The Lighthouse Diary #48: The Pioneer Updates

The Pioneer, our library's online research program is a child of the lockdown years. It turns four years old this school year. While working on updates for TRAILS: Tools for Research And Information Literacy Skills - Assessment, the assessment portal of the program, the idea of redesigning the site comes to mind. It looks like, ah, a Gen Xer. Hahaha (aka it looks like the one who made it).

Some questions I ask myself.

Is it broken?

Is it being used?

In terms of functionality, how efficient does it serve its purpose?

Can students and teachers navigate and understand the site, its portals and the information being communicated despite the simplistic design?

Are the links arranged logically and sequenced in a manner that encourage agency and independent learning?

Do I have the time to redesign the site?

What support and mechanisms for sustainability are in place?

I value aesthetics but there are questions to ask and answer. Meanwhile, we prepare for the opening of the new academic year in a few days!