Web App
Industry: Government
Overview
PERPUSNAS is a web-app that helps improve the education system - How do we help the Indonesian government oversee 166,000 official national libraries to ultimately manage its data.
Role
UI/UX Desigher, UX Researcher
Tools
Figma, Miro
Background
The Indonesian government have around 166,000 official libraries across Indonesia. National libraries act as learning centres for Indonesian citizens of all ages, everyone is welcome to learn. The libraries provide hundreds of millions of books, digital learning, social activity, and cultural education to help improve the education system across Indonesia.
Problem
The Indonesian government have around 166,000 official libraries across Indonesia. National libraries act as learning centres for Indonesian citizens of all ages, everyone is welcome to learn. The libraries provide hundreds of millions of books, digital learning, social activity, and cultural education to help improve the education system across Indonesia.
User
The users are the staffs of 166,000 official libraries across Indonesia, the web-app will help them to profile library visitors digitally, input variety of educational focused government event and see this input in real life through interactive dashboard. Overall, it's going to save lots of time and effort on administration so the library staffs can focus on educational programs to help local communities in Indonesia. This web-app will also connected to the central government which will help to make the accurate decision through real-time interactive dashboard.
Homepage
Homepage purposes is to show every library location, also to share both past & upcoming public library events throughout Indonesia
Inputting System
The inputting system for national library staffs in Indonesia is divided into different levels, from the lowest to the highest hierarchy - village, district, province and central government. This making it easier to understand the data.
Digitalisation
Manual process and documenting every single important data on paper can be a hassle, digitalising the process and the way Indonesian library gather and store its data is another value from the development of this web-app.
Dashboard
The dashboard is interactive and consists of different charts and graphs. It is updated regularly and based on real-life input data.
Research
Indonesian Government requires a obust software solution that optimizes the operational processes of 166,000 official libraries across Indonesia. With such a vast network, data synchronization and centralized storage are critical to ensure consistent and reliable access to information. By implementing innovative features and user-centered design, this solution will reduce manual effort, support accurate data handling, and enhance overall service quality, creating a cohesive and efficient library system across the country.
Identify Key Processes for Automation to Support Library Staff
Pinpoint Core Issues in Current Software Implementation
Identify Pain Points in Data Storage and Management
Explore Innovative Features to Streamline Library Operations
Assess Staff Limitations and Address Them Through Accessible Design
Several governments worldwide have implemented integrated library management systems (ILMS) to streamline operations across extensive library networks. Notable examples include:
Koha: An open-source ILMS widely adopted by public, school, and special libraries globally. Its flexibility and scalability make it suitable for large-scale implementations. For instance, the Ministry of Culture in Turkey utilizes Koha to manage over 1,100 public libraries, encompassing more than 17 million items and approximately 2 million active users.
Evergreen: Another open-source ILMS designed for large consortia. Developed initially for the Georgia Public Library Service in the United States, it now supports numerous libraries worldwide, offering features like cataloging, circulation, and patron management.
Spydus: A comprehensive ILMS developed by Civica, used extensively in local government and educational institutions. Spydus manages all resources, libraries, archives, digital content, and events from a single database, supporting flexible consortium options to enable savings on resources and operational costs.
I conducted in-person and online meetings to understand what was truly needed from the users. There are several key points I'd like to understand before moving forward to the ideation phase, the key points are as follows:
What is their process for registering visitors' data
What are the important fields that need to be captured through the software
What data is prioritised to be shown on the dashboard
What do they want to automate to make the process of collecting library's data faster
I gained valuable insights into users and their needs through our interviews. It was crucial to ask the right questions to uncover meaningful answers. I focused on keeping the questions open-ended to avoid influencing the users or steering them from my own perspective, aiming to remain neutral throughout the interviews. Here are the insights I gathered:
Need for Process Efficiency
The current manual and paper-based processes are inefficient and time-consuming, affecting data entry and book registration.
Importance of Real-Time Data
Real-time access to data is critical for decision-making at both operational and strategic levels.
Consistency in Data Collection
Variability in data collection practices, especially in remote areas, leads to inaccuracies and inefficiencies.
Accessibility of Technology
Technology solutions must be user-friendly and accessible to diverse users, including those with limited digital skills.
Enhanced Visitor Engagement
Simplifying the visitor experience through features like QR code-based check-ins, digital catalog access, and personalized recommendations.
Team
Collaboration
Progress tracking and centralised communication—can align efforts and ensure that everyone works toward common goals.
Empathise
The competitive analysis and user interviews helped me gain clearer insights into the target users and their potential interactions with the web app. I then focused on transforming these insights into specific visual representations to better connect with users and shape the product's direction.
Persona development helped me to better understand users' goals, behaviour and pain points, ensuring the product aligns with user expectations. By crafting personas, the team can visualize the experience from the user’s perspective, guiding design decisions that resonate with specific audiences.
42 - Librarian
Andi has worked as a librarian for over 15 years, dedicated to preserving knowledge and facilitating access to Indonesia's vast collections of historical texts, cultural documents, and academic resources. He takes pride in connecting people with information and believes libraries are essential for lifelong learning and cultural preservation. Arif is motivated to learn new digital skills, as he sees the benefits of making resources more accessible online.
Knowledgeable
Service-Oriented
Adaptive
Goals
To streamline the process of recording library activities, ensuring that events and programs are documented efficiently.
To simplify visitor tracking using QR codes for quick check-ins, reducing paperwork and enhancing visitor records.
To digitize book registration and cataloging, making it easier to locate materials and fulfill visitor requests promptly.
Frustration
Cumbersome Data Entry: Finds the current system for inputting activity information to be time-consuming and manual, leading to delays in updating records and tracking library events.
Limited Digital Integration: The library’s reliance on paper-based documentation creates inefficiencies and makes data harder to access and share, affecting the overall smoothness of library operations.
Complex Book Registration Process: Registers new books manually, which is labor-intensive and prone to errors, slowing down the process of cataloging and making it harder for visitors to locate specific titles quickly.
User Persona 2
Dewi Intan
48 - Ministry of Education and Culture
Bio
Dewi has worked in government for over 20 years as the director of national library programs. She oversees the performance and impact of libraries throughout the country, from urban to rural communities. She is responsible for making data-driven decisions to ensure libraries contribute effectively to educational goals. Dewi needs real-time access to library activity data to track progress and meet strategic objectives.
Strategic
Data-Driven
Impact-Focused
Goals
To monitor library engagement and program effectiveness across various regions
To identify areas where libraries are thriving or struggling, allowing for timely intervention
To gather actionable insights from data to support funding decisions, program adjustments, and policy recommendations
Frustration
Inconsistent Data Quality: Variability in data collection, especially from remote areas, hampers accurate evaluation and fair resource allocation
Fragmented Data Sources: Difficulty in consolidating library performance data across regions, leading to an incomplete picture of overall impact
Delayed Data Reporting: Limited access to real-time data prevents timely decision-making and responsiveness to library needs
Talking to users helped me understand that the journey of managing a library's operations and ensuring its performance starts long before using the app and extends well beyond its immediate use. For Andi, it begins with the challenges of manual processes and inefficiencies, while for Dewi, it stems from the struggle to gain visibility into library performance across regions.
I created a user journey map to capture the thoughts, frustrations, and experiences shared during interviews. This map highlights key touchpoints the app needs to address, from simplifying day-to-day operations for librarians like Andi to empowering decision-makers like Dewi with actionable insights and real-time data.
User Journey 1 : Andi
User Journey 2 : Dewi
Translating needs into features
Based on the insights and needs identified during the empathizing phase, I developed a Product Feature Roadmap to define essential app features and structure future design initiatives.
Prioritization was guided by assessing each feature’s alignment with the project goals and the core needs of the users. Given the constraints of the project, the focus was placed on features that are critical for the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), tailored to address the key requirements of the primary personas
Design
With a clearer understanding of the users and prioritized app features, I started designing how these features would come to life. The app would focus on three main capabilities:
Streamlining library operations, such as visitor check-ins and book registration.
Empowering decision-makers with real-time insights and performance monitoring.
Enhancing user engagement through accessible resources, notifications, and personalized experiences.
Low Fidelity Design
To establish the user flow and content layout, I created wireframes for the key screens that users would need to complete the app’s primary tasks. A significant consideration was designing an intuitive and efficient input and tracking flow for both librarians and decision-makers, ensuring their tasks were streamlined and accessible.
This stage of the process required additional research into data management and digital integration systems to understand the app’s technical limitations and opportunities. For instance, I incorporated features like multi-level filtering and offline data synchronization, addressing challenges faced by libraries in remote areas and ensuring consistent data accuracy across all administrative levels.
High Fidelity Design
In this step, I focused on the details of the design. I ensure I followed accessibility guidelines and user-centre approach in every stage of my design process.
Testing
The app design included essential features such as a centralized dashboard for library data synchronization, project registration, and visitor data collection. I conducted usability testing on a high-fidelity prototype to identify key challenges and areas for improvement in these functionalities, ensuring the app meets the needs of library staff effectively.
Challenges
To observe user micro-interactions with the Perpusnas app prototype, it was essential to conduct a moderated usability test. However, due to the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote testing emerged as the most practical approach.
Given the limited time and resources, finding an effective way to conduct remote mobile testing was challenging. I instructed the users to share their screen while they're testing the prototype.
This setup allowed me to observe user interactions such as mouse click, scrolling, and other movements. The tradeoff was the inability to observe participants’ facial expressions, which I mitigated by asking targeted follow-up questions to gain deeper insights into their experiences.
Revisions
Testing revealed several key issues, including confusion about how to access data synchronization features, the absence of clear indicators showing when a selection or action was applied, and the need for more effective filtering options. Based on user feedback, I implemented the following revisions to the wireframes:
Redesigned the onboarding flow to improve recognition of core features, such as data synchronization and project registration.
Updated the prototype to include visual indicators, such as changes in color and weight, to enhance clarity when selections or actions are applied.
Integrated familiar interaction patterns commonly used in other apps to make the interface more intuitive for users.
Reflection
What's Next?
After the first round of testing, the next steps focus on iterating and expanding the design to include features beyond the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
Develop phase 2 and 3 features, such as enhanced project tracking and community engagement for library users.
Conduct a second round of user testing in real-world scenarios to identify and address any remaining usability issues.
Prepare comprehensive deliverables for a seamless development handoff, ensuring all design specifications and requirements are clearly documented.
Project Takeaways
I knew from the outset that this project would present significant challenges. What features are most critical for library operations? How could they accommodate technological and infrastructural limitations? With the diversity of libraries and staff across Indonesia, what solutions could effectively bridge gaps and provide meaningful support? Despite these challenges, I truly enjoyed designing user flows and strategizing interactions to address these questions.
Create a Structured Project Plan: With many issues to address, it’s essential to prioritize the MVP’s key features while maintaining a clear backlog for future iterations.
Understand Tradeoffs in Decision-Making: Effective design requires knowing when to implement specific tools or research strategies, balancing practicality with user needs.
Leverage Familiar Patterns to Reduce Cognitive Load: Instead of creating unique interactions for common tasks, rely on existing patterns that users are already accustomed to for better usability.
While software alone cannot address all the challenges faced by Perpusnas, a well-designed system can significantly improve operations and foster better collaboration among staff. By making data management and project tracking more accessible and intuitive, we take a step toward empowering library networks and ensuring that libraries remain a vital resource for learning and community engagement in Indonesia.
Continuous Partnership
After three months of using the system, the client provided positive feedback, expressing that it has significantly improved their data management processes. I am thrilled to have contributed to enhancing the Indonesian education system and supporting citizens of all ages in accessing the education they need.
Furthermore, the client is highly satisfied with the results and has entrusted us with their next initiative: developing the SIM Perpusnas mobile application. This mobile app will serve as a streamlined data input system, designed for ease of use, enabling library staff to efficiently input data directly from their mobile devices.