By Derek Sojda, MLIS '10

When I came into library school my goal was never to work in a conventional library. I saw the modern librarian as an information broker. Someone who could access a vast volume of information and relay it to the public in an easy and enjoyable fashion. I saw my future at the intersection of information and technology. How could the technology of today be used to enhance this information experience? These were questions that I had that were not totally answered when I left Wayne State, but I soon found myself on the right path.

I started my career as an information technology consultant. Coming out of library school I had unique skills around taxonomy, information architecture, metadata, and content management. I found a role at a global IT services consultancy and was able to work on a variety of projects for clients in many different industries. I was learning a lot and gaining much needed experience, but I felt something was missing. I wasn't creating and I wasn't connecting with the work I was doing on an emotional or intellectual level. I needed a change.

I heavily researched and searched for the career that I needed to have; that met the qualifications I wanted. I didn't know that this was called user experience, but when I did, it was an epiphany. Somewhat trapped in the confines of my current job and unable to figure out how I would break into the UX field without experience, I decided to go back to school for a second masters degree in User Experience Design at Kent State University. Library school had provided the foundations of information architecture, but I decided that I needed a program fully focused on user experience design.

Immediately in my classes I was sketching, I was being creative, I was thinking about big ideas and how to genuinely change the technology we all interact with to create better, more worthwhile experiences. I started to build a portfolio to showcase these ideas and my fundamental understanding of good user experience practices.

I started last March as a User Experience Designer for Grand River Interactive (now Perficient Digital Commerce. We were acquired late last year). My work consists of designing e-commerce solutions on the creative team. We work hand-in-hand with developers and lead with design as opposed to technology. A lot of my job consists of understanding the client's users. I think of it as the psychology of design. How can I design something that works, is enjoyable for that client's customers, and helps convert sales? Where my library background comes in handy is working with people and understanding various viewpoints, particularly how they want to access and digest information. From here I am able to work to structure the information, refine taxonomies, and design features and ways to display content. But it all comes back to understanding who the user is and giving them a better, more fulfilling experience.
If you are currently in library school, have graduated from library school, or are considering library school, I implore you to think outside the box. Think of all the ways information is handled and presented in the world today and then think of how you affect that information. User experience is only one of the multitude of ways a library degree can be put to use. We're living in the information age, and who is better positioned than the information specialist?