UX UI design

PubLib

Expediting materials borrowing services at public libraries

Organization

Course project
@Northeastern

Team

Independent project

Role

UI/UX designer

Year

2021
Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page.

Case Overview

Expediting materials borrowing services at public libraries

PubLib is created for lovers of libraries, those who love the soft community, resources, and comfort found in public libraries. PubLib presents a tool for modern library networks to continue to provide their essential services, while seamlessly adapting to their community's changing needs. This project uses the Cambridge Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network as precedents for the preservation of valuable library services, as integrated on PubLib.

Problem

Borrowing materials from the library can be time consuming and seemingly not worthwhile. Particularly for popular titles or books with few copies, it can take months for reserved books to become available.

Solution

PubLib supports public library's fundamental book borrowing services and introduces new a book logging experience unique to the library all in one streamlined experience. The application supports hybrid interactivity for public library members while encouraging community organization around library touchstones.

Arrow to scroll to top

The Challenge

Public library book circulation rates slowed significantly during the pandemic

During the pandemic and before, book borrowing remains a major feature of public libraries. In 2013, 80% of Americans said no-cost access to books and media is the most important service libraries provide. For many, the pandemic has created more opportunities for reading across all age groups, with publishers seeing an 8.2% increase in print sales in 2020, and a 6% increase in reading compared to 2019.

Libraries were among the many institutions heavily impacted by the pandemic. Many libraries paused late fee charges, quarantined books for 72 hours after return, and had fewer people working in buildings to assist with book circulation. More people reading during 2020, paired with the safety protocols and practices adopted during the COVID19 pandemic, public library members have experienced long, unpredictable materials borrowing services. Though materials borrowing was made available to library members, buildings were often closed to the public, with staff and volunteers retrieving requested materials for members.

Cambridge Main Public Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Closed for visitation during the COVID19 pandemic.
Local public library, closed due to the pandemic

The Approach

How might library mobile apps improve users’ book borrowing experience?

This project began during the pandemic, where high level goals were explore approaches to make materials borrowing experiences easier for users with libraries COVID19 precautions in place.

User Insights & Ideation

Mapping user journeys and service experiences to identify leverage points within the public library user experience.

Synthesis & Experience Design

Identifying product goals to focus efforts on improving materials availability predictability for users, designing more intuitive book search features, and creating soft community online.  

Design Execution & Validation

Designing a mobile application to help library networks keep materials in circulation and help users engage with their members in an online community.

Discovery

Reserving books leads to many points of frustration

2020 introduced many logistical difficulties for public libraries and their users. Unable to peruse library book stacks to spark inspiration for a next read, a higher demand for popular book titles emerged. With many popular titles having hundreds of library members on the wait list, without any prediction for when books become available, it is difficult and frustrating for library members to plan their reading schedules.

Current library experience map

Service experience map depicting customer journey, support processes, front stage, and backstage actions. Customer, or library patron, frustration levels occur mostly with the app, and when waiting to pick books up.

User journey to reserve and pick up borrowed library materials

Minuteman library network app's book search feature. Popular book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson has a wait list of over 800 people.
01
Place book on hold. Wait for pickup notification
Minuteman library app showing a book pickup hold ready to retrive from library
02
Receive pickup notification
Google maps showing route from neighborhood to local public library.
03
Travel to local public library
Person returning Avni Doshi's Burnt Sugar through a public library's contactless book return collector.
04
Return borrowed books to library
Long line of people waiting to pick up reserved books from a public library closed during the pandemic for visitation.
05
Wait in line to pick up reserved book
Person holding three books received from the library. Intimations by Zadie Smith, Thick: and Other Essays Tressie McMillan Cottom, and Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden
06
Receive a number of reserved books
Google maps showing route from neighborhood to local public library.
07
Travel back home from local public library
Black and white cat laying on a library book.
08
Enjoy reading new book

Design Recommendations

1.   Facilitate easy pickup scheduling
2.   Create more intuitive book search ability
3.   Predictable book availability features
4.   Social connection through the app
5.   Customization based on diverse user needs and tech literacy rates

Deeper Insights

Library's current mobile app is underutilized

Current minuteman public library application screens, critical flow. Though many features are shown, few are functional. UI is simple, a bit out dated, and requires a lot of scrolling.
Current library mobile application screens

Below are images of the Minuteman Library Network's critical flow. Mainly, the app is used as a digital library card. Although many extra features such as “Event Calendar,” “Connect with Us” are on the home page, clicking them brings users to dead ends. Otherwise, the app is mostly functional for users to check their borrowing records and to present their library card, but many of the pages are not clearly navigable, frequently requiring users to re-sign in, and requiring a lot of scrolling.

The application lacks any functional social elements and the pickup scheduler is not functional. Finally, aesthetically, the UI is bulky and a bit outdated.

Mainly, the current mobile application is used to:

  1. Search for books and availability
  2. View personal borrowing records
  3. Check for hold updates on personal accounts
  4. Present a digital library card for book check out

Though these features are utilized by library members and the app supports libraries major service—book borrowing—the application does not support users further engagement with libraries. Additionally, the unpredictable wait times for popular titles can often be discouraging for members.

The Vision

Ensure users have books to read when they want them

Create digital bookshelves where users can save books they want to read. The library app tracks a user’s book borrowing and reading habits through their library account data to autogenerate book reservations for available materials from users’ “want to read” bookshelves.

With this strategy, users can be assured that each week they will be getting a manageable number of books from the library, and it will be a book that they have wanted to read.

Use Case 01 - Meriel

  • Cambridge Public Library Member, O'Neill Branch
  • Avid reader, lover of non fiction
  • Hosts neighborhood bookclub

In a Bookstore

ISBN numbers, printed on all books, allows users to easily search for books on the go

Launch the App

With the search feature, users can quickly check for book availability, send books to friends, place books on hold, and more

Meriel is out and about. She sees a book that interests her. She scans the book's ISBN number to quickly check if her local library has it in stock. From here, she can also share the book with friends, easily on the go.
Sarah in the classroom, using PubLib to log her books she's currently reading for coursework.

Use Case 02 - Sarah

  • Cambridge Public Library Member, Central branch
  • Studies Sex, Gender, and Sexuality
  • Active in student reading groups

In The Classroom

With course readings, students often engage with texts differently, reading sections or chapters of books

Launch the App

Students can easily log books they’ve read, save notes on specific sections, and track their reading timelines

Use Case 03 - Jane

  • Cambridge Public Library Member, Boudreau branch
  • Creative director at a local startup
  • Trying to read more books in 2021

At Home

Receive a reminder to read for the day. Grab a book, get cozy, and settle in for a reading session

Launch the App

In the reading space, users can gather to read in an anonymous setting, with touchpoints along the way to encourage daily reading habits and to provide users with incentives to read

Jane has been trying to read more. She sets reminders on her phone to get a few pages in everyday. The "Silent library" helps to keep her accountable. But, if she misses a day, she doesn't feel too guilty.
Jay has just finished his book. He uses PubLib to record his thoughts, share them with friends, or keep them private. PubLib allows him to easily keep track of all the books he's read.

Use Case 04 - Jay

  • Cambridge Public Library Member, Main branch
  • Boston Globe, New Yorker, Economist subscriber
  • Loves to discuss current events

After Finishing a Book

Engage with your books by recording your thoughts, so you have something to reference to as needed

Launch the App

See statistics on your reading, share your thoughts with others, and easily find similar titles and other works and publications by the author

Bringing Ideas to Life

Introducing PubLib

PubLib is a public library interface for the future. It embraces the transforming needs of communities and the hybrid features of today's public library spaces. With PubLib and machine learning, materials borrowing services are more accessible and predictable for patrons. In addition, PubLib offers comfortable features of the library in one's own home, and features that allow users to catalog their readings, by making it easy to discover books and get more out of reading.

Flow chart diagram highlighting how PubLib's interface works to help keep books in circulation and to help users predict book availability.
Flow chart diagram highlighting how PubLib's interface works to help keep books in circulation and to help users predict book availability.

Homepage

PubLib’s homepage visually presents users current reading progress. The library app pairs with users digital or audio books reading progress through OverDrive.

For borrowed hard copybooks, users can easily additionally input their reading progress with an opt-in notification feature. To bring further awareness to readers interests, the homepage automatically displays a book’s publisher and BISACCategory.

An improved pickup scheduler allows for friends, book club or reading group participants, and neighbors to easily organize group pickups.

From here, users can easily navigate to edit reading progress, pickup scheduling, book queues, and their reading journal.

PubLib's homepage details a user's current active reads, book queue/book shelf, pickup scheduler, latest reads, and reading progress statistics.

Reading Progress

WithPubLib’s reading progress tracking, the library can calculate users’ average reading speed.

The scheduler displays predictions for when a user will return a book or pickup their next read. This feature aligns with the library’s existing 10 day holding period for reserved books, providing users with room for flexibility.

The pickup scheduler allows suers to see when they last picked up books, and when their next read will be ready. Displayed in a classic calendar format.

Student Shelf

Students interact with books differently than people reading for leisure. Often, they are reading several books at a time for different classes, while reading a book cover to cover is also less common. PubLib’s student shelf feature allows students to organize their shelf in whatever way best supports their learning.

Here, students can follow along with their reading group, allowing users to track reading group activity and comments.

User book review features can change to book notes in the student shelf portal. This feature tracks a student’s relationship with a book, when they first logged a book, and whey they last engaged with it. 

PubLib's student shelf allows users to to take notes, and track their relationship with a book. The app requests similar books on other subjects.

The Virtual Library

Finally, to emulate the feeling of reading or studying inside a library — independently, yet amongst others— the app provides both a reading space and a study space for users to gather, anonymously, to read or work.

The reading and study spaces can provide users with a non-overbearing nudge to read or study in an anonymous group setting. After sessions, users are given “overviews” and the option to allow the library app to remind them to read or study the next day.

For interested users, the reading space records data so they can gauge a sense of how long it took to read a book or study a certain topic.

The virtual library features allow users tore-think online community formation—maintaining user-agency even when online and creating social campaigns that draw users to engage outside digital formats.

In PubLib's reading space, users are presented with a simple, non distracting UI, providing the amount of time users have been in the space, and how many other anonymous users are also in the reading space at the same time.

Impact

Positive results and more to do...

“To continue to serve the needs of its members, the technology that assists in materials borrowing really needed to be upgraded. PubLib does that, and more”

User testing of PubLib received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Local libraries as services and spaces are an essential aspect of a municipality and communities. Despite the emergence of the digital age, many library members still value physical copy borrowing the most. PubLib helps users still rely on the library for their hard copy books and reading materials, and makes book borrowing, an easier experience for members.

PubLib allows users to...

  1.  Integrate library services into one streamlined experience
  2. Flexibility to create specialized lists of books to be read
  3.  Engage with a greater reading and library community

This project was completed early in 2021. Since, its completion, many libraries, including my local library where I conducted my research, have opened their doors to member visitation and browsing. Still, I believe PubLib has potential to be a powerful and dynamic tool for library networks moving forward.

Reflections

  • Ethnographic experiences are valuable —particularly during a pandemic— and can be attested and corroborated with primary and secondary research
  • Use cases are powerful tools when designing for diverse user needs
  • Pandemic solutions can live on to an endemic world

UX UI design

FarmHand

Making farmers' lives easier with digital management and communication tools

Organization

Course project
@Northeastern

Team

3 UX UI designers

Role

UX UI Designer

Year

2020
Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page.

Case Overview

Expediting materials borrowing services at public libraries

PubLib is created for lovers of libraries, those who love the soft community, resources, and comfort found in public libraries. PubLib presents a tool for modern library networks to continue to provide their essential services, while seamlessly adapting to their community's changing needs. This project uses the Cambridge Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network as precedents for the preservation of valuable library services, as integrated on PubLib.

Problem

Borrowing materials from the library can be time consuming and seemingly not worthwhile. Particularly for popular titles or books with few copies, it can take months for reserved books to become available.

Solution

PubLib supports public library's fundamental book borrowing services and introduces new a book logging experience unique to the library all in one streamlined experience. The application supports hybrid interactivity for public library members while encouraging community organization around library touchstones.

Arrow to scroll to top

My Role

The Challenge

Public library book circulation rates slowed significantly during the pandemic

During the pandemic and before, book borrowing remains a major feature of public libraries. In 2013, 80% of Americans said no-cost access to books and media is the most important service libraries provide. For many, the pandemic has created more opportunities for reading across all age groups, with publishers seeing an 8.2% increase in print sales in 2020, and a 6% increase in reading compared to 2019.

Libraries were among the many institutions heavily impacted by the pandemic. Many libraries paused late fee charges, quarantined books for 72 hours after return, and had fewer people working in buildings to assist with book circulation. More people reading during 2020, paired with the safety protocols and practices adopted during the COVID19 pandemic, public library members have experienced long, unpredictable materials borrowing services. Though materials borrowing was made available to library members, buildings were often closed to the public, with staff and volunteers retrieving requested materials for members.

Cut flowers (dahlias) in a room for overflow storage. Without a climate controlled, cool environment, these specialty products will not last as long as properly stored flowers.
Inventory storage for farmed, locally sold, perishable product. Spring flowers, peonies, ranunculus, and filler stems cut, processed, and stored in a dark room.
Spring flowers stored in a walk-in cooler before events, order pick up, and market.
Cut, processed, and packaged flowers (dahlias) being stored in an air conditioned van for temporary overflow storage.
Images of inventory storage at busy times of the season

The photos above show instances of inventory management getting out of hand during my experience as a farm manager for a specialty cut flower farm. These scenes are not atypical -- harvests come in by the truckload and can quickly fill coolers and storage spaces after processing. Selling a perishable product at a localized level takes strategy and energy, and during the crunch of the high season, the logistics around sales and inventory becomes more chaotic, unorganized, and time consuming.

“During the growing season, my farm will consume every minute of every day… When the sun sets, the last thing in the world I want to do is spend time posting to social media and managing customer questions [to sell products].”
-Farm Manager, CT

In a farmer's ideal world, everything grown has already been sold. However, with the unpredictability of growing diversified crops, even this system does not account for unexpected yields. With many farms growing 50+ varieties to satisfy customer demand for new things each week at markets or in their member shares, the task of predicting how much material to grow, and successfully growing high quality -- sometimes challenging, novel crops -- adds to unpredictability and farmers' high-season stress levels.

The Approach

How might library mobile apps improve users’ book borrowing experience?

This project began during the pandemic, where high level goals were explore approaches to make materials borrowing experiences easier for users with libraries COVID19 precautions in place.

User Insights & Ideation

Mapping user journeys and service experiences to identify leverage points within the public library user experience.

Synthesis & Experience Design

Identifying product goals to focus efforts on improving materials availability predictability for users, designing more intuitive book search features, and creating soft community online.  

Design Execution & Validation

Designing a mobile application to help library networks keep materials in circulation and help users engage with their members in an online community.

Discovery

Reserving books leads to many points of frustration

2020 introduced many logistical difficulties for public libraries and their users. Unable to peruse library book stacks to spark inspiration for a next read, a higher demand for popular book titles emerged. With many popular titles having hundreds of library members on the wait list, without any prediction for when books become available, it is difficult and frustrating for library members to plan their reading schedules.

Deeper Insights

Library's current mobile app is underutilized

Current minuteman public library application screens, critical flow. Though many features are shown, few are functional. UI is simple, a bit out dated, and requires a lot of scrolling.
Current library mobile application screens

Below are images of the Minuteman Library Network's critical flow. Mainly, the app is used as a digital library card. Although many extra features such as “Event Calendar,” “Connect with Us” are on the home page, clicking them brings users to dead ends. Otherwise, the app is mostly functional for users to check their borrowing records and to present their library card, but many of the pages are not clearly navigable, frequently requiring users to re-sign in, and requiring a lot of scrolling.

The application lacks any functional social elements and the pickup scheduler is not functional. Finally, aesthetically, the UI is bulky and a bit outdated.

Mainly, the current mobile application is used to:

  1. Search for books and availability
  2. View personal borrowing records
  3. Check for hold updates on personal accounts
  4. Present a digital library card for book check out

Though these features are utilized by library members and the app supports libraries major service—book borrowing—the application does not support users further engagement with libraries. Additionally, the unpredictable wait times for popular titles can often be discouraging for members.

The Vision

Ensure users have books to read when they want them

Create digital bookshelves where users can save books they want to read. The library app tracks a user’s book borrowing and reading habits through their library account data to autogenerate book reservations for available materials from users’ “want to read” bookshelves.

With this strategy, users can be assured that each week they will be getting a manageable number of books from the library, and it will be a book that they have wanted to read.

Customer Journey Map

Customer journey map for farmers using FarmHand product to Upload, Predict, Adjust, and Deliver farmed goods. The map depicts actions, opportunities, pain points, and touchpoints between farmers and their customers through FarmHand.

Concept sketches and initial wireframes

Preliminary UI sketches outlining critical flow for FarmHand.
Initial wireframes for FarmHand depicting flow for order tracking, delivery scheduling, task management, inventory management, and data downloads.

Bringing Ideas to Life

Homepage:

PubLib’s homepage visually presents users current reading progress. The library app pairs with users digital or audio books reading progress through OverDrive.

For borrowed hard copybooks, users can easily additionally input their reading progress with an opt-in notification feature. To bring further awareness to readers interests, the homepage automatically displays a book’s publisher and BISAC Category.

An improved pickup scheduler allows for friends, book club or reading group participants, and neighbors to easily organize group pickups.

From here, users can easily navigate to edit reading progress, pickup scheduling, book queues, and their reading journal.

 

Reading Progress:

WithPubLib’s reading progress tracking, the library can calculate users’ average reading speed.

The scheduler displays predictions for when a user will return a book or pickup their next read. This feature aligns with the library’s existing 10 day holding period for reserved books, providing users with room for flexibility.

Student Shelf:

Students interact with books differently than people reading for leisure. Often, they are reading several books at a time for different classes, while reading a book cover to cover is also less common. PubLib’s student shelf feature allows students to organize their shelf in whatever way best supports their learning.

Here, students can follow along with their reading group, allowing users to track reading group activity and comments.

User book review features can change to book notes in the student shelf portal. This feature tracks a student’s relationship with a book, when they first logged a book, and whey they last engaged with it.

 

The Virtual Library:

Finally, to emulate the feeling of reading or studying inside a library — independently, yet amongst others— the app provides both a reading space and a study space for users to gather, anonymously, to read or work.

The reading and study spaces can provide users with a non-overbearing nudge to read or study in an anonymous group setting. After sessions, users are given “overviews” and the option to allow the library app to remind them to read or study the next day.

For interested users, the reading space records data so they can gauge a sense of how long it took to read a book or study a certain topic.

The virtual library features allow users tore-think online community formation—maintaining user-agency even when online and creating social campaigns that draw users to engage outside digital formats.

Integrating into farmers standard operating procedures

Upload

In the winter, farmers can import their crop planning spreadsheets. The amounts seeded, dates for seeding, transplanting, and harvest windows are predicted specific to each variety on the crop plan.

FarmHand translates the data so it can be easily shared and read by farm shareholders and employees to gain a clear picture of the upcoming season.

Predict

The application begins predicting yields for the season. Farm customers can get a peek into the upcoming season's availability.

This initial release generates excitement and funding at the start of the season, providing farmers with secure income to purchase necessary early-season expenditures.

Starting in March with seeds planted, FarmHand uses seed origin germination rates and previous years data to predict yields.

In June, farmers can see how much product has been purchased by customers through FarmHand.

By September, many final yields and purchases are recorded and easily made available for farmers.

Throughout the season, FarmHand predicts yields for crops. Starting in March with seeds planted, FarmHand uses seed origin germination rates and previous years data to predict yields. In June, farmers can see how much product has been purchased. By September, many final yields are calculated and easily made available for farmers.

Maintain

Field tasks are outlined and prioritized to get harvests completed and processed, packed, and delivered.

Employees can add notes to tasks or new tasks to be completed to to-do-lists.

On the farmers' homepage, users can view specs and click through for more details. At a glance, users can easily see what crops are being planted, harvested, and sold, and the biggest customer orders for the week.

FarmHand's farmer facing homepage shows "today's actions" first, below the date and weather conditions for the day. The actions present a task list to be completed. This makes it easy for farm employees to keep track of what tasks have to be done, and what is yet to be completed.

Adjust

Through FarmHand, farmers can manually adjust inventory items according to actual yields. Most experienced farmers have a sense of which crops are grown successfully, and which crops might yield lower than typically advised.

On FarmHand, farmers can keep notes on new, novel or trial crops. With successful cultivation during the season, farmers can easily post previously hidden crops for customers to purchase.

Similarly, farmers can quickly identify crops with lower yields than predicted to make plans for substitutions.

Throughout the season, farmers can adjust crop yields in accordance with actual yields. Additionally, farmers can add new crops, with trial crops, for example.

Deliver

Successfully completed sales allow orders to be processed according to customer account type— member, restaurant, market, etc.

Delivery dates, locations, notes, and customer contact information is displayed for a fluid delivery route completion. Complete invoices allow drivers to ensure all order items are accounted for.

With restaurant accounts, for example, customers can specify delivery windows, and point of contact for deliveries.

Delivering product is easier with FarmHand. Drivers receive notifications when its time for delivery. Customer contact information, as well as delivery information can be found easily on through app.

Export

With FarmHand, at the end of the season farmers don't have to be daunted with the task of recalling details on how the season went.

Crop dates, yields, and sales have been saved with FarmHand. Throughout the season, farmers can export data for quarterly stakeholder meetings and fundraising campaigns.

After passively collecting inventory data all season, farmers can export the season's data to kickstart planning for another successful season!

Exporting data is easy for farmers with FarmHand.  With the click of a button, they can download all the inventory, sales, and crop yield data stored on the application.

Impact

Positive results and more to do...

“To continue to serve the needs of its members, the technology that assists in materials borrowing really needed to be upgraded. PubLib does that, and more”

User testing of PubLib received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Local libraries as services and spaces are an essential aspect of a municipality and communities. Despite the emergence of the digital age, many library members still value physical copy borrowing the most. PubLib helps users still rely on the library for their hard copy books and reading materials, and makes book borrowing, an easier experience for members.

PubLib allows users to...

  1.  Integrate library services into one streamlined experience
  2. Flexibility to create specialized lists of books to be read
  3.  Engage with a greater reading and library community

This project was completed early in 2021. Since, its completion, many libraries, including my local library where I conducted my research, have opened their doors to member visitation and browsing. Still, I believe PubLib has potential to be a powerful and dynamic tool for library networks moving forward.

Reflections

  • Ethnographic experiences are valuable —particularly during a pandemic— and can be attested and corroborated with primary and secondary research
  • Use cases are powerful tools when designing for diverse user needs
  • Pandemic solutions can live on to an endemic world

UX UI design

Taproots

A model for active public library networks

Organization

Course project
@Northeastern

Team

Independent project

Role

UI/UX designer

Year

2021
Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page.

Case Overview

Expediting materials borrowing services at public libraries

PubLib is created for lovers of libraries, those who love the soft community, resources, and comfort found in public libraries. PubLib presents a tool for modern library networks to continue to provide their essential services, while seamlessly adapting to their community's changing needs. This project uses the Cambridge Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network as precedents for the preservation of valuable library services, as integrated on PubLib.

Problem

Borrowing materials from the library can be time consuming and seemingly not worthwhile. Particularly for popular titles or books with few copies, it can take months for reserved books to become available.

Solution

PubLib supports public library's fundamental book borrowing services and introduces new a book logging experience unique to the library all in one streamlined experience. The application supports hybrid interactivity for public library members while encouraging community organization around library touchstones.

Arrow to scroll to top

The Challenge

Public library book circulation rates slowed significantly during the pandemic

During the pandemic and before, book borrowing remains a major feature of public libraries. In 2013, 80% of Americans said no-cost access to books and media is the most important service libraries provide. For many, the pandemic has created more opportunities for reading across all age groups, with publishers seeing an 8.2% increase in print sales in 2020, and a 6% increase in reading compared to 2019.

Libraries were among the many institutions heavily impacted by the pandemic. Many libraries paused late fee charges, quarantined books for 72 hours after return, and had fewer people working in buildings to assist with book circulation. More people reading during 2020, paired with the safety protocols and practices adopted during the COVID19 pandemic, public library members have experienced long, unpredictable materials borrowing services. Though materials borrowing was made available to library members, buildings were often closed to the public, with staff and volunteers retrieving requested materials for members.

The Approach

How might library mobile apps improve users’ book borrowing experience?

This project began during the pandemic, where high level goals were explore approaches to make materials borrowing experiences easier for users with libraries COVID19 precautions in place.

User Insights & Ideation

Mapping user journeys and service experiences to identify leverage points within the public library user experience.

Synthesis & Experience Design

Identifying product goals to focus efforts on improving materials availability predictability for users, designing more intuitive book search features, and creating soft community online.  

Design Execution & Validation

Designing a mobile application to help library networks keep materials in circulation and help users engage with their members in an online community.

Discovery

Reserving books leads to many points of frustration

2020 introduced many logistical difficulties for public libraries and their users. Unable to peruse library book stacks to spark inspiration for a next read, a higher demand for popular book titles emerged. With many popular titles having hundreds of library members on the wait list, without any prediction for when books become available, it is difficult and frustrating for library members to plan their reading schedules.

What is and isn't working for libraries

👍

Book and media borrowing is still a vital service 80% of Americans say no cost access to books and media is the most important service libraries provide (Pew Research)

👎

Libraries need to help people feel that they belong in a scholarly conversation
They must “create a sense of social pride in knowledge sharing”
- David Adjaye, Architect, panel discussion

The sensory experience of being a in library nudges people to work / think
“The collections really are incredible… there’s a wisdom… a sense that there is so much history in this room”
- Former librarian, interview

Public libraries lack a social aspect
Some way “to know people more maybe? Sometimes, writing can be lonely… I remember wondering, that person looks so focused over there, whats that person working on?”
-Grad student, interview

The Library is an extension of home, work, and recreational space
“It was a place to take your kids, entirely for free, to stimulate their mind, even after preschool or elementary school”
-Former board member, interview

Libraries need a stronger online presence-- to extend access to libraries beyond visitation
“Letting people see bits of it they would not otherwise see...give people a taste for what happens behind the scenes”
-Oxford Librarian, article

The Vision

Ensure users have books to read when they want them

Create digital bookshelves where users can save books they want to read. The library app tracks a user’s book borrowing and reading habits through their library account data to autogenerate book reservations for available materials from users’ “want to read” bookshelves.

With this strategy, users can be assured that each week they will be getting a manageable number of books from the library, and it will be a book that they have wanted to read.

Initial storyboard rough sketches for Taproots.

To communicate my design idea, I settled on a spatial mockup of the library, which showcases the importance and value of traditional library services, and how improved physical space, and digital tools, both mobile and web, could enhance members experiences. Although many companies both private and nonprofit are working to address some of the urgent crises we currently face, innovation and problem solving cannot be limited to the workplace. Learning, thinking, sharing, can should and must be expanded beyond offices, into the public realm in an equal, inclusive space.

My initial storyboard followed two main characters interacting with their library and each other, through the library’s physical space and supportive digital tools, such as PubLib. Upon sketching out the storyboard in more refined, but still slightly unpolished style, I realized that the focus on a user’s interaction with their localized mobile application and local library could be explored further. After presenting to some colleagues, their comments reinforced my concerns about focusing purely on local systems. Particularly, considering the growing interconnectivity of our society, my project needed a web-based resource to connect local library members with a larger national network. These concerns were in line with what I was thinking of designing.

Among my initial questions for this project was how to connect libraries around the nation, to allow for more bargaining power for public library funding. A national network would strengthen a greater community of library members sharing ideas and projects.

How Taproots works: 

Engage

Engage with knowledge artifacts at your public library

Generate

Generate ideas and innovation that are locally formed and locally relevant

Connect

Connect with your local library members and librarians to collaborate

Upload

Upload your projects to Taproots to share your work with the national networks, give and receive feedback, and discover similar projects

Bringing Ideas to Life

Homepage:

PubLib’s homepage visually presents users current reading progress. The library app pairs with users digital or audio books reading progress through OverDrive.

For borrowed hard copybooks, users can easily additionally input their reading progress with an opt-in notification feature. To bring further awareness to readers interests, the homepage automatically displays a book’s publisher and BISAC Category.

An improved pickup scheduler allows for friends, book club or reading group participants, and neighbors to easily organize group pickups.

From here, users can easily navigate to edit reading progress, pickup scheduling, book queues, and their reading journal.

 

Reading Progress:

WithPubLib’s reading progress tracking, the library can calculate users’ average reading speed.

The scheduler displays predictions for when a user will return a book or pickup their next read. This feature aligns with the library’s existing 10 day holding period for reserved books, providing users with room for flexibility.

Student Shelf:

Students interact with books differently than people reading for leisure. Often, they are reading several books at a time for different classes, while reading a book cover to cover is also less common. PubLib’s student shelf feature allows students to organize their shelf in whatever way best supports their learning.

Here, students can follow along with their reading group, allowing users to track reading group activity and comments.

User book review features can change to book notes in the student shelf portal. This feature tracks a student’s relationship with a book, when they first logged a book, and whey they last engaged with it.

 

The Virtual Library:

Finally, to emulate the feeling of reading or studying inside a library — independently, yet amongst others— the app provides both a reading space and a study space for users to gather, anonymously, to read or work.

The reading and study spaces can provide users with a non-overbearing nudge to read or study in an anonymous group setting. After sessions, users are given “overviews” and the option to allow the library app to remind them to read or study the next day.

For interested users, the reading space records data so they can gauge a sense of how long it took to read a book or study a certain topic.

The virtual library features allow users tore-think online community formation—maintaining user-agency even when online and creating social campaigns that draw users to engage outside digital formats.

Displaying Taproot's web responsiveness.

The Taproots model within a library network:

What story needs to be told to highlight the library’s value in the 21st century? The research suggests that it comes down to a matter of agency: of belonging, and community building. Part of that belonging has to do with agency over the creation of knowledge artifacts, and the opportunity for interaction with these locally formed and realized artifacts.

Evaluators felt that the changing purposes of libraries to always meet the needs of its population makes it difficult to form a singular identify for libraries across the nation. However, a national network, like Taproots would strengthen a greater community of library members sharing ideas and innovations born out of the library.

The designs showcase the importance and value of traditional library services—how improved physical spaces and digital tools could enhance user experiences.


To view Taproot's concept prototype, please view in larger browser

Concept Prototype

Since he started working from home, David often uses a trip to the library to break up his work day. Today, he heads over after picking his daughter up from school

He grabs some books for himself and his daughter.

The two head to the open area of the library. David’s daughter immediately runs off to read her book.

David finds a seat and sets up to complete some light computer tasks.

David’s been in a bit of a rut lately, finding it difficult to focus while in his home office.

In the open area of the library, meetings are happening all around him. The ambient hum is the perfect nudge for David to feel motivated and inspired.

He knows many of the parents and folks working there. He almost feels like this is his office away from home.

He decides to stretch his legs. With the parents and librarians around, and his daughter engulfed in her book, David knows she will be safe and looked after.

Walking helps him think, and he’s glad there are so many nice places to walk at the library.

As he’s walking, he begins to think again about Allston Christmas right around the corner. Last year it was raining and all the curbside furniture and belongings were ruined and picked up by the garbage trucks the following week.

He remembers feeling so disappointed last year, and hates to think how all that furniture could potentially go to waste again.

David ponders this while walking through the new collaborative Taproots Hub in the library.

Taproots allows members to tap into their library’s network to: 
1. Share community minded work and ideas
2. Engage with other members’ projects.

The Hub then displays local projects posted on Taproots.

As he is walking through the Taproots Hub, he sees an exhibition archiving objects that have been found at his town’s dump.

David is immediately drawn to the piece and scans the QR code. Through the direct link, he recognizes the local artist, Ingrid, whom he has seen around the library.

In her home, Ingrid is in the library’s virtual “Work Space.” As a freelancer, she often uses this feature when she is working from home. She finds that the “Work Space” sessions create a sense of soft community, allowing her to retain agency while in an anonymous group setting.

In PubLib's reading space, users are presented with a simple, non distracting UI, providing the amount of time users have been in the space, and how many other anonymous users are also in the reading space at the same time.

She gets a notification that  someone has viewed her Taproots page. On the app, Ingrid can view David’s profile and his recent reads-- they share interests in art, equality of access, and community building projects.

David's user facing profile for his library account shows the books he's read, his reading buddies, personalizable profile information, and comments on his latest reads.

David and Ingrid message back and forth.

They plan to meet at the library the next day to talk more about Ingrid’s  project displayed at the Taproots Hub.

David and Ingrid messaging through the library app about their shared interests.

Before heading out, Ingrid messages her neighbor, Elena, to arrange to pick up Elena’s library books for her. Ingrid can easily arrange a joint pickup through the app.

Through this relationship, Ingrid and Elena have had richer conversations about the books they have been reading.

Ingrid messages her neighbor through the library app to easily arrange to pick up her reserved books at the library.

David and Ingrid meet in the open area of the library and get to talking about trash and Allston Christmas.

Over the course of the conversation, they get to thinking about how they might be able to donate curbside furniture directly to the doorsteps of people who could use it. An idea begins to formulate.

Ingrid remembers another project that was on display in  their library’s Taproots Hub.

Although the project is no longer showcased, she can easily access the archive on the Taproots webpage.

Through a quick search, she finds Ali’s mobile app project, which connects unused delivery trucks and drivers with community members of need.

To learn more, the two go to speak with a librarian who remembers Ali’s project and is able to refer the two to Larry, a previously unhoused library member who uses his knowledge of homelessness to  work closely individuals and organizations to help folks find and apply for affordable housing in the area.

David, Ingrid, Ali, and Larry  collaboratively find a way to connect tenants moving out of their apartments with drivers, who deliver furniture directly to recently housed folks in their new apartments. All with the help of their library network!

Laptop with Taproots homepage pulled up. "taproots mission is to record, share, and preserve the projects and stories of public library members from all walks of life"

They record, submit, and share their project’s journey with the greater Taproots network.

All library members are filled with ideas. These ideas are constantly being shared within communities and beyond via Taproots. Public libraries continue to serve as spaces to anchor and foster new ideas. Now, with Taproots, libraries are spaces to share ideas too.

Impact

Positive results and more to do...

“To continue to serve the needs of its members, the technology that assists in materials borrowing really needed to be upgraded. PubLib does that, and more”

User testing of PubLib received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Local libraries as services and spaces are an essential aspect of a municipality and communities. Despite the emergence of the digital age, many library members still value physical copy borrowing the most. PubLib helps users still rely on the library for their hard copy books and reading materials, and makes book borrowing, an easier experience for members.

PubLib allows users to...

  1.  Integrate library services into one streamlined experience
  2. Flexibility to create specialized lists of books to be read
  3.  Engage with a greater reading and library community

This project was completed early in 2021. Since, its completion, many libraries, including my local library where I conducted my research, have opened their doors to member visitation and browsing. Still, I believe PubLib has potential to be a powerful and dynamic tool for library networks moving forward.

Reflections

  • Ethnographic experiences are valuable —particularly during a pandemic— and can be attested and corroborated with primary and secondary research
  • Use cases are powerful tools when designing for diverse user needs
  • Pandemic solutions can live on to an endemic world

Product design

Sign Up Experience

Organization

UserTesting

Team

1 Product manager
1 Product designer
3 Engineers

Role

Product designer

Year

2021
Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page.

Case Overview

Expediting materials borrowing services at public libraries

PubLib is created for lovers of libraries, those who love the soft community, resources, and comfort found in public libraries. PubLib presents a tool for modern library networks to continue to provide their essential services, while seamlessly adapting to their community's changing needs. This project uses the Cambridge Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network as precedents for the preservation of valuable library services, as integrated on PubLib.

Problem

Borrowing materials from the library can be time consuming and seemingly not worthwhile. Particularly for popular titles or books with few copies, it can take months for reserved books to become available.

Solution

PubLib supports public library's fundamental book borrowing services and introduces new a book logging experience unique to the library all in one streamlined experience. The application supports hybrid interactivity for public library members while encouraging community organization around library touchstones.

My Role

The Challenge

Public library book circulation rates slowed significantly during the pandemic

During the pandemic and before, book borrowing remains a major feature of public libraries. In 2013, 80% of Americans said no-cost access to books and media is the most important service libraries provide. For many, the pandemic has created more opportunities for reading across all age groups, with publishers seeing an 8.2% increase in print sales in 2020, and a 6% increase in reading compared to 2019.

Libraries were among the many institutions heavily impacted by the pandemic. Many libraries paused late fee charges, quarantined books for 72 hours after return, and had fewer people working in buildings to assist with book circulation. More people reading during 2020, paired with the safety protocols and practices adopted during the COVID19 pandemic, public library members have experienced long, unpredictable materials borrowing services. Though materials borrowing was made available to library members, buildings were often closed to the public, with staff and volunteers retrieving requested materials for members.

The Approach

How might library mobile apps improve users’ book borrowing experience?

This project began during the pandemic, where high level goals were explore approaches to make materials borrowing experiences easier for users with libraries COVID19 precautions in place.

User Insights & Ideation

Mapping user journeys and service experiences to identify leverage points within the public library user experience.

Synthesis & Experience Design

Identifying product goals to focus efforts on improving materials availability predictability for users, designing more intuitive book search features, and creating soft community online.  

Design Execution & Validation

Designing a mobile application to help library networks keep materials in circulation and help users engage with their members in an online community.

🔑

💡

🧩

Discover

Understand existing sign up experiences, customer needs, business limitations

Ideate

Generate concepts for solutions, share and receive feedback, revise

Optimize

How might UserTesting optimize the existing sign up patterns? 

🔬

⛳️

Test

How would the applied patterns add value to the current sign up experience?

Solve

Iterate designs based on research and various forms of feedback

Discovery

Customer data supports the development of targeted, persona-based marketing strategies

Despite making up a significant and growing portion of customers, a dedicated body of research on UserTesting’s non-traditional users did not exist. Working with the Customer Marketing team, these insights were collected from a comprehensive onboarding survey.

Low onboarding satisfaction

Onboarding satisfaction with UserTesting varies according to customer role.

The lower levels of satisfaction rates amongst new, non-traditional users is reflected in low product engagement.

Successful onboarding touchpoints

Customers rated PENDO messages as highly important for onboarding and product understanding.

This finding suggests that guidance which occurs on the platform would be useful for UserTesting’s customers. 

Importance of customer role and account type

Engagement with UserTesting's product varies by account type and customer role.

Platform engagement is lower for non traditional customers, compared to UserTesting's traditional customers.

Targeted onboarding for non-traditional users is key to ensuring product engagement and customer success

These insights present an opportunity for UserTesting to target onboarding content for new users in non-traditional roles and to raise awareness of UserTesting's other customer touchpoints.

As UserTesting’s content sharing experience becomes more collaborative, consumable, and supportive of a product adoption strategy that is used across a company —in all different departments— we want non expert users, to be able to not only witness how UserTesting's product powerfully conveys human insight through test results, but also provide customers with a frictionless experience to signup get started using the platform.

Deeper Insights

Library's current mobile app is underutilized

Current minuteman public library application screens, critical flow. Though many features are shown, few are functional. UI is simple, a bit out dated, and requires a lot of scrolling.
Current library mobile application screens

Below are images of the Minuteman Library Network's critical flow. Mainly, the app is used as a digital library card. Although many extra features such as “Event Calendar,” “Connect with Us” are on the home page, clicking them brings users to dead ends. Otherwise, the app is mostly functional for users to check their borrowing records and to present their library card, but many of the pages are not clearly navigable, frequently requiring users to re-sign in, and requiring a lot of scrolling.

The application lacks any functional social elements and the pickup scheduler is not functional. Finally, aesthetically, the UI is bulky and a bit outdated.

Mainly, the current mobile application is used to:

  1. Search for books and availability
  2. View personal borrowing records
  3. Check for hold updates on personal accounts
  4. Present a digital library card for book check out

Though these features are utilized by library members and the app supports libraries major service—book borrowing—the application does not support users further engagement with libraries. Additionally, the unpredictable wait times for popular titles can often be discouraging for members.

Exploring the current sign up experience

Users trying to sign up for UserTesting through the company's main marketing page might be confused how exactly to sign up. The experience does not present an opportunity for a new user to sign up for UserTesting without having to request a trial or speak to a representative.

UserTesting homepage at the time of redesign lacks an obvious way to sign up for UserTesting, without having to request trial or go through a sales representative.

Signing up for UserTesitng requires new users to request trial. Clicking the request trial button brings users to a plans and pricing page without any information on how much the product costs, or further information about how the UserTesting's product will help users reach their test objectives. Similar to the homepage, on these pages, it is unclear what the difference between "Request Trial," "Order Now," and signing up is.

After clicking "request trial" on UserTesting's homepage, users are presented with a pricing page. Options from here are to "order now" or "request trial." This experience makes it extremely difficult and frustrating for users to get to quickly, easily, and enjoyable try the product  for themselves.

The Vision

Ensure users have books to read when they want them

Create digital bookshelves where users can save books they want to read. The library app tracks a user’s book borrowing and reading habits through their library account data to autogenerate book reservations for available materials from users’ “want to read” bookshelves.

With this strategy, users can be assured that each week they will be getting a manageable number of books from the library, and it will be a book that they have wanted to read.

Design WIP Feedback

What or how much personal information should users give at the time of sign up?

Collaborative work in progress boards to receive asynchronous feedback on design concepts.

Customer Design Review

What are the risks associated with the flows? 

Collaborative work in progress board to receive feedback on design concepts with the customer team.

Self Serve Design Review

What are strategies to bring realized value forward sooner in the sign up flow? 

Collaborative work in progress boards to receive feedback on design concepts. Self service team design review exercise.

Syncing Up Conversations

Discussions with sales, customer onboarding, template operations, security, and more.

Notes from non-designer feedback for the sign up experience, organized by theme.

Bringing Ideas to Life

A cleaner sign up flow to democratize findings

The new sign up designs consider the first time user experience. They work to make the first time a user touches the product a more intuitive process by considering how to create ease of use within UserTesting's product for people outside of UX professionals. This sign up experience can be applied across different entry points and considers what happens after new users are signed up, and how to encourage customer retention.

The entire sign up experience flow, redesigned for the first time user experience.

Realized value

Quickly and early on, customers are shown the value they receive by signing up for UserTesting — they can quickly get feedback on their product, concept, branding, etc.

Throughout the sign up experience, UserTesting demonstrates personally resonating value propositions based on test objectives, job type, and more.

UserTesting highlights product value—the platform does not only help customer create, record, and analyze tests, but also provides a network of contributors, or participants ready to take tests and give actionable feedback.

Sign up flow asking for prior experience using UserTesting. A tooltip is displayed to show how many contributors are online to give test feedback.

Product guidance

Product offerings and potential are shown softly throughout the sign up flow. Tooltips help customers new-to-research navigate terminology, research strategies, and to identify methods to best fit their feedback needs.

Customers are guided through the product through contextual onboarding, maximum context through blog post links, and a product tour after signing up and landing on the test creation dashboard.

With the insights selector, customers can select the type of feedback they are looking for. With this information, UserTesting will suggest test templates to help customers reach their testing  objectives. The insights selector introduces research language to new users, providing definitions for terminology.

Personalization

Throughout the sign up experience, messaging is personalized relevant to a customer's job function. The information gathered during the sign up experience is used to better serve UserTesting's customers in their first test creation.

Customer's test creation is expedited by personalizing the landing page so that templates and settings are already organized to meet users specific needs.

This personalization allows users to complete tasks and orient themselves fluidly, quicker and more confidently after they land on the test creation dashboard.

Landing page after successful sign up. Customers are presented with a dismissible product orientation video to help users get started creating tests. Landing page when new users complete the sign up process. After a onboarding video, users are presented with test templates, selected based on information collected during the sign up experience.

Levity

Lightweight copy, concise context, and conversational tone adds levity to the sign up experience.

A human insights platform, sprinkled with personal touches throughout to drive home the importance of practiced human connection and empathy.

Users are asked their job role for UserTesting to gain a better understanding of how to best serve customers according to job role.

Collaborative

Connect new users to existing accounts, share feedback results, effectively collaborate to translate findings into actionable insights.

UserTesting's experiences scale seamlessly from teams of one to large enterprise organizations, new users, and those who have been using the product from the start.

With the insights selector, customers can select the type of feedback they are looking for. With this information, UserTesting will suggest test templates to help customers reach their testing  objectives. The insights selector introduces research language to new users, providing definitions for terminology.

Impact

Positive results and more to do...

“To continue to serve the needs of its members, the technology that assists in materials borrowing really needed to be upgraded. PubLib does that, and more”

User testing of PubLib received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Local libraries as services and spaces are an essential aspect of a municipality and communities. Despite the emergence of the digital age, many library members still value physical copy borrowing the most. PubLib helps users still rely on the library for their hard copy books and reading materials, and makes book borrowing, an easier experience for members.

PubLib allows users to...

  1.  Integrate library services into one streamlined experience
  2. Flexibility to create specialized lists of books to be read
  3.  Engage with a greater reading and library community

This project was completed early in 2021. Since, its completion, many libraries, including my local library where I conducted my research, have opened their doors to member visitation and browsing. Still, I believe PubLib has potential to be a powerful and dynamic tool for library networks moving forward.

Reflections

  • Ethnographic experiences are valuable —particularly during a pandemic— and can be attested and corroborated with primary and secondary research
  • Use cases are powerful tools when designing for diverse user needs
  • Pandemic solutions can live on to an endemic world

Product design

Audience Selector

Helping UserTesting's customers reach the right contributors

Organization

UserTesting

Team

1 Product manager
1 Product designer
3 Engineers

Role

Product designer

Year

2021
Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page.
Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page.

Case Overview

Expediting materials borrowing services at public libraries

PubLib is created for lovers of libraries, those who love the soft community, resources, and comfort found in public libraries. PubLib presents a tool for modern library networks to continue to provide their essential services, while seamlessly adapting to their community's changing needs. This project uses the Cambridge Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network as precedents for the preservation of valuable library services, as integrated on PubLib.

Problem

Borrowing materials from the library can be time consuming and seemingly not worthwhile. Particularly for popular titles or books with few copies, it can take months for reserved books to become available.

Solution

PubLib supports public library's fundamental book borrowing services and introduces new a book logging experience unique to the library all in one streamlined experience. The application supports hybrid interactivity for public library members while encouraging community organization around library touchstones.

My Role

The Challenge

Public library book circulation rates slowed significantly during the pandemic

During the pandemic and before, book borrowing remains a major feature of public libraries. In 2013, 80% of Americans said no-cost access to books and media is the most important service libraries provide. For many, the pandemic has created more opportunities for reading across all age groups, with publishers seeing an 8.2% increase in print sales in 2020, and a 6% increase in reading compared to 2019.

Libraries were among the many institutions heavily impacted by the pandemic. Many libraries paused late fee charges, quarantined books for 72 hours after return, and had fewer people working in buildings to assist with book circulation. More people reading during 2020, paired with the safety protocols and practices adopted during the COVID19 pandemic, public library members have experienced long, unpredictable materials borrowing services. Though materials borrowing was made available to library members, buildings were often closed to the public, with staff and volunteers retrieving requested materials for members.

It's been almost 2 weeks now and the only money I have made is $14
It is extremely difficult to get accepted into the tests.
They give you all these tests, but then when you start applying for them, you just get denied.

Contributor pain points

"It is extremely difficult to get accepted into the tests"
"Are UserTesting screeners a trick or am I missing something?"
"They give you all these tests, but then when you start applying for them, you just get denied"

Customer pain points

“The biggest challenge...is people bypassing screeners who are not qualified”
“Writing a screener that contributors can't 'trick' is challenging”
“Finding the right people is the biggest challenge, sometimes participants lie to bypass screeners or information is outdated”

With more screener questions, it becomes more difficult for contributors to qualify for, and takes dedicated but unpaid time. This process impacts how long it takes customers to receive their feedback.

The Approach

How might library mobile apps improve users’ book borrowing experience?

This project began during the pandemic, where high level goals were explore approaches to make materials borrowing experiences easier for users with libraries COVID19 precautions in place.

User Insights & Ideation

Mapping user journeys and service experiences to identify leverage points within the public library user experience.

Synthesis & Experience Design

Identifying product goals to focus efforts on improving materials availability predictability for users, designing more intuitive book search features, and creating soft community online.  

Design Execution & Validation

Designing a mobile application to help library networks keep materials in circulation and help users engage with their members in an online community.

Customer

How might we improve the way that customers select demographics so they can more easily refine their choices?

How might we reduce the number of screeners by encouraging customers to use demographic filters? 

Contributor

How might we improve the way contributors input new demographics and update their existing demographics?

Discovery

Reorganizing and prioritizing demographics features

Current customer flow

Much of the problem could be understood with a walk through of the audience selector flow for customers. Shown here is how UserTesting's demographic filters are presented on the customer facing audience selector side.

Customers can select test participants through UserTesting's contributor network, or through a company's specified participants-- either solicited through their own network, or through the contributor network.

Landing page for UserTesting customers to select their specific audience for testing. This is the old design.

Gender exclusivity and inaccessibility through the use of directional language --"select filters on the right"-- is immediately apparent in the filter selection experience. The list order of items does not present an intuitive selection experience for customers, and there is no guidance on when to use screener questions versus filters.

Filled state audience selector page for customers selecting filters to reach their targeted audience. This is the old design.

Additional understanding of the problem area was gained through customer insights, demographics usage metrics, and the many contributor pain points expressed to UserTesting's support network, and found recorded independently online via Reddit, YouTube, Twitter, discussion boards, etc.

Empty state for customers to select screener questions to reach the right contributors. This is the old design.

Reserving books leads to many points of frustration

2020 introduced many logistical difficulties for public libraries and their users. Unable to peruse library book stacks to spark inspiration for a next read, a higher demand for popular book titles emerged. With many popular titles having hundreds of library members on the wait list, without any prediction for when books become available, it is difficult and frustrating for library members to plan their reading schedules.

Our solution should be... 

Efficient

Increase customers use of demographics over screeners that may serve the same purpose

Accessible

Make the current demographics that UserTesting offers more accessible and easier to use

Updated

UserTesting would be able to know how "fresh" the contributor's information is

Accurate

Customers can target the right contributors more efficiently and with better accuracy

Reliable

Customers can rely more readily on demographics to help them target the right individuals

Deeper Insights

Library's current mobile app is underutilized

Current minuteman public library application screens, critical flow. Though many features are shown, few are functional. UI is simple, a bit out dated, and requires a lot of scrolling.
Current library mobile application screens

Below are images of the Minuteman Library Network's critical flow. Mainly, the app is used as a digital library card. Although many extra features such as “Event Calendar,” “Connect with Us” are on the home page, clicking them brings users to dead ends. Otherwise, the app is mostly functional for users to check their borrowing records and to present their library card, but many of the pages are not clearly navigable, frequently requiring users to re-sign in, and requiring a lot of scrolling.

The application lacks any functional social elements and the pickup scheduler is not functional. Finally, aesthetically, the UI is bulky and a bit outdated.

Mainly, the current mobile application is used to:

  1. Search for books and availability
  2. View personal borrowing records
  3. Check for hold updates on personal accounts
  4. Present a digital library card for book check out

Though these features are utilized by library members and the app supports libraries major service—book borrowing—the application does not support users further engagement with libraries. Additionally, the unpredictable wait times for popular titles can often be discouraging for members.

The Vision

Ensure users have books to read when they want them

Create digital bookshelves where users can save books they want to read. The library app tracks a user’s book borrowing and reading habits through their library account data to autogenerate book reservations for available materials from users’ “want to read” bookshelves.

With this strategy, users can be assured that each week they will be getting a manageable number of books from the library, and it will be a book that they have wanted to read.

For Customers

How might we improve the audience selector experience while maintaining customer expectations?

How do we encourage users to use filters over screeners that serve the same purpose?

How might we ensure customers that filters are as accurate as screener questions?

For Contributors

How might we improve the current profile view to better support growth?

How can we make this experience enjoyable in general?

How can we manage the amount of information we ask from contributors?

Bringing Ideas to Life

Contributor flow

Walk through flow of contributor profile set up, editing profile, and notification features.

Initial profile set up

The initial profile set up flow aims to onboard new contributor applicants. This flow allows contributors to fill out ‘necessary’ or essential profile information when they sign up, but withholds asking applicants to fill out extraneous information until they’re approved.

Redesigned contributor demographics features asks users only necessary information for account approval. "You can complete the rest of your profile after you're approved"

Add additional info

When contributors have fully joined after approval, they can add in more detailed information and some optional information. Sharing the optional information allows contributors to more quickly qualify for tests, without having to answer screener questions.

Splitting the profile info up into sections helps make it more manageable, browsable, and allows flexibility in what contributors provide. Progress in both the overall profile and the sections helps encourage completion by making the task feel achievable.

Questions appear dynamically based on previous answers.

Copy to encourage customers to add additional profile information. "Adding your household details helps us match you with the most accurate tests. You can provide details such as household size, marital status, and income. Don't worry, we'll keep your information safe. Visit our commitment to data security"

Edit profile

The edit flow demonstrates reminders for contributors to update their profile information. This ensures their profile information is up to date and accurate since this was a concern of customers regarding use of filters versus screeners. 

Prior, changes made to demographics required contributors to go through UserTesting's support channels, causing higher volumes of requests for the support team. This flow introduces certain fields as locked -- to only be updated once every however long before requiring support.

To ensure information is up to date, cards encourage contributors to update their profile information periodically. Users are given time estimation, ability to remind them to update later. "Have you moved recently or increased your income? to continue to qualify for tests, check if your profile information is still accurate"

Customer features

Walk through flow of customer audience selector experience. Added features allow users to save commonly used demographics, introduce more intuitive filter selection, and encourage the use of filters over screeners that may serve the same purpose.

Organizing filters

For the customer's experience with the audience builder, we improved features of the experience rather than the whole flow of audience selection.

Here we see categorized filters and the addition, removal, and renaming of necessary filters. We introduced default and saved filters under filter presets to make it easier for customers to re-use their existing go-to-filters. 

Most used filters by account will be automatically displayed to encourage customers to use filters over screener questions that serve the same purpose.

Redesigned customer facing audience selector categorizes filters for a more intuitive filter selection experience.

Finding filters

With this feature, customers can easily do a quick-search to find demographic filters.

UserTesting's intelligent search features allow customers to search for filters such as "student" and be guided toward its directed category under "Employment status" as a "Full Time Student."

The search feature reduces frustration customers spend finding their desired filters, and opting to use screener questions instead.

Introducing new feature allowing customers to search for filters during their audience selection flow. UserTesting's intelligent search filters feature allows customers to type in "student" and be guided toward "full time student" under "employment status" filter category.

Screener questions and machine learning

While customers are creating screener questions, we added more friction to reduce the number of screener questions, suggesting the use of appropriate filters instead.

When completing the audience selector, machine learning directs customers to utilize filters over screeners. Copy explains the benefits of filters over screener questions that serve the same purpose.

Impact

Promising improvements with more to do...

Because UserTesting's contributors experience first hand how difficult it can be to qualify for tests, solving for the contributor facing designs, and "selling" the designs to contributor testers was straightforward. Contributors were enthusiastically on board with the idea of maintaining up to date profile information, if it meant less screener questions to go through.

When designing for the customer facing experience, our main consideration was how manage existing audience selector expectations from UserTesting's seasoned customers. For this reason, our team kept many of the expectations from the audience selector experience, with filters on the lefthand panel, the audience selector body on the right, and the expanded filters.

Contributor facing designs

  • New experience favored, even among some who struggled with expectations
  • Reminders were found to be useful to ensure freshness of profile details
  • Participants knew or felt they could find how to update their profile
  • Reconsider edit button design or placement

Customer facing designs

  • General positive reactions on the categorizations of the filters
  • New design is more aesthetically pleasing that prior experience
  • Positive reactions on the default demographic filters, search ability, and saved demographics
  • Reconsider how we communicate filters’ importance

If a test takes longer than expected to be completed, the reason for the delay is not inherently obvious to customers. Users may think there aren't enough contributors online, or that there is an issue with the test, or with the platform, and so on. Because these backstage contributor facing processes are concealed, the delays that screener questions cause is relatively hidden from the concerns of customers.

For this reason, the question remains for which method best communicates with customers the benefit of filters over screeners to customers, and how to not discourage screeners as a whole, but a screener that serves the same purpose as a filtered demographic question. These insights were noted in the design files.

Reflections

  • Ethnographic experiences are valuable —particularly during a pandemic— and can be attested and corroborated with primary and secondary research
  • Use cases are powerful tools when designing for diverse user needs
  • Pandemic solutions can live on to an endemic world

Product design

Book Generator

Literary experimental device for Harvard students

Organization

Professor Zei Co

Team

1 Product designer

Role

Product designer

Year

2021
Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page. Hero image for case study. A colored background with screen image of case study page.

Case Overview

Expediting materials borrowing services at public libraries

PubLib is created for lovers of libraries, those who love the soft community, resources, and comfort found in public libraries. PubLib presents a tool for modern library networks to continue to provide their essential services, while seamlessly adapting to their community's changing needs. This project uses the Cambridge Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network as precedents for the preservation of valuable library services, as integrated on PubLib.

Problem

Borrowing materials from the library can be time consuming and seemingly not worthwhile. Particularly for popular titles or books with few copies, it can take months for reserved books to become available.

Solution

PubLib supports public library's fundamental book borrowing services and introduces new a book logging experience unique to the library all in one streamlined experience. The application supports hybrid interactivity for public library members while encouraging community organization around library touchstones.

The Approach

How might library mobile apps improve users’ book borrowing experience?

This project began during the pandemic, where high level goals were explore approaches to make materials borrowing experiences easier for users with libraries COVID19 precautions in place.

User Insights & Ideation

Mapping user journeys and service experiences to identify leverage points within the public library user experience.

Synthesis & Experience Design

Identifying product goals to focus efforts on improving materials availability predictability for users, designing more intuitive book search features, and creating soft community online.  

Design Execution & Validation

Designing a mobile application to help library networks keep materials in circulation and help users engage with their members in an online community.

Discovery

Deeper Insights

The Vision

Ensure users have books to read when they want them

Create digital bookshelves where users can save books they want to read. The library app tracks a user’s book borrowing and reading habits through their library account data to autogenerate book reservations for available materials from users’ “want to read” bookshelves.

With this strategy, users can be assured that each week they will be getting a manageable number of books from the library, and it will be a book that they have wanted to read.

Bringing Ideas to Life

Homepage:

PubLib’s homepage visually presents users current reading progress. The library app pairs with users digital or audio books reading progress through OverDrive.

For borrowed hard copybooks, users can easily additionally input their reading progress with an opt-in notification feature. To bring further awareness to readers interests, the homepage automatically displays a book’s publisher and BISAC Category.

An improved pickup scheduler allows for friends, book club or reading group participants, and neighbors to easily organize group pickups.

From here, users can easily navigate to edit reading progress, pickup scheduling, book queues, and their reading journal.

 

Reading Progress:

WithPubLib’s reading progress tracking, the library can calculate users’ average reading speed.

The scheduler displays predictions for when a user will return a book or pickup their next read. This feature aligns with the library’s existing 10 day holding period for reserved books, providing users with room for flexibility.

Student Shelf:

Students interact with books differently than people reading for leisure. Often, they are reading several books at a time for different classes, while reading a book cover to cover is also less common. PubLib’s student shelf feature allows students to organize their shelf in whatever way best supports their learning.

Here, students can follow along with their reading group, allowing users to track reading group activity and comments.

User book review features can change to book notes in the student shelf portal. This feature tracks a student’s relationship with a book, when they first logged a book, and whey they last engaged with it.

 

The Virtual Library:

Finally, to emulate the feeling of reading or studying inside a library — independently, yet amongst others— the app provides both a reading space and a study space for users to gather, anonymously, to read or work.

The reading and study spaces can provide users with a non-overbearing nudge to read or study in an anonymous group setting. After sessions, users are given “overviews” and the option to allow the library app to remind them to read or study the next day.

For interested users, the reading space records data so they can gauge a sense of how long it took to read a book or study a certain topic.

The virtual library features allow users tore-think online community formation—maintaining user-agency even when online and creating social campaigns that draw users to engage outside digital formats.

Impact

Positive results and more to do...

“To continue to serve the needs of its members, the technology that assists in materials borrowing really needed to be upgraded. PubLib does that, and more”

User testing of PubLib received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Local libraries as services and spaces are an essential aspect of a municipality and communities. Despite the emergence of the digital age, many library members still value physical copy borrowing the most. PubLib helps users still rely on the library for their hard copy books and reading materials, and makes book borrowing, an easier experience for members.

PubLib allows users to...

  1.  Integrate library services into one streamlined experience
  2. Flexibility to create specialized lists of books to be read
  3.  Engage with a greater reading and library community

This project was completed early in 2021. Since, its completion, many libraries, including my local library where I conducted my research, have opened their doors to member visitation and browsing. Still, I believe PubLib has potential to be a powerful and dynamic tool for library networks moving forward.

Reflections

  • Ethnographic experiences are valuable —particularly during a pandemic— and can be attested and corroborated with primary and secondary research
  • Use cases are powerful tools when designing for diverse user needs
  • Pandemic solutions can live on to an endemic world