UX Rx

It only takes about four seconds of talking to Rebecca Blakiston to get a glimpse of the passion that drives her and has made her so successful as user experience (UX) librarian at the University of Arizona (UA), Tucson. She has revolutionized how usability testing is carried out, created a role for a content strategist on her team, and still finds time to teach classes on usability testing, content strategy, and writing for the web. In addition to the many tasks she tackles daily, Blakiston develops goals and strategies for UA’s main website, which sees nearly three million visits per year.

She shares her expertise beyond UA, from publishing books on UX best practices to creating the UX Certificate Program for Library Juice Academy to serving as the vice chair (soon to be chair) of the University Libraries Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

Blakiston firmly believes in the power of the library. “By providing the best library experience for our students, we can help [them] succeed in their academics, careers, and futures as educated, productive citizens. They can go on to make the world a better place, and we can play a role in that.”