Good Design Award winner
How might we become more client-focussed to improve the quality of scholarly information and library services we offer?
Client: University of Southern Queensland, Scholarly & Information Services (SILS)
In late 2016, The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) had a vision to reimagine its overall model for delivery of Scholarly Information & Learning Services (SILS) in order to greater serve the needs of its clientele. At the time there was a recognition that, “we’re not serving clients how they need to be served; we’re not client-focussed or client-centric”.
White Light was engaged to work with SILS over a twelve month period, harnessing a human-centred design approach to developing a new engagement model that placed university clients at the centre of all SILS services.
The project involved three phases that included the following activities:
Phase 1 Workshop: A two-day workshop held from 9-10 February 2017 to collaboratively develop a new, draft SILS client engagement model and to design a series of small, low-risk experiments to test out the draft model over a subsequent 3 month period
Phase 1 Coaching: Fortnightly, online coaching for 6 x “champions” during the implementation period of the Phase 1 model and experiments
Phase 2 Workshop: A two-day workshop held from 29-30 June 2017 to evaluate the success of the phase one model, design improvements to the model and develop a series of projects to test the next phase of implementation.
Phase 2 Coaching: Fortnightly, online coaching for 6 x “champions” during the implementation period of the Phase 2 model and projects
Phase 3 Workshop: A two-day workshop held from 14-15 December 2017 to evaluate the success of the phase two model and projects and to focus on improvements to the SILS collaborative culture in 2018.
The project involved the following outcomes:
- New, Phase 1 draft model for client engagement (tested and evaluated based on staff and client feedback over a three month period)
- 6 experiments conducted by multidisciplinary teams and led by a team “champion” over a three month period, with outcomes evaluated and presented to all staff
- Improved, Phase 2 client engagement model (tested and evaluated according to a client impact metric over a three month period)
- 6 projects undertaken by multidisciplinary teams and led by a team “champion” over a three month period, with outcomes evaluated and presented to all staff
- Improved, Phase 3 client engagement model (implemented and evaluated through new, business-as-usual projects in 2018)
