PERFECT BOOKS

Project Type:End-to-end website design + Brand Rebranding

Role: UI/UX Designer+Brand Designer

Industry: Book Store

A website upgrade project for Perfect Books, a local Ottawa bookstore, focused on improving accessibility and usability. Designed with clean layouts, clear typography, and intuitive navigation to create a more comfortable and engaging experience for senior users.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

“I miss the days when shopping was about the joy of discovery, not fighting with a website. I hope there is way to browser new releases without struggling with the complicated website.”

OUR PROCESS

discover

define

ideate

design

DESIGN KITS

USER RESEARCH

WHo is perfect books?

Perfect Books is a local independent book store in Ottawa, which has served the community over 30 years. Perfect Books started with a simple love for reading and a desire to make books accessible. It’s not just about selling books—it’s about creating a place where readers can find something special, whether it’s a favorite genre, a school book, or a hidden gem. With a focus on variety and a personalized touch, Perfect Book is all about discovery.

who are they serving?

Perfect Books has played a meaningful role in the local community, serving as more than just a bookstore—it’s a cultural hub. Its primary customer base consists of senior residents living in the surrounding neighborhood, many of whom are loyal patrons who not only visit regularly but also see Perfect Books gift cards as thoughtful and meaningful presents. The store’s secondary clientele includes nearby schools, which frequently rely on Perfect Books for educational resources, classroom reading materials, and curated literary selections. The tertiary group is the community’s reading enthusiasts, who turn to the store for new releases, literary recommendations, and a welcoming space to connect over a shared love of books.

BUSINESS CHALLENGES?

Outdated Website Infrastructure. The current website operates on an outdated system, resulting in a poor user experience that frustrates visitors and significantly reduces site usability.

E-commerce Navigation Issues. While the business has made efforts to expand its online presence by offering books and gift cards for sale through its website, customers continue to encounter navigation challenges.

Weak Brand Identity. This weak brand presence makes it difficult to stand out in a competitive market.

REBRANDING

MOODBOARD

#FFFFFF

#926F4D

#66421E

#3D3D3E

TYPOGRAPHY

Weight / Black

Width / 100

Tracking / -4px

Weight / Medium

Width / 104

Tracking / -4px

Weight / Light

Width / 96

Tracking / -8px

Our goal is to create a comfortable, engaging, and inviting atmosphere, much like a favorite bookshop where you can lose track of time and feel at home. To bring this to life, we’ve chosen a typeface that’s warm, elegant, and easy to read, with a touch of nostalgia to make each interaction feel friendly and familiar.

Our goal is to create a comfortable, engaging, and inviting atmosphere, much like a favorite bookshop where you can lose track of time and feel at home. To bring this to life, we’ve chosen a typeface that’s warm, elegant, and easy to read, with a touch of nostalgia to make each interaction feel friendly and familiar.

LOGO REDESIGN

PERFECTBOOKS

PERFECTBOOKS

(1) Horizontal Layout : the text is aligned so that the top of the letters matches the height of the second book cover in the accompanying graphic on the left.

(2) Vertical Layout: the graphic is positioned between the letter “E” and the first letter “O” in "Perfect Books."

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

We conducted an maze test with about 10 users who fall in our target demographic.

OBSERVATION

70% of the users feel hard to finish the online shopping process

70%

20% of the users are facing difficulties when they try to get the contact information

20%

80% of the users have difficulties to get the quotation and information of the school materials on the original website

80%

The average time for users to find the target event is about 1.3 minutes.

1.3 Minutes

USER NEEDS

Efficiently reserve books from website and pick them up in-store without issues. And easily purchase gift cards for family and friends, especially during the holiday season.

Streamline the process of discovering textbooks and educational materials through online bookstores. And access a dedicated school resources section that provides comprehensive and up-to-date information.

Participate in events where she can exchange books, discover new genres, and share her favorite reads.

OUR SOLUTIONS

Redesign Site Map and Navigation Bar

Simplify and reorganize the site structure to improve user experience and reduce customer support needs.

Optimize Events Page Layout

Improve the layout and organization of the Events page to help users quickly find relevant information.

Add a School Resources Page

Create a dedicated page for schools with book lists, bulk order info, and educational materials.

USER CHANLLENGES

The website layout is confusing, making it hard for him to locate the books he wants or complete reservations.

The gift card purchase process is unclear, and he struggles to find the correct payment links or reservation entry points.

Spend too much time contacting bookstores through phone calls and emails for basic information.

Find it challenging to locate book-sharing events that are frequent, well-organized, or conveniently located.

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

No events session, nor other features with community function.

Features:

User friendly online shopping design

Well categorized books

Black Squirel

The homepage is overloaded with information, and some elements labeled as 'View More' appear interactive but are not clickable, leading to a confusing user experience.

Features:

Clear and professional layout

Events and community gatherings

Active social media accounts

OCtopus books

UNIQUE FEATURES

Event amd community gathering

Local writer support

Education resources

USER PERSONAS

Miguel Sanchez

A reading lover living in the retirement apartment nearby

Age/Identifying Gender

70/Male

Location

Bankstreet, Ottawa,ON

📍

Occupation

Policy Advisor

(Retired)

Family Status

Divorced/2 Kids

🏠

"I love supporting local bookstores, but their website feels like a maze. I have to fight with online orders because of physical issues. It’s convenient at some point. But I can’t say it’s perfect as its name says.”

Pains

The website layout is confusing, making it hard for him to locate the books he wants or complete reservations.

The gift card purchase process is unclear, and he struggles to find the correct payment links or reservation entry points.

He often feels overwhelmed by too many options on the website without clear navigation.

Goals

Efficiently reserve books from website and pick them up in-store without issues.

Easily purchase gift cards for family and friends, especially during the holiday season.

Enjoy a seamless, user-friendly online shopping experience tailored to his needs.

Motivations

Local Events

New Release

Online Shopping

Diversity

Price

💼

Amy Vaugn

Place orders for school

👩🏼

Age/Identifying Gender

32/Female

Location

Westboro,

Ottawa,ON

📍

Occupation

Education Supply Chain Director

Family Status

Married/No Kids

🏠

"Most books suppliers are hard to navigate. I hope that I could get more information from websites so I can reach out less saving time because its automatic. You know just want to make it as easy as possible.”


Pains

The lack of a dedicated section for educational resources on online bookstores makes her work less efficient.

She spends too much time contacting bookstores through phone calls and emails for basic information.

The absence of a search filter for educational materials forces her to manually sift through unrelated content.

Goals

Streamline the process of discovering textbooks and educational materials through online bookstores.

Access a dedicated school resources section that provides comprehensive and up-to-date information.

Minimize the need for phone calls and emails by having an intuitive online ordering and catalog system.

Motivations

Local Events

New Release

Online Shopping

Diversity

Price

💼

Jessie O’Neil

A reading lover needs monthly events

👩🏻

Age/Identifying Gender

25/Female

Location

Downtown,

Ottawa, ON

📍

Occupation

Marketing Specialist

💼

Family Status

Single/No Kids

🏠

“I love reading new books and sharing with people. I moved here after college. I am looking for some events to meet some new people here. I really need some regular events to let me be able to meet same people and strengthen connections through it.”

Pains

Finds it challenging to locate book-sharing events that are frequent, well-organized, or conveniently located.

Feels frustrated when book-sharing events focus on a narrow range of genres or don’t cater to diverse literary interests.

Feels frustrated when rare or exclusive editions are priced too high, making them inaccessible.

Goals

Meet like-minded people who share a passion for books and develop lasting friendships.

Participate in events where she can exchange books, discover new genres, and share her favorite reads.

Expand her collection with books that provide meaningful content or fit her areas of interest.

Motivations

Local Events

New Release

Online Shopping

Diversity

Price

SITEMAP

Current sitemap

new sitemap

TASK FLOWS

Scenario 1:

I want to find the information of the latest event.

Scenario 2:

I want to find a new released book and I want to know the price of the shipping before I register my account.

WIREFRAMES

Lo-fi Wireframes

3 solutions of the events page

Hi-fi wireframes

PERFECT

BOOKS

About Information——

———— Shopping

Details of Books

———— Categories of Books

———— Search Books

Sign Up Button——

Event Information———

Timeline of the Events———

———— Search Events

———— Categories of Events

———— Link to detail pages

———— Weekly Recommendations

Information of———

Books

Drop-down———

Menu

———— Sign Up

———— Search

Books

———— Contact Information

View MY WORKS

View MY WORKS

View MY WORKS

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