BookSwap
“Connecting students’ campus-wide for hassle-free textbook buying and selling, offering better prices and guaranteed exchanges based on shared courses and subjects.”
Project Context
Overview
BookSwap.com is a website designed to allow students to bypass the universities’ bookstore model for purchasing and selling textbooks. The site connects students directly to one another, allowing them to sell or trade textbooks among themselves. This gives users an option for selling or buying their textbooks at a potentially better price than what they would get from a bookstore. BookSwap facilitates a textbook exchange network throughout its campus, with the guarantee of incoming students majoring in the same subject, taking the same courses as you, needing the same books just one term later.
Project Duration:
September 12, 2014 - November 9, 2014
Role: UX Researcher
work as a part of a team of 3 HCI graduate students to create an website for Bookswap.
Tools:
Axshare (Wireframes)
Optimal Sort (Card sorting)
Challenge
BookSwap is to provide a platform for prospective and current students seeking a cost-effective and straightforward method to exchange books. With a focus on simplicity and efficiency, BookSwap caters to users, including students, faculty, and alumni, who are moderately proficient but quite efficient in using search engines. Whether seeking a specific textbook like "Web Design: HTML & CSS" or browsing for other titles, users accessing the desktop version of BookSwap can easily find, add to cart, and purchase their desired books in a seamless process.
The Solution
BookSwap revolutionizes the textbook purchasing and selling process for students, bypassing the traditional university bookstore model. By connecting students directly, the platform enables them to effortlessly sell or trade textbooks among themselves, potentially offering better prices than those found in campus bookstores. With BookSwap, users benefit from a streamlined textbook exchange network within their campus community, ensuring access to incoming students within the same major and courses, who may need the same books in subsequent terms.
Discover & Research
The primary objective is to create a website that is not only effective but also serves as a valuable utility for users. A user-friendly and productive web application is crucial for increasing customer retention rates and attracting new users.
Target Audience: The primary audience for BookSwap is students, with secondary users including professors, faculty, and alumni.
User Authentication: All users must register with a university email account containing '.Edu' to participate in transactions on the platform.
Stakeholder Goals: The stakeholders of BookSwap aim to enhance customer retention rates and attract new users to the platform.
Synthesis
We used a software program called Optimal Sort to launch an open card sort. On October 8, 2014 we emailed 12 contacts asking if they would complete an open card sort for our project. On October 12, 2014 we concluded the card sort with a total of nine participants. These nine individuals organized 30 different cards into groups and then into categories resulting in an average of seven categories. The average time taken to sort the 30 cards was 9.3 minutes. The results are displayed in a using a box plot below.
We administered a pre-survey questionnaire in order to identify each participant’s gender and whether they are currently students or not. Of the nine participants, five were male and four were female. Only three of the nine participants identified themselves as current students. Only those who are students identified with the need to sell their old textbooks, while those who are not students did not have the desire to sell their textbooks. Participants were also asked what their current method is of getting rid of old textbooks. Amazon seemed to be the most popular distribution channel, see image below.
Based on the results of our card sort, six primary categories were identified and used to organize the content on our site. These categories include Math, Technology, Science, Art & Design, History, and Literature. Even though we did not have an equal amount of books per category, the results still proved that organizing by subject matter would be most convenient and expected way. Due to the selection of books for the card sort content, we were able to identify additional sub-sections within the six main categories.
Ideation
Design Thought process
The design is favored to assist first time users as well as return users, specifically those who return to the site at least once every quarter. For those who initially visit the site, we would like BookSwap to be easy enough so that a new user could list or search a book within one minute. To facilitate this we designed a minimal homepage omitting any clutter or long text passages. Since we hope to attract return customers, we needed to design a useful and efficient system. To do so we provided synonymous content organization across all academic areas. The system is consistent with typical conventions and provides a permanent horizontal navigation bar to enable user freedom and control.
Sketches
UI Design
Wireframing:
We began by each suggesting our own tasks to be wireframed for both a desktop and mobile version. After previewing the six suggested tasks, we decided on two final tasks.
Mobile Wireframe:
In designing the mobile version of BookSwap, our focus was on the seller's interaction within the app. We created a wireframe scenario where a user receives a purchase notification for a textbook they listed on the site. Upon tapping the messages icon, a pop-up displaying the purchase details appears, allowing the user to accept or modify the request. Accepting the request finalizes the transaction, while choosing to modify allows the user to adjust details and send them back to the buyer for approval.
Mobile Interaction:
In designing the mobile interaction, our focus was to streamline the confirmation of book sales, particularly catering to first-time users. We implemented a wizard-like system for users to easily confirm textbook sales they've posted. Upon receiving a sale notification, users are presented with two clear options: accept the transaction or edit exchange details.
Design Interface:
The minimalist design and straightforward layout guide users intuitively through the process. Opting to edit details directs users to a mobile-friendly form, following standard conventions, enabling them to modify meeting details such as time and location for textbook exchange.
Decision on Mobile interface:
As part of the design interface, the decision was made to prioritize mobile interaction to ensure users are promptly notified of book sales. When a user's book is purchased, a notification appears in the application's menu bar accompanied by a sound alert, providing instant awareness. Leveraging users' familiarity with mobile notifications enhances user experience by aligning with established conventions, facilitating ease of use and comprehension.
Key Takeaways
Allowing an Intuitive Categorization approach:
Users tend to group similar items together, such as textbooks by subject or course, during the card sort activity. This insight informs the organization of book listings on BookSwap, ensuring intuitive navigation and search functionality for users seeking specific titles.
Learning that clear labels is a preference:
Users prioritize clarity and consistency in labeling categories during the card sort activity. This insight guides the development of user-friendly interface elements, such as menu options and filters, to enhance usability and reduce ambiguity on the BookSwap platform.
Immediate Notification Benefit:
Designing BookSwap for mobile interaction ensures users receive prompt notifications of book sales, enhancing their ability to prepare for exchanges efficiently. This feature aligns with users' expectations for instant updates and contributes to a seamless user experience.
Final process
In the initial stages of the project design, team members proposed various tasks to be wireframed for both desktop and mobile versions. After reviewing six suggested tasks, the team narrowed down to two final tasks. Each team member sketched their own wireframes, and upon evaluation, the selected sketches were deemed the most suitable for both desktop and mobile interactions.