Pages of Hackney

Refreshing the Online Presence of a Local Bookstore

Project type: Website Redesign (Concept)

Duration: 2 weeks

Role: UX/UI Designer, Researcher

Pages of Hackney is a cherished independent bookstore in London, celebrated for its curated selection of books and strong community ties. However, their existing website struggles with poor information architecture and navigation, making it difficult for users to discover and purchase books. To address these issues, I undertook a comprehensive redesign to improve usability. The result is an enhanced online presence that aligns with the store’s personality, offering a more intuitive and engaging experience for users to explore and buy books.

This was a solo project, so I was responsible for all stages of the research and design process.

The Impact

Streamlining the book-purchasing and checkout experience for users

Methods and Deliverables

Business Analysis | Heuristic Evaluation | Accessibility Audit | Competitor Analysis | Combined User Interviews and Usability Tests | Affinity Maps | Testing Teardowns | User Modeling | Sketches | User Flow | Card Sort | Sitemap | Mid-Fidelity Desktop Prototype | Content Strategy | Style Guide | High-Fidelity Desktop and Mobile Prototypes | Component Library

Tools

AccessiBe | Stark | WebAim | Zoom | Dovetail | Figma | Figjam | Optimal Workshop | Pen and Paper

Outcomes

  • I restructured their website, giving the interface a cleaner, more modern look, and tackled various accessibility issues, including poor contrast and small text.

  • Test participants indicated that the site's lack of filtering and confusing structure deterred exploration and made it difficult to find specific books of interest. To address this, I introduced a centralized main menu and more filters, making it easier to navigate the site.

  • Interviews revealed that users wanted a more efficient checkout process, which they said would increase the likelihood of them buying books online. I streamlined the checkout process by adding clear step-by-step phases and enabled users to add a book to their cart without having to immediately check out.