The Duck Store Booklist
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
- User Experience
- User Research
- User Interface Design
- Web Design
Tools
- Sketch
- Microsoft Excel
- Qualtrics
GOALS
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Understand how students use the booklist application to support textbook-purchasing decisions
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Learn students’ textbook format and decision preferences, and purchasing factors
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Improve wayfinding and visibility of textbooks for ease of viewing and purchase
My Role
As the UX/UI Design Intern, I was tasked with collecting user data and coming up with recommendations for upgrades to the application. My duties were to survey a subgroup of our target audience, analyze data by researching websites and applications in which academic textbooks could be searched for and purchased, then compiling a list of solutions and mockups for the TDS Booklist application.
User Survey Details
RUNTIME
December 15 – 26, 2018
AUDIENCE
Graduate and undergraduate students that have purchased from The Duck Store within the past year (15,718 customers).
RESPONSES
270 survey responses (94% of students that clicked-through)
Analyzing the Data
Once compiled, the data showed that roughly 80% of students used The Duck Store as their primary textbook provider. A smaller subsect used The Duck Store as a baseline for comparing prices with other booksellers, such as Amazon or local shops such as Smith Family Bookstore. However, the qualitative data showed that while two thirds of students that used the booklist frequently, these customers were unhappy with the majorirty of the viewing and purchasing process.
“I wish the duck store would provide more options in regards to books including: rentals, online books, or used book options. I’ve found it consistently difficult to obtain those options for the books I need which make Amazon a better place to obtain my textbooks.”
“Better separation of textbooks vs supplementary materials like solution guides”
“If [the application] was easier to find and access initially. Also I want to see all of my books/classes listed at the same time, I dislike using the dropdown menu to have to go back and forth.”
redesign options
Displaying all the textbooks for all courses in a way that was easy to maneuver instead of having to select courses individually, and displaying multiple prices for course materials while also paying respect to their various formats. The layout of the book materials after a user selected their courses went through the largest iterative process.
Multiple designs were created to improve the visibility of all course materials.
NEXT STEPS
In the end, we decided on using a sidebar navigation within the application that would allow a user to view all books by course, jump to specific courses, and limit their view to only required materials. Within each book’s full details, there is the ability to view prices by digital or physical book availability. This decision was also backed comparative analysis with other college and recreational bookstores.
The final design options were delivered to the developers for scheduling and development at a later date.
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