About the project:
SecondReads is a case study for an app designed to sell second-hand books.
This is a solo project that I worked on, driven by factors such as cost-conscious consumerism, environmental awareness, and the appeal of physical books.
Problem:
Many individuals, especially budget-conscious readers, and students, may find it challenging to purchase new books due to their high prices. Large bookstores provide a wide selection of books, however, the browsing process can oftentimes be overwhelming and time-consuming. Constant printing of new books is not environmentally friendly. Readers would sometimes like to hear first-hand reviews and recommendations that are rare to find in bookstores.
Goal:
- Create an app selling second-hand books that would be a cost-effective alternative, making reading more accessible to a broader audience.
- Promote the reuse and recycling of books, which reduces the carbon footprint associated with print production.
- Make purchasing second-hand books convenient from mobile devices, through search filters and personalized recommendations and reviews.
- Focus on creating a sense of community among readers through user reviews, book events, and discussion forums.
THE DESIGN PROCESS :
STEP 1: Empathize
Online Survey
To get to know my public and their needs and preferences, I created an online survey with Google Forms and distributed it on my social media platforms and throughout my email contacts. The questionnaire was composed of both quantitative and qualitative questions for me to understand what future users would be interested in. The survey was conducted on 25 participants and then later analyzed.
Findings:
Example of the survey questionnaire.
Competitive Benchmarking
As there are not many apps that sell second-hand books available, I was pretty happy with the amount of information and structure I got from the competitive benchmarking in order to further develop my ideas and to understand the established conventions and best practices.
The competing apps lacked an engaging community and personalized recommendations, and most had bad and confusing UI.
Some of the main conventions I discovered (to name a few) were:
- The search bar
- Featured books section, rares and collectibles section, newly added books
- Login/register option
- Genre browsing
- Rewards Program
- Cart icon and a payment confirmation page just to mention a few
Competitive benchmarking of a user flow in ThriftBooks app.
STEP 2: Define
User Personas
Moving on to the second step of the design process, I created a couple of user personas in order to understand the thoughts, feelings, needs, and behaviors of my target audience, in this case, people buying second-hand books. I focused on the user's goals and pain points. Combined with the data I collected in the previous step, I now had a more clear vision of the potential user flows and structure of the app.
A detailed overview of a user persona.
Problem statement:
One of the main points that most of my users agreed upon was the need for trustworthiness and the security of the purchasing process. Users looked for platforms that ensured trustworthy sellers and provided accurate information about the condition of the books.
How should I increase the trustworthiness of users on my app and how could I implement a feature where the condition of the book was described for the users to have a better idea of what they are buying?
Trustworthiness was the biggest pain point for the users.
Solution:
To handle this problem, I decided to focus on creating a user profile section in the application (seller or buyer) where one can see the ratings of the user, whether he is a verified user, what items he is selling, and in which conditions these items are. Previous buyers and app users would be able to add their own reviews and ratings here too. By adding these details, users will be more confident and secure in their purchasing process.
The new user profile section provides trustworthiness for the users.
STEP 3: Ideate
Information Architecture
After brainstorming some ideas of how the app should be structured to cater to the previously gathered data, I started off with an Information Architecture diagram of the homepage. The chart represents the main information given for a flow from the homepage to the shopping cart and the purchasing process. My main areas of focus were:
- The genre cards (categories)
- The listed books after the search results
- The seller profile page
The flow of how the books would be listed and detailed.
User Flow and Sketches
After constructing the user flow I began drafting some sketches in Figma and was now ready to start with the UI kit. I carefully selected my main colors, created the main components, and chose some images that would all represent the look and feel of SecondReads. I was now ready to start my last but not least step, designing the mid-fidelity prototype in Figma.
Rough sketches of the app.
STEP 4: Mid-fidelity prototype and testing
After creating the main screens of the app, adding components, and some interaction with hotspots, I was ready to test the prototype and the main flow:
- Searching and selecting a book for purchase
- Reviewing the book
- Reviewing the seller and their profile
- Adding the book to the cart and selecting the purchase process
- Payment and purchase.
The project was now ready to be tested by my mentor and peers.
