National Library of Scotland
Helping a national institution reduce complexity, increase collaboration, and deliver exceptional user experiences.
The National Library of Scotland has developed a rich and diverse range of services to support its users, whether they engage with the library in person or online, over the last century.
Across Reader Services, Visitor Services and Imaging Services, supported by a Digital/IT team, these services – and the systems and processes behind them – have grown organically in response to changing user needs, but often in isolation from each other.
As a result, services have become increasingly fragmented, leading to a lack of shared approaches across the development of the library’s public offering. This has made it difficult for users to understand what services are available and how to access them, and equally challenging for staff to navigate and support these interlinked systems.
The Library recognised the need for improvement. However, internal teams lacked the necessary time, objective perspective, and specialised expertise in service design to comprehensively address the underlying challenges. A fresh, impartial viewpoint was required – one capable of facilitating honest discussions, unearthing deep-rooted issues, and building a clear, actionable path forward.
Understanding complexity from every angle
Scott Logic was brought in as an experienced external partner to provide clarity, structure, and objectivity through service design. We initiated our work by thoroughly engaging with Library staff in Reader Services, as well as their key interfaces in the Digital team, to fully grasp the complexities involved in service delivery. By organising comprehensive stakeholder interviews, we quickly established a robust understanding of the core challenges facing the Library.
Our next step was conducting service safaris – an immersive, observational technique that gave our design experts a first-hand experience of the journeys library users make. Our team moved through both physical spaces and digital environments, documenting their experiences meticulously. These safaris uncovered vital insights into the challenges reported by users and staff, which were vital for fuelling productive, honest discussions between departments about how to improve services.
Scott Logic provided exactly what we needed – clarity, structure, and objectivity. They helped our teams come together through honest, productive conversations setting out new approaches to service mapping and user-centred design.
Robert Cawston, Director of Digital and Service Transformation, National Library of Scotland
Putting user needs at the centre of design
Central to our approach was the concept of user-centred design. Rather than imposing predefined solutions, Scott Logic encouraged collaborative, cross-departmental workshops that placed library users and their needs at the heart of the service redesign. These interactive workshops brought together diverse teams, enabling staff members to openly discuss challenges, share insights, and collaborate on solutions in a safe and structured environment.
Through detailed journey mapping exercises, staff were able to visualise and agree upon the core problems within existing service pathways. This process revealed two things: firstly, everyone could see how their department fitted into the wider picture, and appreciate the wider context they existed in. Secondly, journey mapping highlighted that many of these issues were caused because the original systems had not been designed with user needs in mind.
By reframing challenges from a user perspective, Scott Logic worked with Library teams ideate options for clearer, more intuitive, and efficient solutions. For instance, recognising that users struggled with complicated registration procedures, the group distilled their ideas for streamlined digital sign-ups with clear communication touchpoints. Similarly, by identifying that users often needed extensive support due to confusing online catalogue searches, the group envisaged what was needed in terms of user-friendly digital tools and improved information resources to empower visitors to confidently self-serve.
Creating a unified vision and a solid foundation
Through facilitated discussions, structured exercises, and in-depth analysis, Scott Logic enabled the Library to build a cohesive, shared understanding of service design objectives.
For the first time, teams across various departments came together with an aligned vision of how to deliver streamlined, user-focused services. This shared understanding would be vital for driving meaningful change.
The practical output of Scott Logic’s work included a detailed service blueprint – in effect, a plan setting out the foundations on which the Library could build new services that would automate manual processes, simplify service requests, enhance accessibility, and deliver consistently excellent user experiences. In addition to this blueprint, Scott Logic provided practical recommendations for some initial building blocks the Library could put in place to start working towards its goals.
Immediate and future outcomes
The collaboration with Scott Logic resulted in immediate, tangible outcomes, as well as laying solid foundations for future improvements:
- Comprehensive understanding: Staff across departments gained a clear, holistic view of how services functioned, pinpointing exactly where inefficiencies and user friction occurred.
- Cross-team collaboration: The structured, user-focused approach facilitated high levels of cross-departmental collaboration, improving internal communication and teamwork.
- Enhanced user experience: Early recommendations began to address core pain points, such as clearer registration processes and improved digital communications, immediately enhancing user satisfaction.
- Reduced staff burden: Clear steps were laid out to automate and simplify routine processes, significantly reducing manual effort and freeing staff to provide specialised support to users with more complex needs.
- Foundations for transformation: Scott Logic’s detailed service blueprint established the foundation and a clear trajectory for future digital transformation initiatives and continuous improvement projects.
Looking ahead
With Scott Logic’s comprehensive and actionable guidance, the National Library of Scotland is now well-equipped to continue building an understanding of its complex services and developing a more sustainable approach to service mapping. The work Scott Logic has done across Reader Services is now a blueprint that the Library can apply elsewhere, keeping user needs central and adapting to future challenges. Scott Logic’s service design approach has laid a clear pathway towards ongoing excellence and innovation in public service delivery.