Bookcycle
Branding/ Ui design
Background
Bookcycle is an app idea that is focused on creating a community of book enthusiasts to keep the cycle of books alive.
Although today is already the era of e-books, the experience of reading paper books is still an irreplaceable enjoyment. But most of the time, books will be forgotten on the bookshelf when the owner finishes reading. Some book lovers may trade their used books in their neighthood so they can get their hands on new books and feel less guilty towards the environment.
Bookcycle taps into this existing culture that has been going around, much like libraries’ book swap program, and wraps it into an app that allows users to trade books with other users around their area.
The idea
Goal
Build an app that allows user the ability to purchase or reserve a specific item or service, and enhance the current user experience.
People problem
● People are often bored with their book collection, and bought books are constantly piling up at home.
● People who want to buy more books may need to sell or trade their old book collections.
● There are some book swap program at local libraries but it hasn't become a common practice.
How might we
● Transfer the book trading activity to online. Allow users to show their old book collection, edit their book wishlist and search for a specific book.
● Create a platform for book owners to communicate about books they want to trade.
● Provide information about when, where and how to trade the books.
● Set up tracking or reminder feature for the ongoing book trade.
Prototype video
Logo
Sketches
Userflow
Style Tile
High-fidelity prototype
Promotional video
A promotional video based on the high-fidelity prototype. (group project)
Final outcome
What have changed
● Redesigned the homepage for a cleaner layout and added an edit bookshelf option.
● Added a location icon beside the location name on the search "people near me" result page.
● Under the "search by name" feature, now can show three different result pages: filter applied; result not found; valid search result.
● Adjusted some spacing issues and prototyping glitches.
● Added one new "message" page.
● Removed the outline of some insert box
Possible improvement
● What if the user wants to trade multiple books with the same person?
● Delivery book to home feature instead of letting users decide time and location in their conversation.
● The chatting screen displays tips or instructions about confirming exchange time and location.
● Make a further detailed design on the "bookshelf" page.
● Make more pages for “Yes” and “No” questions instead of packing all the questions on one page.