Florilegium
Personal Project | UX Research & Design | Two-Week Sprint
Florilegium is a web application built around books and reading, combining social features with comprehensive cataloging in one place. The idea came from a real gap I saw as someone already active in the online reading community — existing platforms like Goodreads and Storygraph weren't delivering a user experience that actually resonated. I wanted to dig into what users really needed and build something that addressed it.
Methods & Skills
User Research · Survey & Survey Analysis · User Interviews · Persona Development · Competitor Analysis · Architecture Diagramming · Wireframing · Prototyping · Axure 10 RP · Figma · InVision Whiteboard
Foundation
Because I'm personally involved in the online reading community I was careful to keep my research unbiased. I ran a survey that reached 28 respondents across six countries, predominantly the US, ranging in age from 17 to 60. I also conducted an in-depth competitor analysis of Goodreads and Storygraph, noting the unique features and gaps of each.
By combining the survey insights with the competitor analysis I was able to map user preferences directly against what existing platforms were actually offering.
From there I identified two primary user groups and two secondary user groups:
Primary Users:
Readers: This group encompasses individuals seeking to conveniently track their reading progress, discover new books, and engage with friends who share their reading interests.
Online Influencers: These are users who possess a significant social media following, such as Booktube or Bookstagram personalities. They desire a platform that allows them to interact with their followers and cultivate a personal 'community' channel on their profile.
Secondary Users:
Local (State) Community: This category comprises organizations, independent bookstores, and local event organizers. They can leverage Florilegium to connect with their local literary community, promote their offerings, and engage with their target audience.
Literary Contributors: This group includes authors, bloggers, and publishers. Florilegium offers them a platform to showcase their work, connect with readers, and foster collaborations within the literary sphere.
Approach
With a clear picture of the landscape and user needs, I mapped out the essential pages for Florilegium and built an Architecture Diagram to solidify the key features and functionalities. From there I moved into low-fidelity wireframing, keeping UI feedback from survey respondents front of mind throughout.
First Draft of the Architecture Diagram
Low-Fidelity Wireframing
Outcome
The final stage was transitioning the low-fidelity wireframes into a higher fidelity prototype — not a finalized design, but a powerful tool to show how both primary and secondary users could navigate and use Florilegium in practice.
Home Page
Book Club Page
Conclusion
In two weeks I went from identifying a real gap in the market to a research-backed, high-fidelity prototype with a clear user foundation. Florilegium is still a project I'd love to develop further — there's a genuine community here and a real opportunity worth pursuing.