UX Case Study · University Library Systems
Role
UX Designer
Duration
8 Weeks
Tools
Figma
Type
Personalized Dashboard
Overview
LibraryOS reframes the university library from a static catalog into a personalized learning companion. The product helps students discover relevant resources, manage borrowed materials, track research progress, and get support without navigating fragmented services.
The case study focuses on clarity, discoverability, and decision-making speed. Each screen is structured to make the next action obvious while keeping the interface calm enough for long study sessions.
Problem
Students were not failing because they lacked motivation. They were losing time to scattered services, unclear terminology, and interfaces that did not adapt to their intent.
Search-first discovery
Students must know exactly what keywords to search before they can find relevant books, journals, or databases.
Fragmented library tasks
Renewing loans, booking study rooms, and requesting books are spread across multiple pages and systems.
Low long-term engagement
Students often use the library only when assignments are due, with little encouragement to return or build consistent study habits.
Hidden librarian support
Many students are unaware that librarians provide research guidance beyond basic circulation services.
Overdue reminders arrive too late
Due dates are easy to miss, creating unnecessary stress, fines, and last-minute renewals.
Manual citation workflow
Creating citations requires switching to external tools or manually formatting references outside the library experience.
Poor first-time experience
New users receive little guidance or personalization, making it difficult to discover relevant resources from the start.
Librarians spend time on repetitive queries
Routine questions about renewals, room bookings, and catalog navigation reduce the time librarians can spend supporting research.
Final Design
Each screen addresses a different part of the library experience—from discovering resources to managing loans and getting research support.
Clarity before complexity.
Personalization should be earned through transparency.
Make the next action obvious.
Guide users before asking them to refine.
Reduce effort for frequent tasks.
Encourage consistency, not pressure.
Human support should always feel accessible.
Students
Easier discovery of relevant academic resources.
Clearer visibility of library tasks and due dates.
Greater confidence while navigating the research process.
Librarians
More visibility for research support services.
Fewer routine administrative questions.
More time available for in-depth research assistance.
Universities
Better utilization of existing library resources.
A more cohesive digital library experience.
Stronger support for independent student learning.
Future Scope
If this concept were developed further, I would:
Conduct usability testing with university students to validate key design decisions and identify areas for improvement.
Evaluate accessibility with screen-reader users and refine the experience against WCAG guidelines.
Integrate campus LMS platforms to deliver more relevant, course-aware recommendations.
Measure search success, recommendation quality, and support usage through product analytics.
Explore collaborative features such as shared reading lists and study groups.
Designing LibraryOS shifted my perspective from improving individual screens to improving the entire student journey. Rather than adding new functionality, I focused on reducing friction across common tasks like discovering resources, managing loans, and finding research support.
One of the biggest lessons from this project was that good UX isn't just about making interfaces efficient—it's about helping users feel confident. Small decisions, like using clearer language, surfacing important information, and providing guidance at the right moment, can make complex systems feel approachable.