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Samvera community packages run the gamut from Ruby gems, to generators, to Rails and Elixir applications, Node modules, JavaScript UI components and more. Thinking about a meaningful purpose the UX Interest Group could serve the community in 2021, the following questions have surfaced.

  • What does such a wide variety of Samvera code have in common, besides serving the digital repository needs of the Library/cultural heritage community?

  • What does it mean to be a “Samvera application”?

  • What if general criteria existed which Samverians (developers, product owners, managers, designers), could reference when designing and developing an app or module?

Mission

The UX Interest Group proposes crafting a set of Design Principles, which reflect the values and goals of the Samvera Community. In addition, perhaps these Design Principles could:

  1. Serve as a guide for application design before development begins.

    1. For example, when creating wire-frames for a new feature, does the wire-framed content meet Design Principles standards?

  2. Act as a reference point for applications in active development.

  3. Be a tool to evaluate existing Samvera applications, such as:

    1. Identify areas which might fall short of meeting Samvera Design Principles, thus becoming opportunities for improvement.

Interpretting these Principles from Different Audience Perspectives

Do we consider all or specific audiences for these principles? Let’s debate!

  • Backend Developers (current & future)

  • Front End Developers (current & future)

  • Administrative Users

  • End Users / Patrons (students, faculty, research, general public, etc.)

***We want to put in questions with each principle we settle on to help people think thru how they are/arent' reaching those principles. **

Samvera Design Principles (working draft)

Samvera is a vibrant and welcoming community of information and technology professionals who share challenges, build expertise, and create sustainable, best-in-class solutions, making the world’s digital collections accessible now and into the future.

1. Human-Centered

  • Inclusive & Equitable

    • Q: Does the app feel welcoming?

    • Q: Does the app (unintentionally) leave any users out (culturally, language, eye-sight conditions, etc)?

    • Q: Is it obvious where to request help? Report a problem?

  • Accessible & Universal

    • Q: Is the app “approachable”?

    • Q: Does the app feel cluttered?

    • Q: Is the app responsive across viewport sizes?

    • Q: Does the app follow WCAG requirements? At what level?

    • Q: Easy to find and manipulate any accessibility features?

  • Engaging & Unambiguous

    • Q: Does the app actively engage/empower users?

  • Unassuming

    • Q: Does the app use simple language, explain all accronyms?

    • Q: Are used icons universally recognized for desired function?

2. Efficient

  • Modular while functioning as a whole

    • Q: Does the app take advantage of DRY principles and is logically separated?

  • Minimal (in design & latency)

    • Q: Does the UI display more than is needed?

  • Intuitive

    • Q: Is it easy to understand and follow with minimal to no training needed?

    • Q: Is it easy for users to avoid and correct errors?

  • Predictable, uncomplicated and precise

    • Q: Ex. Does the app use consistent breadcrumbs & buttons placement? Consistent color and icons usage?

3. Unified

  • Follow standards, guidelines, conventions and best practices.

    • Q: Does the app use popular open-source libraries/packages?

    • Q: If core developers left the app, could its maintenance continue?

  • Consistent behavior patterns and functionality

    • Q: Does the app feel very different on any screens?

  • Clearly documented (for designers and users)

    • Q: Where would a user find the app’s documentation?

    • Q: Where would a developer find the. app’s documentation?

4. Sustainable

  • Flexibility balanced with Friction

  • Prioritise Sustainability over Trends

    • Q: Is the app built upon technologies less than 2 years old?

  • Maintenance demands should match organizational commitment to a resource.

    • Q: Are bug issues outweighing new feature issues?

  • Design (visual, technical, etc.) should be forward-looking, taking into account likely future scenarios, and avoid short-term trends.

    • Q: Are any trends in design you are considering encorporating reliant on Proprietary systems?

5. Ethical

  • Transparent

    • Q: Is the app’s codebase open source (for ease of Adoption & Integration)

    • Q: Is the app Community driven/managed

    • Q: Does the app have a visible public policy around User Data Collection and Analysis?

  • Mindful of trends and unintended favouritism thru integration choices (ie. FB, Google+ integrations)

    • Q: Does the app rely heavily on 3rd party modules (FB/Google/etc)?

  • Safety

    • Q: Does the app prioritize security in code

  • Ease of Adoption for all communities

  • Prioritise Design choices that favour all communities.

Contribution Acknowledgements for the Samvera Design Principles:

Source:

People/Members:

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