Joy Zeng—Multidisciplinary artist and designer

Work

Info

Resume

A book cataloguing application prioritizing personalized discovery.

app orientation gif

Book Worm

Book Worm is a mobile library app designed to encourage discovery and promote independent reading for young readers.

𖤐 Role

UI Design
Visual Identity

✐ Tools

Figma
Illustrator

⏱︎ Duration

4 weeks

𖠋 Team

Solo

app mockup 1

book worm thumbnail image

Background

How might we encourage reading and discovery among young readers in the digital age?

According to the NAEP, reading scores in 2023 declined significantly compared to scores in 2020 and only 13% of young students reported reading for fun.

Continual reading engagement and discovery will always require time and effort. With the rise of personal technology, the way we interact with everything—including books—is evolving.

Now more than ever, there is a growing necessity for simple and accessible solutions that can connect young readers to books and libraries.

Comparative Analysis

There are some great reading tools that already exist.

From progress tracking, to cataloguing, to local borrowing; there are many fantastic digital tools on the market. But which ones are the most effective—and which ones could be most helpful for a younger audience?

What are the meat and potatoes of the most successful reading applications?
What are the bells and whistles of the most successful reading applications?

Good Reads

Goodreads is a book cataloguing application that helps users find new books with additional social modalities.

Features

Discovery Page

Book Cataloguing

Community Reviews

Filtered Search Options

Takeaways

Discovery features create a highly personal experience for each user

Users can easily keep track of what they read

good reads screens

Libby

Libby is an application that allows users to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines from their local public library using a library card.

Features

Online Borrowing

Book Cataloguing

Filtered Search Options

Built-in Reader

Takeaways

Creates connection with local library making borrowing more accessible

Shelf feature allows users to view loans, holds, checkout timeline, and notices

libby screens

Goals

Personalize experience

The primary application experience will need to provide personalized interest points that encourage curiosity.

Foster local connection

Connecting users to local libraries can help them learn to engage with community and understand resources available.

Catalogue books

Helping a user remember what they read can help them understand their preferences better.

Encourage taking initiative

A long lasting solution needs to aids young readers in becoming self sufficient in their reading journey.

User Flow

A user experience centered around three functional pillars

The prevailing commonalities among the most useful reading applications ultimately boil down to three main categories: cataloging/documenting reads, exploring new material, and examining personal progress.

The primary user flow was designed around these three pillars. Below is an explanation of each navigation tab in the user interface, as well as a simplified work flow detailing the main interaction points for users.

Shelf

The shelf page will allow users to see books they have checked out, or put on hold at their local library.

Discover

The discover page will include several personalized recommendation sections allowing users to explore new books.

Profile

The profile page will provide an overview of the users preferences and personal information.

app work flow

Design

Wireframes

When designing the main screens with key functionality in mind, it became apparent that because of Book Worm's many features, it would be necessary to inform new users what the app can do. Along with wire framing the main screens, I explored a set of orientation pages.

book worm wireframes

Style Guide

Book Worm's style is vibrant, colorful, round, and dynamic. Because Book Worm is an app created to engage younger audiences, the visual branding needs to maintain interest, feel personal, while supporting app functionality.

Branded illustration also became an important part of the style as it allows the interface to communicate and react in a way that feels more approachable.

book worm style guide

Final Comps

A simple interface coupled with a fun and friendly stylistic voice

Below is the final implementation of the prototyped user interface with the visual style.

book worm final main screen compositions

book worm orientation final screens

Conclusion

Information Hierarchy

Continuously assessing the relationships between different information is incredibly important when anything with a lot of information. Book Worm's process pushed me to consistently step back to reevaluate if designs included too much or not enough information at the same weight.

Visual Balance

Because of the younger target audience, I really wanted to incorporate fun, loud, and bold graphics into my design. This project helped me practice balancing information, color, stylistic choice, and functionality.