The VCUarts GOlab
Roles
Project Lead // User Experience Researcher // Service Designer // Curriculum Writer // Web Designer & Developer // Graphic Designer
Client
VCUarts GOlab
Problem
The VCUarts GOlab, a printing facility located on campus, encountered difficulties in effectively connecting with the student population. With a small team, providing hands-on demonstrations and workshops to the approximately 3,000 students proved challenging, resulting in a general lack of awareness and understanding about the lab's available services. Furthermore, many students felt uneasy with the print production processes, which discouraged them from fully utilizing the lab's offerings.
Goal
The GOlab sought to boost student involvement and make its services more accessible by raising awareness and improving understanding of print production processes. Empowering students with the confidence would allow them to more effectively utilize the lab's offerings.
A combination of user research and market research was conducted to evaluate the best approach to developing services students wanted and would use. Observational study of service touch points, user interviews, and background research into the lab were done and the following goals were established: increasing accessibility of services, awareness of services, and knowledge of printing so students and other customers could feel comfortable with the offered services.
User Insights
Users consistently turned to the GOlab as the printing service for their work, often citing convenience of location on campus as a benefit.
Users reported difficulty in accessing the GOlab’s services due to hours conflicting with commonly held class time.
Services that allowed for more independent operations and learning opportunities were desired by users to better educate them on print production.
Navigation was not intuitive for users on the People and Culture intranet site.
Action: Increasing Accessibility
A variety of service improvements were implemented based on user research findings to scale accessibility of the GOlab’s services.
New hours that did not conflict with class hours, such as evening hours and Sunday hours.
Implemented a remote file submission service via e-mail, reducing the necessity of submitting work in-person.
Two managers to provide regular support to staff and smoother services to students
Developing and providing on-site workshops for classes to support faculty in print production education.
Student volunteer program to supplement staff and provide additional educational resources to volunteers.
New equipment and services, such as vinyl cutting, risograph printing, perfect-binding, fabric printing, and additional large-format printers to increase productivity.
Closer collaboration with school’s IT department to provide reliable multi-page printing services such as laser printing.
Action: Increasing Awareness and Knowledge
The project yielded a comprehensive set of designed materials aimed at boosting the GOlab's visibility and educational impact:
Website: A centralized hub providing a one-stop resource for print production knowledge, combining in-house resources and a curated database of information from other labs and industry experts.
Social Media: Visually engaging posts and announcements to keep students informed and connected with the lab's offerings.
Tutorial Videos: Step-by-step guides on using the lab's binding equipment, enabling students to learn at their convenience and reducing the need for in-person demonstrations.
These initiatives collectively enhanced the GOlab's accessibility, awareness, and educational reach, ultimately tripling its business over a three-year period.
