1. 💞 Empathize and design for all. Our goal is to understand the feelings and experiences of our users to create inclusive content and designs that solve problems or fulfill needs for people of all backgrounds and abilities. We connect with users by asking meaningful questions and active listening, while also suspending judgment and remaining conscious of implicit biases.
2. 💬 Iterate through feedback. No solution is perfect — we remain open to iteration and refinement for everything we create. We openly seek and receive feedback, from both within the organization and from external users, to improve every stage of the design process. By using a mixed-methods approach of lived experiences and observed data, we can reach a solution reflective of user needs and experiences.
3. 🤝 Build Community. We build relationships with people, both internal and external to the Library, so that all UC San Diego community members find connection with and are represented in the Library’s content and designs. Through iterative communication and feedback, we have the opportunity to strengthen the Library’s role as a resource and community partner in every project.
4. 🎨 Champion creativity and innovation. In alignment with UC San Diego Library values, we celebrate creativity, risk-taking, and exploration. Collaborating with our team and community introduces new perspectives and inspires ideas that expand the boundaries of our work. We find joy and excitement in the creative process, taking on diverse projects that grow our personal frameworks and developing solutions that positively impact the larger UC San Diego community.
5. 🌱 Create sustainable and holistic solutions. We adopt a holistic approach to our projects, diving beneath the surface to identify the root cause of problems and consider how solutions can be implemented across the organization and beyond. We are resourceful and forward-thinking, so that everything we create is intended to stand the test of time.

Vision

We partner with diverse campus communities, LUE, and library colleagues to design, build, and improve meaningful person-centered services, spaces, and learning opportunities in both the digital and physical library environments.

Values

In all aspects of our work, including service design and delivery, collaboration, and interactions with users and colleagues, we embrace these values.

• User Focus: We center the lived experiences of our users, broadly defined, in designing services and spaces, and actively partner with the campus communities to build programs that contribute to the mission of the University.
• Exploration: We pursue experimentation and risk-taking for the opportunities they provide to meaningfully innovate, learn from mistakes and successes, meet the evolving needs of our users, and grow professionally.
• Responsiveness: We are committed to continuous service improvement through regular evaluation and adapting to changing user needs.
• Inclusion: We value and incorporate the diverse expertise, contributions, and perspectives of colleagues across LUE, the Library, and campus to encourage broad participation and engagement in designing meaningful collaborations, services, and solutions.
• Empathy: We approach each other and those we serve with compassion, understanding, and care, and strive to create spaces where people can show up authentically.
• Trust: We trust that all LUE colleagues share our vision to create positive user experiences and we show trust by genuinely seeking input, taking constructive feedback in good faith, and owning our impacts.

This is UC San Diego Library’s organizational chart, highlighting the Learning and User Experience team. The SDT is a part of the TDX program, which is a part of the larger LUE team with the Academic Engagement and Learning Service (AELS) program and the Spaces, Lending, and Access (SLA) program.

Articulating shared values

With your team, discuss the following and share your insights in your notebook.

1. What are your thoughts about the team manifesto and the LUE values?
2. Do you see any commonalities and/or differences between your personal manifesto and the team manifesto?
3. Do you see any commonalities and/or differences between the team manifesto and the Library's LUE values?
4. Is there anything missing from the team manifesto? Anything you'd like to add?

Share your values!

Leave a comment below with one or more of the ideas you created for your manifesto!