Bay County Library System App Design
The Bay County Library System is a community library located in Bay County, Michigan. Recently they requested having an app created that can help better promote the library and also help the Bay County community access library resources more efficiently. With mobile searches becoming the dominate method many people use to find information, BCLS wants to stay up-to-date with its target market.
The major features the library wishes to incorporate in the design are a way to search for books and put books on hold, easy access to downloading ebooks, features digital resources, and a way to view and register for programs.
Main Features
The Bay County Library System App will focus on four main features: home, account, search, and programs. These four features will be located on the tab bar so that the user can access them at any point.
The search button will take users to a screen where they can physically enter information to search the catalog or they can click on a button to scan the ISBN number. This will provide users with the convenience to find a library resource through several different routes. The programs button on the tab bar will be very similar by allowing users to look up different library programs by date, time, event, or location. After they select a program they would be able to register for the event right on the app.
Lastly, the account would provide users with the space to manage their profile. This is where users would be able to see what resources they have checked out and when they are due back. In addition, they would see their current balance, requests, registered programs, settings, and a digital bar code. If they left their library card at home they would be able to use this to check out a book while at the library.
One important component of the app is the search and reserve feature. This feature will allow patrons to look for different materials that they can reserve for later pick-up. Special icons were also created in the event where different materials do not have a cover image that can be displayed next to their about section.
Concept
The main concept with this app is to create a way for users to quickly sign up for programs, gather information about the different branches in the library system, and request books from the system catalog.
This is due to the fact that the user is probably on the go and does not have a lot of time to wander around the app before finding what they need. The key is to stress efficiency. This will be done by highlighting the key features on the tab bar: search, account, programs, and home. This is demonstrated with the Site Map above.
Bay County Library App Design
Client: Bay County Library System
Concept: Create an app design where users can quickly find different resources provided by the Bay County Library System.
Description: A number of app screens combined to create a usable smart phone app
Award: Client picked my design as one of the top five designs submitted. Was brought on as a design collaborator for the final app design
Software: Illustrator, InVision