Nicole Hennig
User Experience Professional
- e: nic@hennigweb.com
- w: nicolehennig.com
- p: (617) 440-4679
Profile
I’m an independent user experience professional, helping librarians & educators effectively use mobile technologies. In my 14 years of experience at the MIT Libraries, I won awards for innovation, and worked to keep academics up to date with the best mobile technologies. Now I have my own business helping librarians stay current with new technologies.
Work Experience
January 2013 - present
Independent User Experience Professional
Boston, MA, Brattleboro, VT, and Tucson, AZ
- Author of several books, technical reports, and articles, including Keeping Up with Emerging Technologies, and Apps for Librarians.
- Online course designer and instructor: Organize Your Life with Mobile Apps, Apps for Librarians & Educators, and The Book as iPad App. See testimonials from students in these courses.
- Creator of online instruction offered via webinars on technology topics.
- Web designer for Central European University Library (Budapest, Hungary).
June 2010 - December 2012
Head, User Experience Group
MIT Libraries, Cambridge, MA
- Managed the user experience team. Designed and led ethnographic studies, usability tests and surveys, in order to understand the needs of the various communities at MIT.
- Strategized about which innovative products and services to develop, based on user research. Collaborated with other departments in order to bring the voice of the user to strategic planning.
- Managed the production of web sites, web application interfaces, mobile web sites and mobile apps.
- Created and offered training to MIT students on mobile apps for enhancing academic work. Apps4Academics: http://libguides.mit.edu/apps .
- Led social media marketing efforts and collaborated with the marketing team in order to market effectively to diverse communities.
- Used Google Analytics and statistics from other library catalogs and databases to aggregate and present relevant data for decision-making.
- Found ways to integrate virtual and physical services in order to create a seamless experience for users.
1999 - May 2010
Web Manager & Usability Specialist
MIT Libraries, Cambridge, MA
- Led teams for the design and creation of web applications and interfaces for MIT Libraries research tools.
- Served as front-end web developer for the redesign of MIT Libraries research interfaces. (XHTML, CSS, JavaScript)
- Implemented Wordpress as a content management system for several MIT web sites.
- Designed and led continual cycles of usablity testing and user needs studies.
- Implemented the MIT Libraries Betas site, a public web site for experimenting with and evaluating new technologies and services.
- Trained staff in use of web authoring tools, including Dreamweaver, Wordpress, and LibGuides.
- Served as project lead for web design projects involving coordination with outsourced graphic designers, internal information architects and developers, and content experts.
1996 - 1998
Systems Librarian & Information Architect
Bose Corporation, Framingham, MA
- Designed and managed the company's intranet home page.
- Consulted with intranet authors on web design and information architecture.
- Designed and conducted usability tests of corporate intranet pages in order to improve their design.
- Designed and taught web research classes for Bose employees.
1982 - 1996
Reference Librarian, Assistant Professor, Music Librarian
Previous positions
- Reference & Systems Librarian, Emmanuel College, Boston, MA, 1995-98
- Librarian, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Cambridge, MA, 1992-94
- Freelance pianist and piano instructor, Oak Bluffs, MA, 1990-92
- Assistant Professor of Music, Stonehill College, Easton, MA, 1986-90
- Reference Librarian, Boston Conservatory, Boston, MA, 1985-86
- Music Librarian, Longy School of Music, Cambridge, MA, 1982-86
Technical Skills
Instructional design, teaching, public speaking
Excellent at evaluating the needs of a group of learners with various learning styles and customizing learning for those styles. Experienced with both in-person and distance learning. Skilled at working with international students, writing cross-culturally relevant content, and managing across time zones. Experienced speaker for national and regional conferences, including virtual events, and conference keynotes (NEFLIN Technology Conference, 2017, and MSU Libraries Conference, 2012). See also presentations from 2012 and earlier.
Content management systems: Wordpress & LibGuides
Extensive experience with Wordpress both as a blogging tool and a content management system. This includes installing, configuring, experimenting with plugins, customizing themes, and dealing with security issues. Experience with setting up and using LibGuides content management system for libraries.
User Experience, Product Management & Evangelism
The ability to translate end-user needs and balance them with product objectives. Taking products through an interative process, including ethnographic research of users, building wireframes and prototypes, managing priorities, conducting usability tests, revising the product, creating and adjusting timelines, and evaluating for continual improvements. Skilled at keeping user needs central through the process. Excellent ability to evangelize the product, inspire users and customers, and keep the product aligned with real-world needs.