Libby Feature

A suggestion feature to help users more easily discover books they’ll enjoy.

Role
UX Research & Design
Usability Testing

Tools
Figma
Figjam

THE PROBLEM

Difficulty Finding New Books

Libby provides access to ebooks, audiobooks and magazines through the public library. Depending on the library, this could give access to over 250,000 titles to explore. But with so many options how do users know what to read?

THE CHALLENGE

How might we help users easily find books they will enjoy?

THE SOLUTION

Suggestions Feature

Place suggestions throughout the app when users need them most: when they first open the app, join a long waitlist or have just finished a book they enjoyed.

COMPETITIVE RESEARCH

How does Libby hold up to it’s competitors?

Libby is an e-reader app that has something other products can’t beat; free books. While there is a lot of accessible content, it’s missing the opportunity to help users find a book to keep them hooked.

USER RESEARCH

Learning how users currently interact with Libby

5 Libby Users • Power and casual users • Diverse interests

Learn what features people currently use on the app.
Determine how people discover new books.
Learn what other products people use to find books.
Discover how people decide what books to read.

Interview Goals:

User Insights

USER PERSONA

Libby User: The Casual Reader

This persona was a key reference point throughout my design process to keep the solution aligned to user needs.

SOLUTION

Add Suggestions at Key Points in the User Journey

USER FLOWS

The Happy Paths

As a casual reader, I want to discover a new ebook from Libby, so I can conveniently download a free copy and enjoy a good story.

As a waitlisted ebook lover, I want to find options similar to the story I put on hold, so I can enjoy something unexpected while waiting for the other book to become available.

As an indecisive reader, I want to easily find options similar to the book I just finished reading, so I can quickly start reading my next book, instead of endlessly scrolling to find my next read.

LO-FI WIREFRAMES

Incorporating Suggestions into the Existing Platform

I kept a strong focus on hierarchy to determine where the new feature would fit most seamlessly within each screen and flow.

HOME SCREEN SUGGESTIONS

BOOK DETAIL SCREEN SUGGESTION

WAITLIST SUGGESTIONS

SUGGESTIONS AFTER RETURNING A BOOK

HI-FI WIREFRAMES

Stop the Endless Searching
& Start Reading

HOME SCREEN SUGGESTIONS

SIMILAR BOOK LIST

TITLE DETAIL SCREEN

JOIN WAITLIST

WAITLIST JOINED

SIMILAR BOOK LIST

RETURN BOOK

BOOK RETURNED

SIMILAR BOOK LIST

USABILITY TESTING

Handing It Back to Users

After incorporating the new feature into a funcitoning prototype I sought out feedback from both power users and casual users of the Libby app.

Goals & Success Metrics

TEST RESULTS

How did the prototype perform?

I handed the prototype over to individuals experienced with using the Libby app to hear their thoughts on the new feature.

PRIORITY REVISIONS

Back to the Drawing Board

Usability tests provided me with valuable insights into what areas of my design needed iteration. I narrowed down to the 4 most impactful changes I could make to my prototype.

Library Homepage

Before Testing

The difference between personal suggestions and librarian categories wasn’t clear to some users.
Three users wanted to see more suggestions based on a book they had previously read.

After Testing

For a clearer distinction between personal and librarian categories I made the headers larger and added a gray line to create more separation.
I added 2 more categories based on books the user had completed.

Book Detail Page

Before Testing

3/5 users expressed they would prefer to read the book summary before seeing similar suggestions.

After Testing

I truncated the book summary and moved similar book suggestions below. I also had to change the styling of the book suggestions to fit within that section of the screen.

Book Return Screen

Before Testing

Before adding this feature, Libby’s existing UX had a button “find your next read” which one user said was competing with the new similar books feature.