Library signage design
The University of Arizona Libraries
UX researcher/ UX designer
2025
Effective signage plays a crucial role in helping people navigate and engage with a space, but at the University of Arizona Libraries, this was a significant challenge. The original wayfinding signs, designed during the early stages of the library’s construction, were functional but limited. Over time, new signs were added, leading to inconsistencies, incomplete information, and confusion. This project was an opportunity to rethink and redesign the signage to make it clearer, more cohesive, and helpful for everyone using the library.
Understanding the Problem
We began our research with moderated usability testing sessions to evaluate how the signs work within the library space. Our primary questions focused on wayfinding methods and how participants locate information about collections and their physical locations. This test served as an assessment of the combined effectiveness of the library’s website and physical signage in supporting discoverability.
Participants
Our participant group included six individuals with varying levels of familiarity with the library:
New Users: Two participants who were unfamiliar with the library and its systems.
Somewhat Familiar Users: Two participants who had completed certain tasks in the library before and were curious to explore further.
Experienced Users: Two participants, including one library science major, who were very familiar with the library’s layout and systems.
We chose this diverse group to compare how different familiarity levels impacted the methods used, challenges faced, and interactions with library resources.
Process
Each participant was tasked with locating an item from the collections we aimed to promote within a 15-minute time limit. They were allowed to use the library website, online resources, signage, and maps but were not permitted to ask for assistance at the information desk.
Participants were instructed to think aloud, sharing their thought processes and decisions as they worked through the task. This approach provided valuable insights into their navigation strategies and the obstacles they encountered.
Outcomes
The testing revealed several key insights:
Signage Issues: Participants highlighted specific areas in the library where signage was unclear or inadequate, affecting their ability to navigate the space.
Impact of Titles and Signs: Observations showed how the wording and placement of signs influenced navigation patterns.
Online Resources: Maps, help pages, and the library website were valuable tools for participants who relied on them, though they required prior knowledge to access effectively.
Participants indicated they would not have been aware of certain collections without being prompted by the task. This confirmed our hypothesis that the collections require better promotion on the website and through physical signage.
Engaging Users Through Interactive Feedback
Our design team at the University of Arizona Libraries uses whiteboards as a joyful and interactive way to gather feedback from students on a variety of topics. These "Talk-Back" boards offer a great opportunity for us to capture insights and better understand student experiences related to library services. Placed in the library lobby, the boards feature one or more prompts, inviting students to contribute their thoughts using stickers, markers, and sticky notes.
For this particular project, we designed a Talk-Back board to explore how often students engage with our library shelves and whether they find them easy to navigate. We provided a table with different frequency options, and students placed stickers under the choices that best reflected how often they explored and used the library stacks. They were also encouraged to write additional comments on sticky notes to explain their answers. The results were insightful, revealing that students were more likely to explore the shelves than we had initially expected. The board remained in the lobby for a week, and the feedback was carefully documented for future reference and decision-making.
This board also highlighted some barriers that prevent students from exploring the stacks, despite their interest. Factors such as a lack of clear information and signage about the contents of each section, as well as uninviting shelf areas, were among the reasons mentioned. These findings are important in helping us create a more inviting and informative library environment.
A detailed description of this Talk-Back board and images of student responses can be found here: User interactions with library stacks.
Issues with the existing Signs
After conducting the test, I started documenting and categorizing all the signs in the library. This process helped us identify the types of information provided throughout the space and find out about the current problems:
Lack of clear instructions in certain areas.
Lack of clarity in some titles and terms.
Inconsistency and varying formats in presenting the same type of information.
Lack of awareness about digital resources.
Insufficient knowledge and empathy toward users and their needs.
The documentation also raised several important questions:
Are all the necessary pieces of information included, or are there additional details we should consider adding to the signs?
Do all the signs target the same audience, or are there different target audiences for each sign category?
How are the physical signs and information provided on the library’s website work in terms of one another?
The table presents different categories of signs and the information currently provided in the library. For images and more details, please visit: Library Sign Categories.