BookSwap — UI/UX Case study
Mobile application for those who love to read.
Swap, Buy or Sell books.
A couple of weeks ago I discovered that there is no mobile or web platform in Georgia (country), for those who love to read books.
Imagine an application where you can discover new books, find some interesting people…
- Nah! this idea is kind of Cliché, right?
- You are right, but Imagine an application where you could exchange your old books with other people. Books that you have read, maybe even multiple times, or just want to sell it to someone. It’s always a good idea to update your bookshelf a bit.
Still here? Good! Here is a little research …
Research
In Georgia, there are just two groups on Facebook, where people join to sell or swap their old stuff. One of group’s member quantity is more than 55,000 and the second one is represented by more than 2,200 people.
So, I think those people definitely need some space where they can easily change, rate, buy or sell books.
Project Brief
Let’s do some serious work now.
My challenge was to create a good-looking mobile application with a good UX strategy for all those people; which I already mentioned. And for me, because as a booklover I would definitely love to use this application.
This is a list of the main features of the application:
1. Books Feed
2. Add a book for sale or change
3. Buy a Book
4. Discussions and ratings about book
5. Quizzes to test knowledge
Personas 👥
I did 3 personal interviews with my friends and I also made Google poll with 5 questions. Based on the results, I created three user personas of my potential mobile application user, each with specific needs. 😋
So, ladies and gentlemen please welcome: Nika, Luka and Mariam
Nika is a 21 years old IT student. His favorite book is The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.
For him, the main motivation to use the product is to exchange old and duplicated books. He also gave me good advice about a new function for my application. Sometimes it’s hard for him to find a book he needs in bookstores. That is why it would be great to add book titles in the “Wish List” and if someone adds this specific book, he would be notified.
Goals:
- Exchange his old books
- Buy books which are well-kept
—
Luka studies Chemistry and biochemistry at San Diego State University in Georgia. He loves to challenge himself. So I came up with one of the features of the application with him, Quizzes! We will have weekly rating tables and people will compete with each other.
- Challenge people
- Take as many quizzes as possible
—
Mariam loves reading books. Especially, Haruki Murakami and his Norwegian Wood . She is future social worker. So besides novels she often reads books on psychology and she often has a problem finding the books she needs. Before reading the book, for her important part is friends’ opinion about the book, the writer and sometimes size of the book. 😄
- Read best rated books
- Buy books for professional development
Map - User Flow
Before wireframes, I decided to create a simple user flow.
System map always helps to know how a user might navigate through the application, and interact with it.
Wire-framing
Wireframes were the beginning of my design process.
Using my user flows as a guide, I began to design my wireframes in Sketch.
Color palette 🌈
Choosing colors are one of my favorite part in design process. I asked myself where is the best place to read books? In a few seconds I had couple of places in my mind.
In Front of the Fireplace, The Beach, Cozy Bar (Yes, Bar!) 😋
There are plenty of gorgeous places to read a book.
That’s why I choose warm and sunset colors.
Hi-fidelity design
Finally! 🔥
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Bye fellas.
P.S.
Here is some resources I used during the project:
Icons: Feather Icons
Illustrations: Free Vector Illustrations
Colors: Color Hunt
Posters: Alternative Posters
