Libby App Redesign
Libby, by Overdrive is the newest app designed to help libraries share their electronic catalog. eBooks, magazines, and audiobooks are all available through this app at absolutely no cost to the user, aside from the time it takes to register for a library card. In today’s world with most libraries still closed to the public, apps like Libby are more important than ever. Libby gives its users access to thousands of stories in their pockets.
I am a frequent user of Libby, or I was until last summer when they redesigned the entire app, tossing aside useful features for what they believed users wanted. Since then, it has been a slog to use, and I have turned to paid services such as a Kindle Unlimited and Audible to avoid using. And I’m not the only one. Reviews on the Google Play app store show that others feel the same as me.
“It can be very tedious to find something new to read/listen to. It’s less like browsing bookshelves and more like trying to rifle through books dumped in a bin. You pretty much have to already know what you want and search for it specifically.”
“I loved it until the recent changes. It’s much more confusing to maneuver through everything.”
“A serviceable app that allows me to do what I need to but it is definitely not user friendly. It is difficult to find what you want and is not intuitive at all and at times extremely frustrating. If it weren’t for the fact that my library have switched to it, I probably would not use it.”
“Overdrive was easier to use and more intuitive. I’m too busy to try and figure out how to work an app that’s confusing. Gave up.”
“I love Libby, but the latest update feels like the classic example of developers updating to what they think customers want rather than listening to customers. For example, they proudly announce the menu is now easier to get to. Great, except the menu button was likely most users’ least used button. We go to Libby to read, not to view our list of libraries or information about Libby itself. Libby needs to employ a longer user experience review process.”
And there are more where those came from. Here you can see the journey most of these people experience.
With these users in mind there are several tweaks that will clean up the interface and cut down on confusing interactions.
The top of the page needs to be cleaned up and provide options that are actually relevant and likely to be used.
The never-ending scroll of book lists is overwhelming for users. If they were to actually click on one, they would be shown a list of hundreds of books. These lists are too broad and need to be more curated.
All these options will lead to decision fatigue in the user. The more choices the user is given the longer each decision will take. With each choice, the users ability to make the best decision decreases. By the time the user reaches a list of books they might like, they are less likely to find one they will truly enjoy.
In the video above, you can see the changes I made to the Discover page. Genres are the how most people search for books. When you enter a book store, you look for the genre signs. Listing multiple genres along with “audiobooks” and “magazines” at the top of the page gives users a direct starting place. The vague tags that were at the top of the page are now just gone. They can be included in the book lists or as a filter on the genre page.
The book lists have been changed to include horizontal scroll to cut down on the amount of space they take up on the page. This will help cutdown on the amount scrolling needed to reach the bottom of the page. The lists are also shorter, cutting down on decision fatigue.
In this video, you can see the entire prototype functioning. By adding “audiobooks” and “magazines” to the genre list, this gives people a dedicated place for those options. The pages for these options will have a single spotlight list and then allow access to all audiobooks and magazines the program has. The YA genre page also consists of a single spotlight list to reduce the page length and confusion.
On the “ALL TITLES” page that would be available from the genre pages, there would be a more detailed filter function. By decreasing the number of choices before they reach this page, the user is more likely to be able to use the filter function properly to refine their book choices. Libby has these pages set up fairly nicely so I did not create a new design for them.
Decreasing the options available to the user decreases decision fatigue and helps the user get where they want to go quickly. I believe with this redesign, users are more likely to use Libby as a way to find new books versus only using it to look for a specific they already have in mind.
