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Contact
kelsey ferguson
ux designer
in cleveland, ohio
Libby
Adding personalization features to Libby-an app by OverDrive that allows users to borrow ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines from their local library using a library card, offering a convenient way to access digital library resources.
Objective
Add a feature to an existing app
An exercise in adding two personalization features to Libby’s app.
My Role
Research
Prototyping
Storytelling
User Flow
Design
Tools
Figma
Duration
2 months
The Challenge
The Libby app connects users to their public library system, granting access to a vast collection of books and audiobooks. While it offers a helpful timeline feature that displays books placed on hold or already read, it lacks a robust profile section. Users can’t easily view their reading history, track how much time they’ve spent reading or listening, or organize their experience. There’s also no dedicated space to save titles for future reading or to categorize completed books by genre or preference—features that could greatly enhance personalization and long-term engagement.
Libby users typically use additional apps to track their reading or list books they want to read in the future.
Long wait times for books in the Libby app often means users utilize other reading services with fees, but on-demand book availability.
Accessibility features are incredibly important in reading apps. Users appreciate having audiobooks with different playback speeds, larger font sizes and progress bars.
People looking to develop their reading habit often don’t know where to start without recommendations.
How might we help Libby users discover and save personalized book recommendations so they can read more of what they love and experience shorter wait times for books on hold?
Qualitative Interviews
I interviewed six Libby users, all of whom read at least 3–5 times per week and use Libby either exclusively or alongside other e-reading platforms like Kindle and Audible. These conversations explored their experiences with various e-reading apps, focusing on current usage patterns and how those have evolved over time. The goal was to identify potential areas for improvement within Libby, particularly around user profile customization and AI-driven recommendations, and to assess whether there's a clear need for new features that could enhance the overall reading experience.
-Brett Balika,
Software engineer
The fantasy audiobooks that I really enjoy are really long (about 40 hours). When a person checks it out for 21 days and then there’s a hold on the book, it generates such a long wait time which can be really frustrating,
-Nina Carpenter,
Student
I have a running list of books in my ‘notes’ app that I’d like to read in the future. I’d really love for Kindle or Libby to notice patterns in my reading and offer recommendations based off of those.
-Avital Sands,
Therapist
I save books I want to read by placing them on hold because I know it’ll take forever for it to be ready for me to read. I know Libby has a tag feature, but I find it confusing and I don’t understand the emojis so I don’t use that feature.
Insights
There’s no clear way to save books, so they often just keep placing the same books on hold until they’re ready to read it.
1
Users want personalization features; books recommendations based off of what they’ve already read, ways of ranking completed books to better inform personalized recommendations, etc.
4
The long wait time for books on hold often has them turning to the other products to see if the books are available there instead.
2
Users find the ‘Tags’ feature cumbersome, not intuitive and clunky. They don’t use it because they can’t understand it.
5
Users value the app’s accessibility options, like adjustable font sizes and audio playback speeds, which allow for a more personalized reading experience.
3
Users appreciate Libby’s pre-made filters such as “Available Now” and “Popular,” which help them quickly find their next read.
6
Task 1 (new user) and task 2 (current user)-finding personalized recommendations
Users appreciated:
The survey was quick, easy and didn’t require a lot of brain power.
Being able to see more suggested books by an author or books read by a certain narrator they like
Users identified areas for improvement:
The books to choose from should reflect the categories they’ve already selected in the survey.
An option at the end to show more books if they don’t like or haven’t read any of the ones listed.
An input section for preferred authors or books.
The survey was difficult to find; could instead be a part of the onboarding to the app for new users.
Ability to ‘downvote’ a book so it’s not suggested again.
Selected books in the survey should turn opaque, not blocked out completely.
Would like to see suggestions by genre on the ‘for you’ page
Would like the personalized recommendations to have an ‘available now’ filter
Users want the personalized recommendations to be front and center-they don’t want to hunt for it.
New user
Current user
Task 3: Search for a book and save it to a list of books to be read later.
Users appreciated:
Saving a book to read later is suddenly simple and straightforward! Much more intuitive than Libby’s ‘Tags’ feature.
Users identified areas for improvement:
Pressing the bookmark should take the user right to the shelf page, not the book’s page.
Bookmark needs a way to look active/inactive
The bookmark icon looks too big
Final Revisions
Before
Survey
After
Added icons to help clarify accessibility features.
Selected books now turn opaque instead of being blocked out completely with a checkmark to show users what they’ve selected.
Added two input fields for users to add their favorite books and authors to better generate AI/librarian recommendations.
Added a ‘See more’ button for users that wanted to load more book possibilities in the survey.
Saving a book to read later
Before
Previously, tapping the bookmark button took users to the individual book’s page. Now, it takes them directly to the bookmarked section of the ‘Shelf’ page, where they can view all their saved books in one place.
Made the bookmark icon smaller and implemented active/inactive states.
After
Reflection
Designing a solution for a product I personally use and value was a deeply rewarding experience. Through user interviews, it was exciting to see my initial assumptions validated by real insights. Bringing the project full circle felt especially fulfilling when, on the same day I submitted my work, Libby released an update featuring an enhanced ‘Tags’ feature and a step-by-step guide to help users make the most of it. Working on a product I engage with regularly, understand intimately, and frequently recommend made the design process all the more meaningful.
Trade Offs
Many users expressed confusion with Libby’s interface, particularly the footer navigation. I also experienced similar challenges during my own use of the app. However, given the footer's central role in the overall architecture, I made the intentional decision not to redesign it within the scope of this project. Instead, I prioritized improvements that complemented the existing structure, with the understanding that foundational UI elements are often best addressed by the core product team. Encouragingly, Libby’s most recent update included a restructured and labeled footer, improving clarity and usability—aligning well with the feedback gathered during my research.
Research insights driving design decisions
Insight: Libby users want a way to save books within the app and experience shorter wait times for books on hold.
The introduction of the bookmark icon allows users to easily save titles to a dedicated “to be read” list without placing a hold, helping minimize unnecessary wait times.
Insight: People wanting to develop their reading habit often don’t know where to start.
The Personalized recommendation feature leverages user reading patterns and preferences to suggest relevant titles, supporting a more tailored and engaging reading experience.
Insight: Libby users are confused with the ‘Tags’ feature.
Libby users are confused by the concept of the tags feature, especially with the emojis that accompany the feature without any explanation. Clearing up confusing by using recognizable copy (Bookmark), helped dissolve confusion about how to save books.
Next Steps
Having my research insights validated by the most recent Libby update was very encouraging. Going forward, I would address the following additions to the features implemented:
1
Libby users use the ‘Available Now’ feature regularly and it often shapes their reading journey. I would want to include that filter on the ‘For you’ page so users can determine which recommended books are available first, then bookmark ones that have wait times.
2
The books presented in the personalization survey should directly reflect the user’s previously selected categories. For instance, a Libby user who favors science fiction shouldn’t be shown romance novels if they’ve already indicated their genre preferences. Collaborating with developers to ensure the survey responds dynamically and accurately to these choices would be essential for a more tailored experience.
3
After a user finishes a book, I’d like to implement a feature that allows them to indicate whether they enjoyed it. This way, Libby can refine future recommendations—ensuring users aren’t suggested titles simply because they completed books they didn’t actually enjoy.
4
User testing revealed a strong preference for immediate access to the ‘For You’ page and its recommendations. I’d aim to collaborate with developers to make this the app’s landing screen, ensuring users are greeted with personalized suggestions right from the start—eliminating the need to search through the app to find them.
Persona Development
I designed a persona to serve as a cumulative representation of all the common user needs, goals, thoughts, feelings, pain points and actions into account, that I derived from interviews and insights.
Ari Streem
Full-stack Developer
32
Master’s
Male
Introverted
Conscientious
Creative
Impatient
Frequently used apps:
Motivations
Wants to strengthen her reading habit
Have access to reading material quickly and cost effectively
Find books, genres, authors and reading lists he might enjoy
Frustrations
Wants a place to save books she can read later
Waiting period for a book is too long
No personalized recommendations in Libby
Wishes there was a way to read everything in one app
“I’m trying to be more intentional about setting aside time to read, but it’s difficult to stay motivated when I have to wait so long for books on hold”.
Competitive Analysis
A competitive analysis of similar e-reading products revealed how effectively—or ineffectively—they utilized personalization features and a ‘To Be Read’ list. This insight helped identify opportunities for growth and differentiation in my solution.
Opportunity Areas
Users expressed appreciation for apps that clearly track their reading progress—showing how much of a book they've completed, how much time remains, how many books they've read overall or within the year, and the total minutes or hours spent reading. These insights not only provide a sense of accomplishment but also help keep them motivated and engaged.
Personalization
Users appreciate having reading recommendations, especially based on what they’ve read already.
Saving books to read
When users place books on hold as a way to save titles for future reading, it can significantly increase wait times for others. Introducing a dedicated feature to save books without placing them on hold could help reduce these delays. It would also allow users to keep their “to be read” list within the Libby app, rather than relying on external tools or apps.
Cleaning up the footer navigation
Users expressed confusion around the app’s navigation. The footer icons were not intuitive, and many users were unsure which actions each button would trigger.
Prototyping
Lo-Fidelity Testing
I created the first prototype to get feedback from people-it was a basic version of the app with two new features-a bookmark and a personalization feature where users could see what books are recommended next based on their previous reads.
Insights
Option 1
80% of users preferred seeing the bookmark on every single book on the homepage, something I didn’t anticipate.
Option 2
Users appreciated being able to select genres and books they’d already read to inform their recommendations. Some users suggested a small input form where users could write in what books or authors they didn’t enjoy to better inform the algorithm.
Option 2
60% of users preferred having the bookmark option in line with the current design rather than off to the side.
Option 1
High-Fidelity Testing
For the second prototype, I refined the design based on previous feedback, creating a more polished and elevated version of the new features. This round of testing focused on new and returning users finding their personalized recommendations and saving a specific book that they’d like to read at a later time.
Moderated Tests:
5 participants (4 Libby users and 1 Spotify audiobook user)