Emma Duda

UX/UI Designer

Libby Kids

The library reading app for kids

Project Overview

Problem

With over 10 million downloads, Libby is a reading app that gives patrons access to their local library’s digital library collections. By simply connecting their library card, readers can access and check-out any of their library’s large selection of ebooks and audiobooks anytime and anywhere.

Libby makes reading so much more accessible by digitizing the library experience, but that accessibility doesn’t carry over to all potential users. The current design isn’t kid friendly, and if a child were to use Libby unattended, they could easily access content that is not age-appropriate.

Solution & Value

By designing a partner app to Libby that’s specifically for kids, parents can feel comfortable letting their children browse their local library’s ebook and audiobook selection. Since reading comprehension is such a critical component of child development and academic success, giving children digital access to explore their library’s digital collections could be instrumental in their reading journey. By only showing age appropriate content, having strict parental control settings, and gamifying the reading experience, kids will have the freedom to take on reading more independently.

My Role

UX/UI Designer

Tools Used

Figma, Google Drive, Zoom, Canva, Procreate, Pinterest

Timeline

Nov. 13th – 30th 2023

Contributors

Danielle Clifford, Emma Duda, Carolina Juarez, Eliana Smelansky, Brian Thyfault

Final Mock-Up

Process & Methodology

Making our way through the design cycle, from user research to user testing, we kept users in mind throughout the app’s creation.

Empathize

What do parents want?

Parents were enthusiastic when they heard about the idea behind Libby Kids, and we found several key insights that helped guide our design process. With 6 interviews and 61 survey respondents, parents repeatedly told of their desire for parental control options and an increase in their child’s reading time, but the overwhelmingly majority of parents just want their children to love reading.

Define

How do we make reading fun?

With the insights gleaned from parents, we knew that gamifying the reading experience was critical in capturing the interest of children. We created a feature prioritization matrix of potential app components, and then turned those capabilities into a storyboard to better visualize how both parents and children would interact with the app.

Ideate

Staying true to Libby

Because Libby Kids was meant to be an offshoot of Libby, we wanted to maintain a clear style guide that both stayed true to and differentiated it from the current Libby app. By using Libby’s current color scheme and adding only an extra yellow color, we kept the feel of the current design while also adding a unique element for children. We also chose a font that was designed specifically for children for the body content as it is known for being accessible to new readers.

Prototype

We began by each making a paper prototype and the combined what we liked from each to create our low-fi wireframe. We then created mid- and high-fidelity prototypes of our app. Testing after each wireframe stage allowed us to make iterations based on user insights.

Test

We tested several times throughout the process with both parents and kids to get a well-rounded view of our design’s effectiveness. We made iterations after each round of testing, and ultimately improved our navigation by reducing the cognitive load by decreasing the amount of text per screen, creating a clearer swipe indicator, and highlighting relevant content during the child coaching.

Conclusion & Learning Opportunities

Ultimately, we designed an app where children can read in a safe and engaging environment. We kept the feel of the current Libby app by maintaining most of the style guidelines, and added parental controls and gamification elements to create a kid-friendly feel. Libby Kids offers children and parents the opportunity to access the expansive digital collections of their local library, and increases the reach of Libby as a whole by broadening the target audience.

Designing for a child audience required a slightly different approach than past projects, and keeping the attention of young children was a challenge faced throughout the process. Our child test participants highlighted the need for a more direct approach to onboarding, and we ended up incorporating the reading buddies throughout the site to increase engagement. In the end, Libby Kids was well-received by both children and parents, and aims to build an endless love of reading.