Libra

Libra empowers readers with a social platform to share personal libraries with like-minded individuals everywhere.

My Role

Product/UX Designer

Timeline

Winter 2019

Project Brief

Challenge

Found people are reading fewer books, spending their time instead with digital media, and other forms of online entertainment.

Solution

An app that would connect readers via a literary vehicle would be beneficial and popular to a subgroup of bookish people, bringing them together in both the digital and physical realms.

Background Research

Interviewed, researched, and identified potential target users.
Downloaded competitive apps and conducted user testing to target and isolate what seems to be working and any lack of intuitive user experience.

Competitive Analysis

Who would be Libra’s competitors?

Discovered possible competitors to Libra. Doing so would allow me to better grasp the current market, and what features I can implement, modify or improve.

Isolated Libra’s three main competitors. Compared best + worst features.

Target Users

Who are Libra's target audience?

In my research for competitive apps and assessing the current market, I have narrowed down demographics.
Libra targets users with a personal book collection who seek to share them with others. Obtain and share book recommendations from real people, not algorithms or mass trends (i.e. Amazon best sellers).

Demographics

Cheery and social, fun and caring, motivated and committed.
Estimated Average Income: $80K/year
Ages 20-40 male/female.
Live in urban, “tight-knit” cities.
Medium to high knowledge of technology.
Approx 60% use iPhone, 40% Android.

Based on user interviews + personally conducted research

Personas

Who might be a Libra user?

Organized numerous interviews with potential users. Identified commonalities and visualized a likely Libra user based off interviews + further research. Listed possible scenarios according to conceived “day in the life” of a user. Identified pain-points along journey.

Created 3 mock persona's based off interviews to identify 3 potential target users.
Used as foundation for design decisions.

Concept Development

Rough Sketches

Library Screen: Initial sketches for how one might interact with their book library.

Left: Home Screen layout of "Shelves" to house latest reads.
Right: User tapped on a book to see more information.

User Flow

Identified four main menu screens in tab bar.
Focused on specific tasks and user goals and created possible user flows accordingly.

Created ‘screens’ along a user’s process in a specific task
and identified key user decisions and interactions.

Wireframes & Lo-Fi Prototyping

Developed wireframes based on research conducted and User Flow. Focused on identifying clear objectives (Tasks), and creating necessary screens and features (such as scanning a book, then adding to reading list).

Designed two basic user flows that accomplish two essential tasks:
Viewing more info on a book and Discovering a new read.

Visual Design + Typography

The Libra Logo color scheme strategically corresponds to the current orange Apple Books Icon.
Logo implements Humanistic “Gotham Rounded” type choice as Libra providing a more humanistic look and feel in its visual design.
Libra means “Book” in Latin.

Logo: Libra logo is signified by the letter L,
incorporating an open book and a laptop with a radiating light.

How to use Libra

Meet Sarah

• Loves to read but has difficulty finding time.
• Now uses Libra to keep track of her current reading list, what she has read, and what’s next.
• Stores digital record of book collection, as well as a way to explore recommendations from other Libra users.

1. Sharing to Libra Library

Sarah wants to share a book from her library to the Libra Library, where others can physically request to borrow the book, send to a fellow Libra reader, or share to a Libra book club group.
She scans “Sara n’ Dippity” and adds it to her Library, then shares it directly to her book club group on Libra.

2. Scanning + Add to List

Sarah’s little brother has a stammer, and she just found an interesting book that might help him!
Uses the “Scan” feature to quickly scan the book and add it to her read-later list.
She can choose to scan from a previous Photo, with the Camera, or by Barcode. Libra scans for words, pictures, or barcodes and then identifies that specific book.

View Prototype

Reflection

My personal experience of sharing my own library with friends sparked my vision for Libra.

In this project, I further honed my prototyping and interaction design skillset and knowledge. I also learned via Libra, how to tailor an application specifically for a particular demographic.

Libra logo, name, and all related designs are Copyright Gabe Silverstein 2020.
I am not affiliated with the books shown, with the exception of The Original Tale of Sara n' Dippity