BooJou

Book tracking apps often feel cluttered, overly complex, or lack personalization. I wanted to create a minimalist, elegant interface that keeps users focused on what matters — their books — while offering intuitive features like categorizing books into collections (e.g., Want to Read, Currently Reading, Finished). The challenge was to balance simplicity and functionality while maintaining a warm, tactile design aesthetic that evokes the feeling of a personal library.

BooJou was built around two main goals: ease of input and clarity of organization.

Users can:

• Add books automatically by scanning barcodes or manually by entering details.
• Categorize books into collections such as Want to Read, Currently Reading, and Finished.
• Track progress and see how long they’ve been reading a book.
• Store all formats (physical or digital) in one unified view.

This system helps readers avoid duplicate purchases, remember what they’ve borrowed or lent, and make informed choices about their next book.

1. Research & Synthesis.

I began by conducting qualitative interviews and desk research to understand readers’ behaviors, motivations, and frustrations. The goal was to uncover how readers currently discover, track, and manage their books — and where friction occurs.

Key questions included:

• Where do people keep their book collections?
• How do they decide what to read next?
• What tools or platforms do they use to manage books?
• What challenges disrupt their reading experience?

From my synthesis, several insights emerged:

1. Scattered Tools and Workflows — Readers rely on multiple apps, screenshots, and notes, resulting in disorganization and lost information.
2. Forgetting Past Reads — Many forget which books they’ve finished or own, sometimes buying duplicates.
3. Decision Fatigue — Users struggle to decide what to read next, especially after finishing a book they loved.
4. Preference for Simplicity — They wanted a calm, uncluttered space — not another social platform.
5. Desire for Continuity — Readers wished to see their progress and manage both digital and physical collections together.

To visualize this, I mapped the user journey — from searching for a book, purchasing or borrowing it, to tracking and completing it. This map revealed recurring friction points like lack of centralized organization, scattered tools, and unclear book progress tracking.

From this, the key design opportunity emerged:

“ Help readers track and organize their books across all formats and collections — in a simple, unified experience. ”

2. Ideation & Information Architecture

We brainstormed feature ideas that directly addressed the identified pain points — focusing on simplicity and personal value.

Our main concepts included:

• Seamless manual input and barcode scanning for quick book entry.
• Clear collection-based organization for different reading stages.
• A minimal dashboard that prioritizes personal reading goals and status.

Wireframes and flow diagrams were developed to define a clear navigation structure and reduce user cognitive load.

3. Wireframing & Prototyping

Initial wireframes prioritized readability and structure. We tested multiple layouts for the book list and detail screens, iterating to ensure hierarchy clarity and visual balance. User testing revealed that readers preferred larger book covers for recognition, minimal button clutter, and intuitive input fields.

BooJou’s visual direction was inspired by the warmth and calm of reading — a design language that feels both literary and modern. The goal was to evoke the experience of sitting in a cozy reading nook: peaceful, structured, and personal.

Color Palette

The primary palette centers around a warm, muted brown tone (#9E8974) with a full range of complementary shades from soft beige to deep espresso. These colors mirror the texture of aged paper, wooden shelves, and natural light, creating a soothing environment that encourages focus.

Typography

• Iowan Old Style — used for titles and headings to give a refined, classic editorial feel reminiscent of printed literature.
• SF Pro — used for body text for its clarity and modern neutrality, ensuring high readability across interfaces.
• SF Pro (Wide Spacing) — applied in certain labels and secondary texts to add contrast and elegance, giving the layout a lighter and airier rhythm.

UI Style

• Rounded corners, soft shadows, and generous white space emphasize comfort and tactility.
• Subtle dividers and thin strokes reflect the minimal, book-like precision of printed pages.
• Book covers are intentionally highlighted to bring vibrancy within the neutral setting — letting users’ collections visually stand out.

Overall, BooJou’s visual system bridges digital structure and bookish warmth, creating an experience that feels calm, personal, and timeless.

BooJou delivers an organized, personal, and distraction-free way to manage reading habits.

• Barcode scanning and manual entry simplify book input.
• Unified tracking bridges physical and digital books.
• Visually cohesive design invites focus and calm.

By centering on readability and simplicity, BooJou transforms the act of tracking books into something intentional and enjoyable.

Designing BooJou deepened my understanding of how research-driven insights shape both product flow and emotional tone. I learned to translate qualitative findings into a digital experience that feels human and personal — balancing functionality with warmth. This project also reinforced the importance of empathic design, where small, thoughtful interactions can make everyday experiences — like tracking books — more meaningful.