Brooklyn Public Library Chatbot

A chatbot for patrons featuring general information, recommendations, and the ability to connect with a librarians.

After discovering that patrons are not taking advantage of the vast amount of cultural events and programs being offered, The Brooklyn Public Library reached out to explore a solution that could serve in closing the gap and maximize engagement. As a student at the CUNY Design Works program looking to receive my certification in UI/UX design, this became my assigned capstone project and I worked in tandem with the BPL. One of the goals of the library was exploring a chatbot that could connect them with more patrons while establishing a strong communication channel.

The user base for this project consists of people in the 18-40 age range. The majority being divided into two subgroups, people looking for a quiet place to study and parents looking to build their children's relationship with the library. The majority of these users valued clarity and easy access.

Encompassing a Patrons Best Needs

“How can we build a multi-functional chatbot that serves the broad needs of Brooklyn Public Library patrons?”

Many patrons have varying needs, so the challenge was encompassing all those needs in a multifunctional chatbot. Some pain points patrons encountered when connecting with the library were:

My Role

I worked on this project as a product designer throughout the course of a month. My main responsibilities included:

  • UX Research and Analysis

  • UI Design

Exploring the Problem

Who Benefits Most?

Creating a google survey and interviewing library patrons was essential methods in the development of personas. Some interviews questions that fed into these personas were:

  • How do you connect to the Brooklyn Public Library when not there physically?

  • What library services do you value the most?

From Plan to Paper

After establishing personas I was able to move into the development of low fidelity wireframes. These were simple sketches that allowed me to get a sense of how the refined product would look.

Mapping Out the Experience

Refining the Experience

Before establishing the user flow, I did a usability testing round in order show any issues user's may encounter. After testing the wireframes on a small group of library patrons I discovered that:

  • Giving the chatbot a human name was unnecessary.

  • Search filters for the chatbot were ideal.

Your Handy Chatbot

Once I ruled out all the usability issues and established a user flow, I started designing the final screens in Figma. While keeping the The Brooklyn Public branding guidelines in mind, I completed a high fidelity prototype. These features work to create a simple and concise experience that presents users things they’d most likely need, by simply typing into a chat. Later, I took the same designs and design principles and brought them to mobile as well. Now patrons can find more information on hours, events, and connect with a librarian all within seconds.

Results and Takeaways

The end results was a multifunctional chatbot prototype that was presented to the Brooklyn Public Library, this informed stakeholders of what a chatbot could possibly bring to the table and all the necessary elements needed.

I left this project having learned so much more about the Brooklyn Public Library, and how much it care about it's diverse audience from all walks of life. The library's openness to evolution is what has preserved it as a cultural hub of knowledge.

"Really well thought out and well presented. An amazing amount of research, branding and design work went into this in a very short time." - BPL Associate