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Turning GSU’s Library website into an app
GROUP PROJECT
PROJECT
Personal
ROLE
UX Designer
DESIGN
UX/UI
DURATION
1 Month
Project Overview
Research
Define
Final
Project Overview
Georgia State University has an expansive Library that not only houses books, but it’s a student community space to rent technical equipment, reserve study rooms, and print appropriate papers.
Despite the expansive platform, it lacks a mobile-friendly version. Inspired to do better for my college peers I want to create an app that fills that mobile gap.
Project Overview
Research
Define
Final
Research
Since the website was becoming an app, this was a great opportunity to hear from students on pain points they had using the library services – this way I’m not just converting the web into an app but solving user problems along the way.
After surveying 12 GSU students their main frustrations were:
Unclear Navigation
Double Booked Rooms
Disoriented Printing Process
1
Unclear Navigation
Students voiced that it’s difficult to find the website in the first place and often resort to digging within the schools website or just giving it a google search.
Analysis
The library website is nested in the main site, a source not resourced frequently by enrolled students.
The issue with finding the library’s website is it’s only connected to GSU’s main website. The main site is geared toward those who want to attend the school and find out information about the opportunities the school provides.
So enrolled students don’t reference the main site on a regular basis. In fact, their time is spent within their student dashboard or classroom portal.
This makes it difficult for enrolled students to find a source they need.
Where Students Spend their Academic Online Time at GSU
Time
Student
Dashboard
Classroom
Portal
GSU Main
Site
2
Double Booked Rooms
Most frustration blooms from students finding out their room
has also been booked and hinders their study time.
Student Experience with Doubled Bookings
Booking the Room
Seeing a student in your room
Conversing with the student on
who has an official reservation
Giving up and searching for
another space to study
OR
Won their space, but is upset
about the mix-up with rooms
Analysis
The library has limited study rooms, which explains double bookings. It’s the lack of communication to the students is what peaks frustration.
In an ideal circumstance, I would’ve partnered up with a corresponding software engineer to see if double booking was a backend issue. However considering my limits, I looked at something I could control.
When doubling booking occurs, neither student is aware the room has been booked twice and both are prepared to study during that time.
Without communication, the students don’t know it’s an issue until faced by another student. Overall double booking evolves into unexpected and tense user on user interaction, this is where our pain point lies.
3
Disoriented Printing Process
Students say the printing process is tedious and takes a long time because of the extensive steps it takes to print a few sheets of paper.
Analysis
GSU offers two main printing methods, but both require many steps to obtain the paper.
GSU offers Mobile Print, printing from school computer, and many printers for accessibility but since they all require their own particular process, it takes the convenience out of the multiple options.
Method 1: Mobile Printing
12
clicks
11
mins to complete
Method 2: School Computer Printing
14
clicks
12
mins to complete
Project Overview
Research
Define
Final
Define Statements
Unclear Navigation
Problem Statement
When students want reserve a room or equipment they struggle because they aren’t certain how to find the library’s website internally and what is available to checkout leading to aimless searching for the correct site or product.
HMW
How might we make a clear pathway internally for students to reach the library technologies so that they can reserve the room or equipment of their needs and focus on their work?
Double Booked Rooms
Problem Statement
When students are ready to focus on their homework in their study room, the friction comes in when another student claims the room is also theirs. Which leads to tension on which student has to sacrifice the room and their work time.
HMW
How might we make a clear pathway internally for students to reach the library technologies so that they can reserve the room or equipment of their needs and focus on their work?
Disoriented Printing Process
Problem Statement
When students try to print papers for their class they are overwhelmed by the variety of tedious methods leading to a tiring and long process to print a few papers.
HMW
How might we make a clear pathway internally for students to reach the library technologies so that they can reserve the room or equipment of their needs and focus on their work?
Project Overview
Research
Define
Final
Final Solutions
From Unclear to Organized Navigation
Within the app, each major function of the library was fit into it’s own page on the navigation bar at the bottom. Including a resource page of FAQ.
Homepage
Resources
Room Resevration
Printing Page
Resources
From Double Booked to Concise and Communicative Booking
Students were given a smoother room reservation flow to see room availability, as well as functionality to edit their booking and receive updates about it.
Filter Screen
Selected Room, Day, and Time
Confirmation
Success
New Room Reservation
From Weird Printing to Streamline Printing
We condensed book printing methods into a one-stop printing tab, keeping all functionalities within a shorter flow. The flow improved from 12 - 14 clicks to 7 clicks and the time cut from 13 - 12 to 5 minutes.
Printing Homepage
Adding Documents
Selecting Print Details
Send to Printer
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