Is Anybody Actually Using This? Gaining Insight to Technology Ownership and Use for Planning and Purchasing Elizabeth German, Web Services Coordinator Anita R. Dryden, Digital & Web Projects Fellow Damon Camille, Training, Assessment & Statistics Coordinator University of Houston Libraries

Overview  Introduction, overview  Why you need this information:  Mobile/personal device growth  Limited funding, can’t support every device/platform/etc.  Importance to planning and purchasing  Ways to address:  national data  local surveys  usage data  What we did at UH  Why we did a local assessment  Setting up & conducting survey, decisions, challenges, etc.  How it compared to national data  Wrap-up, future challenges  Brainstorm/participatory something: what is most important for you to know? Device ownership, importance for schoolwork, etc?  Q&A

Why do I need to know about this?

Technology is changing, fast!  Obviously, huge issue for libraries!  What should we adopt and support?  Devices as well as software platforms  Next big thing vs. old standbys – how to balance

You can’t do it all!  Can’t support every new device  Make informed decisions based on user needs

Three things to consider: 1.What devices do we need to provide for our users? 2.What devices do our users own/use that we need to support? 3.Is our network capacity at an appropriate level to support new levels of device use?

Importance vs. Ownership

What should we provide?  No universal answer, varies with user population  High Importance   Low Ownership  Not completely cut and dry, but can help set priorities

What should we support?  Regardless of whether we’re providing it!  High Importance  Any Ownership  Levels of support?  Providing optimized content  Hands-on training and troubleshooting  Not always under our control, but keeping ahead of trends can help us be prepared

Can our network handle it?  Very important to plan for this  EX: mobile traffic after holidays  May be out of your control, but you can advocate if you have data

How can I get this information?

What’s a librarian to do?  You have options but the underlying idea is that understanding your population and their needs is necessary.  Choose what’s right for you.  National Surveys  Usage data  Local surveys

National Surveys Pros  Statistically significant  Provides analysis  Trends Cons  Might not ask the question  Need to look at several reports  Might not match your population There are many national surveys out there about technology ownership. Surveys are conducted by research centers or think tanks Survey a large number respondents Examples: Pew Research Center / Educause Center for Applied Research

Reports  Smith, Aaron. “35% of American adults own a smartphone”. Pew Research Center, es.aspx es.aspx  Dahlstrom, Eden. “ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2012”. EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, r-study-undergraduate-students-and-information- technology r-study-undergraduate-students-and-information- technology-2012

Example: ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students 2012

Usage Data Pros  Easy to gather  Unbiased  Actual user behavior  Able to see trends Cons  Unable to ask “why”  Must do analysis yourself  Might not answer question Data that you are already collecting on your users Weblogs and Google Analytics Gives information like browser, OS, devices

Example: Google Analytics

Local Surveys Pros  Ask the questions you want  Survey your own population Cons  Time intensive  Limited population  IRB might be needed  Skills Survey to your local population Collect and analytics your own information

Case Study at University of Houston

Why do our own study?  Campus demographics  Commuters  First-generation  2 nd most ethnically diverse institution in the US  Specific interest in topics not covered in other studies  Locations of use  Brands  Internet connections

About the survey  Summer 2011 IRB approval  Conducted in November - December 2011  Random sample of undergraduates  221 responses  Structure with “grid” questions

Survey Instrument - SurveyMonkey

Devices Owned

Devices used for “School”

Devices used on campus

Surprising Results!  The surprise is that there were no surprises  Our students’ responses lined up extremely neatly with national survey data  Minor differences in tablet ownership, likely due to timing

Comparing to National Surveys Technology OwnershipECARPewUH Laptop87%88% Printer81%N/A80% Stationary gaming device66%58%68% iPod (Pew and UH: any MP3 player) 62%84% Smartphone (Pew: any cellphone) 55%96%76% Desktop computer53%59%64% Netbook11%N/A22% Tablet computer (ECAR: iPad only) 8%5%22%

Issues  Low response  Time commitments  IRB complications  Brand issues

Brand Issues Cell phone, not web- enabled - RAW Cell phone, not web-enabled - CLEANED Cell phone, web- enabled - RAW Cell phone, web- enabled - CLEANED Smart phone - RAW Smart phone - CLEANED Nokia HTC T-MobileProvider - T-MobileT-MobileProvider - T-MobileNokia n/aHTC IphoneiPhoneIphoneiPhoneIphoneiPhone Motorola (plan to buy: Samsung/Motorola/HT C)Motorola NA HtcHTC Samsung LG samsungSamsungsamsungSamsungsamsungSamsung blackberryBlackberry IPhone 4iPhoneIPhone 4iPhone N/ADROID GALAXYDroid DROID GALAXYDroid

Benefits  Understanding locations where things are used  Getting a baseline for population use and technology ownership  Knowledge that national data reflects UH population

What’s Next?  Rely on national data for planning purpose  Only survey when something specific to answer  Apply to participate in ECAR  Share data with campus IT partners

Discussion

Questions for Discussion  What new technologies (devices, software, platforms, etc.) do you expect to adopt in the next year?  Do you feel that your users still rely on the “old standbys”, or do they lean more towards hot new technology?  Have you conducted an assessment at your institution about device ownership?  Are there other data sources you’re aware of that you use?  How do you make the decision to adopt something new?  Who else in your organization do you need to partner with for technology projects?