The revamped Vienna public libraries website brings a fresh, modern twist to the library experience! With a sleek design and intuitive features, it makes browsing, finding, and borrowing books easier and more enjoyable than ever before.
Scope
As the first step in my redesign process, conducting an expert review of the current library website was essential to understand its existing flaws and identify key usability issues. By stepping into the shoes of a user, I conducted a comprehensive site walkthrough, assessing everything from navigation to content clarity. This allowed me to pinpoint pain points that would hinder a smooth user experience. I leveraged my background as a UX designer to analyze the site through an expert lens, ensuring that I highlighted the most critical issues that needed to be addressed to set a solid foundation for the redesign. This review not only informed the design process but also helped me focus on areas that would have the most impact on improving the user experience.
Here are some usability issues I identified during the initial review:
To better understand how modern libraries are shaping their digital experiences, I conducted a competitive benchmarking analysis of four standout library websites: Helsinki City Library, New York Public Library, Seattle Public Library, and Toronto Public Library. My goal was to explore how they approach key UX elements like navigation, information architecture, search and catalog systems, as well as overall design and user experience. I also noted any extra features - small touches that add to a more user-friendly and forward-thinking library experience. This gave me valuable insights and inspiration for reimagining Vienna’s library experience.
Here are some key insights I gained from the competitive analysis process:
To better understand user needs and pain points, I created an online survey focused on experiences with the Vienna library website. I defined clear research goals, designed the survey using Google Forms, and shared it within my personal network - mainly students and regular library users. The insights gathered played a key role in shaping design decisions throughout the project.
As part of the Define stage, I created an affinity diagram after conducting an expert review, competitive benchmarking, and an online survey. This step was crucial in organizing and synthesizing all insights into clear thematic clusters. It helped me make sense of the data I had gathered so far - such as user pain points, positive design elements, and key usability issues. This clarity laid a strong foundation for the next stages of redesigning and enhancing the Vienna Library website experience.
To move from identifying problems to exploring potential solutions, I developed a set of How Might We questions grounded in the insights gathered from my expert review, survey findings, and benchmarking analysis. I focused on three major themes: Homepage & Navigation, Location & Opening Hours, and Search & Results - each framed with one to two targeted HMW questions. These helped reframe user pain points into actionable opportunities for design. Including this step in my UX process was essential, as it allowed me to shift from problem identification to solution-oriented thinking. It provided a structured way to stay user-centered and guided the ideation phase with clear design goals in mind.
Here are my early design explorations based on the insights and goals identified in the previous phases. The low-fidelity wireframes allowed me to visualize and experiment with layout, structure, and key functionalities of the Vienna Library website. They served as a foundation for testing ideas quickly, focusing on usability and user flow without being distracted by visual details.
The mid-fidelity designs marked a key turning point in bringing the website to life. With a clearer layout and structure in place, I focused on refining user flows, improving visual hierarchy, and defining how key elements like search, navigation, and filters would function together. This stage was essential for testing usability more realistically - without the distraction of final visuals. It allowed me to evaluate how intuitive the interactions felt and whether users could complete their tasks smoothly, setting the stage for deeper iteration and visual design.
Bringing the vision to life, the high-fidelity designs reflect my commitment to creating a visually engaging yet user-centered experience. I focused on blending a clean, modern aesthetic with thoughtful layout and hierarchy - ensuring the interface feels intuitive and easy to navigate. Every detail, from typography to color usage, was chosen to enhance usability without overwhelming the user, resulting in a design that feels both fresh and functional.
Working on the Vienna Library website was a rewarding experience that pushed me to think creatively and practically. It was a chance to balance modern design with user-friendly functionality, and to refine my skills in making complex features easy to navigate. The project highlighted the importance of simplicity - sometimes the most impactful changes are the small ones that make everything click. It was a fun challenge to create something that’s not only visually engaging but also efficient and intuitive. This project really reinforced how design is a blend of creativity and problem-solving, and how small improvements can lead to big differences in user experience.
Appreciate the scroll 💫