior user experience designer at the Library of Congress I am responsible for user research, strategy, product design, and interaction design. Below are some examples that showcase my experience in these areas.
Strategic planning and user needs analysis for the copyright registration system
Building an understanding of user needs
The replacement of the current copyright registration system with a modern solution is a multi-year effort. Our team needed a way to frame our current work in a broader context, and help stakeholders understand the interconnections between the many facets of the registration system that will eventually need to be built.
To help our team frame our work in a broader context, I showed how user journey mapping and story mapping techniques could be used to help us understand what will be required to build a complete registration system.
To build the maps, I planned and facilitated a series of user needs analysis workshops attended by leadership and stakeholders from the U.S. Copyright Office, the Copyright Modernization Office, and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). In each workshop, I partnered with a colleague on the UX team to guide participants through exercises designed to identify user needs at each step in registration system journey. At the end of the workshops, we synthesized the findings and presented the team with maps representing our collective understanding of user needs for the registration system.
This work was recognized by Copyright and OCIO leadership as a critical part of the strategic planning process for the registration development project, and has served as key project documentation that has helped align the team around a shared set of goals, onboard new team members, and to describe the system to a wide array of stakeholders.
Copyright registration user research and testing
Moderated research interviews and prototype testing
The current copyright registration system includes several applications that have historically been difficult for applicants to complete. Errors on applications lead to delays in registration decisions, increased correspondence with the Copyright Office, and rejected registration applications. To reduce application errors and the need for correspondence, my team needed to gain a better understanding of common problems that applicants face.
I worked with Copyright Office leadership and the registration development team to create a Lean UX-informed user research plan that we could incorporate into our agile development sprints. I managed all aspects of research and testing for the project including: defining test goals; recruiting and screening test participants; writing test scripts; documenting test logistics; scheduling participant interviews; moderating remote research interviews; preparing findings reports; and presenting research findings.
The research and testing that I conducted has consisted of remote, moderated research interviews, usability testing (using prototypes I built in Figma and Sketch), card sorting exercises, and surveys.
My research has helped the team build shared understanding of approaches for improving the user experience of high priority areas of the registration system. In addition to providing valuable guidance for feature development, highlights from my research have been shared with the public and Library leadership as major project accomplishments. I was invited to present the research to the Register of Copyrights and the Copyright Management Council in April 2021, and the Librarian of Congress and other Library leaders in June 2021.
Copyright design system documentation and specifications for feature development
A user-centered approach to feature development
Before we begin development of a registration system feature, I lead discovery activities to build a shared understanding of how a feature will support user needs, and function in a performant and accessible way. After there is agreement on approach, I create detailed design, content, and accessibility specifications in Figma and Confluence, and collaborate with business analysts to write testable user stories in Jira that can be referenced by QA and software developers. During development, I support feature delivery by providing design and code review.
Collaborating on a design system
In addition to supporting registration system development, I work with designers, developers, and accessibility specialists on other projects that are part of the Enterprise Copyright System to design and maintain components that are part of a shared design system. To help maintain the design system, I have:
- created and updated design system components in Figma;
- provided detailed component usage and technical documentation in Confluence;
- inspected code in demo environments including Storybook to verify the components are built with semantic HTML and follow accessibility best practices;
- facilitated collaboration on global component implementation across teams through management of ongoing design system working group meetings.
Continuous delivery of value
My management of design activities for the registration system has brought quality and efficiency to the development process. My support for the copyright design system has made it easier to reuse common components and functionality across the Enterprise Copyright System.