This presentation describes a research project in which reiterative visitor observation and focus group research was conducted over the span of one year, during which high-impact and low-cost design changes were made to the first floor of a mid-sized academic library. Research results were used to assess user needs, shape design changes, and track user response to redesign. By grounding library redesign within the framework of observational and focus group feedback, we can better understand how visitors negotiate their movements through library spaces and interact with library resources, in order to better meet student and faculty research and learning needs.