Library App Feature
Libby App
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Libby App
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Libby App 📖 Libby App *
MY ROLEResearch, User Interviews, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
DELIVERABLESAdding a “Wishlist” Tag Feature to the existing Libby App Interface
TIME FRAME2 Months (2025)
About Libby
Libby is a user-friendly mobile and web app that allows users to borrow and read eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines for free through their local library. Users can sign in with their library card, browse a vast collection, and instantly borrow titles—bringing the library experience straight to their fingertips.
Libby’s Interface
Research Methods
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I interviewed:
6 Participants
Avid readers
Libby Users
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Findings:
The app has limited book discovery options
The recommendations are inaccurate or irrelevant
There is a lack of personalization for the user
The tagging system for genres & sub-genres of books is not specific enough
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I analyzed 4 competitors of Libby:
Bookmate
Hoopla
Goodreads
There were several opportunities that I found, but I decided to focus on incorporating more personalized content discovery features, such as tailored recommendations to the user.
Interview Quote
Most of the titles are checked out or titles I wouldn’t be interested in.”
Interview Quote
"I think they could have more personalized content and recommendations."
The Problem
Libby users need a way to discover books because their current recommendation systems are often irrelevant and fail to account for individual reader preferences.
Feature Set
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Feature Set *
Curated Genres
A feature where users can set and manage genres based on their preferences. This feature would then be used to recommend titles in the second feature: Interactive Reading Journey.
Interactive Reading Journey
A feature that allows the user to choose titles to add to a ‘wishlist’ tag by selecting to add the book or move on to the next title by swiping through titles in the user’s preferred genres.
User Persona
Name | Rachel
Age | 30
Occupation | Graphic Designer
Salary | $55,000
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Rachel enjoys reading fiction, especially romance and thrillers. Outside of reading, she enjoys yoga, podcasts, and traveling (with some books!).
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Rachel needs a better book discovery experience, specifically one that surfaces relevant genres and niche categories. She also wants a more personalized recommendation system and better search filters to streamline her process.
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Rachel wants to use Libby to keep up with her reading by borrowing at least 2 books/month. She’s focused on finding books that match her specific tastes while exploring new options she hasn’t heard of yet.
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Rachel wants to support her local library because she knows how much good they do for her community. She also prefers to save money by borrowing books instead of buying them all. She likes to see what her local librarians are recommending, as long as they are in the genres she likes.
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Limited discovery options: Rachel finds that Libby’s recommendations often don’t align with her preferences, leaving her to manually search for titles or look elsewhere for book ideas.
Tagging system: The current system doesn’t provide enough specific tags for niche genres or subgenres she’s interested in, like historical fiction with romance or specific sub-genres of thrillers.
Design
HIGH-FIDELITY WIREFRAMELOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAME
ITERATIONThe “Wishlist” feature was designed to seamlessly integrate with Libby’s existing interface while introducing a refreshed, more modern, and user-friendly experience.
Informed by usability testing, the design was iterated to improve clarity, reduce friction in the task flow, and highlight personalized recommendations. While enhancing visual hierarchy and interactivity, the updates remain consistent with Libby’s established brand guidelines—balancing familiarity with thoughtful innovation.
Task Flow 1
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The user begins in the Library Tab, where they can personalize their wishlist.
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Users define their wishlist by selecting subjects/genres of interest.
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The system suggests book titles based on the user's selections & local librarian recommendations within their selected genres.
For each book recommendation, users can:
Add to wishlist (repeats up to 5 times).
Exit if they’re not interested.
Read more details about the book.
Borrow the book directly.
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After adding up to 5 books, wishlist items are tagged for future reference within Libby’s Tag tab under “Wishlist”.
Task Flow 2
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The user begins in the Library Tab, after they have made their genre selections.
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The user selects “All of my genres” in the second card to view a collection of their genres.
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The user selects the “Thriller” card to view titles under this genre.
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The user selects the tag icon for a book title to tag the title.
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The user adds the title to the “Wishlist” tag.
Positive Feedback
Participants rated the feature either 4/5 or 5/5, highlighting that it was easy to locate the wishlist, add books, and receive personalized recommendations.
Users found the task of adding a book to their wishlist to be seamless and easy, and enjoyed the book genre marketing cards.
Usability Testing & Findings
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A participant found the “Choose Your Genre” section unclear on the homepage.
The large number of genre options felt overwhelming, and fiction being listed first may not be ideal because it’s a broad category that confused the participant about the rest of the selections.
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Users liked the “Add to Wishlist”button and found it intuitive.
One participant preferred seeing all book titles on a single page rather than navigating back and forth by tapping on either the add button or the title numbers at the top.
The “My Wishlist” tag was assumed to lead directly to the wishlist page, which matched user expectations.
Participants rated the feature either 4/5 or 5/5, highlighting that it was easy to locate the wishlist, add books, and receive personalized recommendations.
There was some confusion about why books they wanted to add didn’t always appear in the wishlist, though they recognized this might be due to testing constraints.
Users found the task of adding a book to their wishlist in the second flow to be seamless and easy, and enjoyed the book genre marketing cards.
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Reword the “My Wishlist” tag subtitle to clarify its purpose.
Reduce cognitive overload in genre selection by possibly categorizing or limiting visible options.
Consolidate book displays or simplify tasks to avoid excessive back-and-forth navigation.
Ensure feedback when adding books to the wishlist, so users know their action was successful.
IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACKProject Reflection
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My key insight from user interviews was that Libby’s recommendations don’t feel personalized. Participants often discovered new books through other apps because Libby suggests titles chosen by local librarians, which don’t always align with their interests.
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I streamlined the personalization process for ease of use, though this limits deeper customization. While adding advanced search and filters would enhance the experience, it would require modifications to Libby’s existing tagging system, which wasn’t feasible within the project’s constraints. This would be something I would consider developing further if time permitted.
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This project taught me how to design within an existing app's branding and visual system. I navigated Libby’s design constraints to improve usability while maintaining consistency. This experience is valuable as a UX designer since I’ll often enhance established brands rather than create from scratch.