Challenge: Currently, students are frustrated with the ease of making library room reservations as a result of a range of issues including availability, browser compatibility, display issues, and the time and number of clicks it takes to book a room.
Concept: We are seeking to optimize and increase the ease-of use of the library room reservation process to allow for more efficient library room booking.
Our 3 ideas:
- Program the online room reservation system to adjust for the current time, showing only the room availability going forward. This would limit the need to scroll on the room reservation website and allow for a better picture of the availability of rooms.
- Room allocation based on a questionnaire. Students are asked a number of questions such as size of the group, projector requirement, whiteboard requirement, time, duration, reason and the room is allocated by the system automatically according to these requirements
- Students will be emailed a confirmation of their library room reservation 15 minutes before its start. This email would remind students that they reserved the room as well as offer them the chance to cancel the reservation without needing to log back into the room reservation system.
Thoughts?
-Cam, Rajeev, and Chris
I definitely find the room reservation process annoying, so appreciate your group tackling this one! Your first idea certainly offers convenience, though may be frustrating if the system no longer easily allows for people to book far in advance rather than right before they need the room. I really like the second idea, especially since there are limited rooms with 6 chairs and a projector. This seems like it would make the process easier and free up the rooms for larger groups with tech needs. Since so many rooms do often seem empty and unused, an email confirmation is a fantastic idea as well to ensure that room space is optimized. Nice work! I'll be curious to see which idea your group ends up pursuing.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THE EMAIL CONFIRMATION...it is not only a reminder, but if the people decide to not use it then they can respond and cancel the reservation.
ReplyDeleteI like what you are trying to solve. I personally feel frustrated with the backwarded room booking system at Owen too.
ReplyDeleteIdea 1: Perfect. We can definitely improve that webpage to make it more efficient ( stablize the time collume, change the colors of booked room, display only available room...etc).
Idea 2: Im not quite sure abt this as the questionaire can make the process longer though it specifically addresses our need. Sometimes we have more ppl than a room is designed for and we still book it as we dont have other choice. By fill out the questionaire we wouldnt be able to book for a bit smaller room (where we can squeeze in)...you guys know what im talking abt....so I would say the available room should have all information on it (monitor, no. of ppl)and we will be the one who decide to take it or not.
Idea 3: Great.
Hope it helps.
If the systems allows for its current viewing constraints to be modified, than I would say that the first idea is a great one! When I'm in a hurry, the last thing I need to know when it's already 2:30 is what rooms are available starting at 7:00 a.m. I think this simple adjustment could make the site more user friendly.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern is that when I'm in a hurry changing the view would certainly he a help, but my biggest headache comes when I can't log into the system at all? If constraints can be modified is there a way to alter the maximum number of students allowed on the site at once?
My favorite of your ideas is #1. It addressed the issue at hand - making the room reservation process easier and less cumbersome.
ReplyDeleteMy least favorite idea is #2. It seems to add to the complexity, frustration, and time it takes to make a room reservation. The last thing I feel like doing is having to select multiple boxes before selecting a room - and what if they're all booked?
#3 is also a good idea if it can be implemented. What if it could email the entire group (not just the one who made the reservation) beforehand? That could help to serve as a meeting reminder as well.
Could we make a new rule that if you don't show up for your room within 15 minutes, you forfeit the room?
ReplyDeleteI am concerned about the confirmation that is sent 15 minutes before the meeting time. I like to set up my meetings and meeting invites in advance and that would bother me.
ReplyDeleteIs there a way to link Outlook at Owen to the room reservations the way that many companies do with the 'resources' tab? And then when the meeting is canceled the resource is automatically canceled and freed up?
Email confirmation is a great idea! You can expand this idea to one hour or two hours before perhaps. This way students can cancel the room if they do not neet it. Good thinking!
ReplyDeleteIf you could pull of this #2 idea - where it filters our needs and provides us fewer, more relevant room choice - that would be a tremendous improvement to the ease of life at Owen. Great ideas. How willing is the Library staff to work with you?
ReplyDeleteIn response to ChaoDogg32, I agree that the email confirmation idea is pretty solid. I like idea #1 the best as it would eliminate a step that takes a few seconds every time I reserve a room.
ReplyDeleteThere currently is a rule that if you're not in your room within 15 minutes you forfeit it.
I like idea #3 and have not only the individual who reserved the room, but other people on the invite list to serve as an additional reminder about the time and place of the meeting. Also I think it would be great to cut down on the number of reserved rooms that just sit empty on a daily basis
ReplyDeleteI also like the email confirmation idea. Do you have a plan to add the system of waiting list? Rooms are very demanding towards the end of each Mod. I would be happy if I could get on the waiting list when rooms are fully booked.
ReplyDeleteUgh everytime I have to reserve a room at Owen, I dread in because the process can be really frustrating and cumbersome. I think idea #1 does take away a few of the steps by letting you know what rooms are actually available at the current time, but I really think idea #3 is awesome! Sometimes it's hard to keep track of who reserved the room and what room they actually reserved and like Kristen said if it could be linked up through our Outlook, then maybe we can send the e-mail reminder to everyone on the invite and who has reserved the room so they know that 1) it's 15 minutes until our meeting, and 2) this is the room that we've got reserved. Genius!
ReplyDeleteThis is great! I think idea one is a simple IT fix and can be done quite seamlessly. I love number 2 and 3. I would suggest going to IT with these suggestions and then seeing what is feasible.
ReplyDeleteI really like both ideas # 1 and # 3. There is no need to review meeting times from earlier in the day. I also really don't like how the default screen is the classrooms rather than the library rooms. I would assume that the vast majority of people who use the system need to reserve library rooms.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I really like the email idea. I wonder if it also might be possible for the confirmation to be an Outlook confirmation/update. If, upon confirmation, the system could send a calendar invite then there would not be a reason for an additional email.
The second idea makes sense; however, due to the limited number of rooms that can accommodate more than 4 people and have screens . . .I would be more curious to know all of those available in case I need to squeeze into a smaller room, etc. (Does that make sense?)
I love idea #1 and 3. Questionnaire sounds not very convenient. I'm actually very happy about our efficiency to book a room compared to what happened in my friend's school, they need to book two days earlier and need some approve letter for that.
ReplyDelete#3 is especially good so when people change their schedule, they don't necessarily need to log in and cancel the reservation.
Idea 2 is genius. That would work.
ReplyDeleteBut, like any of these ideas, I think it requires purchase of new software. The room reservation system is, as far as I can tell, a piece of purchased software. You'd have to sell somebody on committing capital to the project, and I think that's a tough sell.
Alternative idea: everybody here uses Outlook to schedule meetings, and in Outlook Schedule Assistant you can see peoples' availability, etc. Outlook ALSO has functionality allowing you to see the availability of "resources," which can be defined as rooms. I've often thought it more than a little silly that the room reservation system doesn't run through Outlook. Not only does that solution work very well, it would require no additional cash expenditures -- just some ITS time.
I LOVE your ideas! I definitely think #1 is perfect and should be easy to implement. There is no need to show times earlier in the day. Also, #2 could work really well. Would this limit the options for people reserving rooms for themselves? My only concern would be if someone needed a room for a phone interview or something - would the system still allow them a room? Lastly, I think #3 is great as well, and could help with people reserving rooms when they don't actually need them.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas!
We could also reprogram the user interface itself
ReplyDeleteI like the concept. It would really be helpful if someone could come up with a way to encourage students to actually use the system, instead of squatting in rooms that look empty. If students only use rooms that they have reserved, then they won't have to worry about being kicked out by a late-arriving group. The "no show" problem could be solved by having some type of in-room check-in. If students haven't checked into their reserved room within ten minutes of the reservation, the reservation is cancelled. This will increase efficiency of room use and allocation.
ReplyDeleteI really like the email confirmation. The room reservation process is very frustrating. I don't know if the questionnare will make it less frustrating or more frustrating. WHen its time for me to reserve a room, I want it to take less time not more.
ReplyDeleteI also really like the email confirmation. I'm always wondering what room I booked and I never want to log back in the system because it takes so long!
ReplyDeleteThe second idea might be more hassle than the current system. I'm not sure I want to answer a bunch of questions just so that it can tell me there's no rooms available.
I like the 3rd idea. That will make the use of meeting rooms more efficient. But I think the 2nd idea will make it complicated...
ReplyDeleteI really like these ideas. I often have problems reserving a room because there are too many people in the system. Then I have to sit there and wait and hit the 'refresh' button multiple times.
ReplyDeleteCan we also create an app for room reservations? That would make my Owen life a lot easier!
These all sound like great ideas, but unless you are ready to do some coding yourselves (or contract for some) you may be painting yourselves into a corner. You should immediately (like yesterday) talk to the IT staff to see why the current system behaves as it does. It's very possible that it is an off-the-shelf system that they have chosen to use for this purpose. That would make sense as they are VERY lightly staffed (and are fairly busy supporting 450 day students, 100 Exec Students, and 100 faculty and staff). I'm sure they don't spend any time they don't absolutely have to writing programs can be bought off-the-shelf, especially if the current solution solves 95% of the problem.
ReplyDeleteSee if you can find out what the customization options are in the current software, and then see who will be "not happy" if you change them. Who controls this system, anyway?
I'm not totally clear on the first one and the second one might be annoying for students in a rush to book a room. Option 3 seems the most feasible and really helpful. That way rooms that people book that don't end up using could be freed up easily.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, I think that an email confirmation is excellent, particularly if it were to have a easy way to cancel the reservation inside that email. I would love to see what that program can do. Also, could you add the 810 Cafe TV to the system, it would be cool if students would reserve that TV and then a group of students watch a favorite show or sporting event together.
ReplyDelete