A Book Making Tool for Everyone
Role
Skill
Tool
Duration
Product Designer
Research
Ideation
Prototyping
Figma
Adobe CC
12 weeks
Books are no longer read, but kept.
In the digital era, books are an obsolete form of containing and distributing information. The function of books has shifted to their artistic value as collectable tactile artifacts.
Share of people owning a printer or copier in selected countries worldwide, March 2023
Majority of modern households own printers.
The widespread ownership of printers has significantly reduced the barriers to entry for book making, allowing it to become a common practice.
however…
PDFs and books are
structurally different.
Making a physical book from ebooks and PDFs is difficult. The digital guidance we receive during the designing process stops at the exporting of the file. The rest of the collating, printing and binding steps are foreign to most people.
PROBLEM:
Despite the prevalence of printers, the complexity of traditional book design software and lack of intuitive digital prototyping tools make the book making process daunting and inaccessible for many individuals.
How might we reimagine a digital solution for book making, so that it would become easy and accessible enough for everyone to make books?
Zene is a web-based tool that makes the art of book making accessible to everyone by simplifying the design process and bridging the gap between design completion and the physical creation of the book.
KEY FEATURES:
Analog Workflow
Skeuomorphic UI and physical-based paper manipulation tools feel so intuitive, like as if you are folding paper on a drafting table.
Realistic Design View
Define the papers' material, weight and the printing method, which will determine how your design is rendered in the editor.
Intuitive Page Order
Leveraging both views of the spread sequence and the sheet stack, the collating order will naturally make sense to you.
Market Competitor Analysis
Market Position
Zene sits at a special spot in the book design software market as it is the only tool that integrates both sophisticated design options and comprehensive collating&printing solutions.
Product Feature Analysis
Compared to InDesign, Zene goes beyond traditional workflow by treating book making as a form of digital prototyping. This approach bridges the gap between design completion and the physical creation of the book, making book making more accessible to everyone.
Business Model
Zene is a SaaS platform which uses a Freemium structure, which relies on monthly subscription fees from users.
USER PERSONAS
Information Architecture
Zene allows you to approach the book project from 3 different viewports, and changes made in each will update to the other two in real time.
WIREFRAMING
the draft table view for paper manipulation
paper stacking view allows defining paper type and printing method
traditional graphic editor for layout design
intuitive individual printing preview
3D rendering of book prototype
web plugin allows you to save pictures and paragraphs into Zene projects
USER TESTING
I conducted user tests on 5 individuals who have interests in book making, ranging from having never made a book and professional book artists. I asked them about the digital experience in relation to their book making practice, and I asked their opinions on the wireframes of Zene to improve its design and functionality .
"Does the concept resonate with their needs or frustrations? Why or why not?"
"What does bookmaking mean to you and your practice?"
"What does What’s the most important and irreplaceable feature in digital bookmaking tools? mean to you and your practice?"
TEST SYNTHESIS
Positive Feedback:
Users appreciated the simplicity of the UI, finding it less intimidating than other design software.
The 3D rendering feature was well-received as it provides a concrete visualization of the final book.
The ability to create realistic and highly customizable mockups was praised.
Users found the freeform canvas exciting as it allows for structural experimentation and mirrors traditional paper interaction.
Areas for Improvement:
Users found it confusing to navigate due to too many screens.
The web extension for saving images was not appealing to users who already have their assets prepared.
The progress check on individual pages was deemed unnecessary.
The 'Import PDF to book' feature was not well-received as it is not a design feature, but a conversion tool.
Narrowing How Might We's
How can we incorporate user preferences into the feature design?
How can we streamline the user journey to reduce confusion and intimidation?
How can we develop an impactful onboarding experience that serves both as an introduction and a tutorial?
How can we fulfill the new-found requirement for mockup creation?
Implementing Learnings
Delete side bars from drafting view, replace with simplified top tool bar.
Remove import PDF from Draft Table view, instead have it as a standalone tool before creating a project.
Create an onboarding zine in the project folder as introduction and onboarding tutorial; the content inside of the zine is the feature documentation.
Implement mockup editing feature within the 3D rendering view.
Merge Paper Stack view and Draft Table view; paper stack view can be accessed through Draft Table view.
Cut the web extension feature altogether.
The paper stack view is merged into the draft table view as a feature.
The 3D rendering screen is updated to incorporate mockup creation features.
Vision:
Reconnect the digital book making workflow back to the paper.
Mission:
Revolutionize the art of book making, transforming it from a complex craft into an accessible and enjoyable digital experience for everyone.
