opac 2017
redesign of an online library catalogue.
why it was made
When in a library, people either know exactly which medium they are looking for or they want to discover media yet unknown to them.
Searching for particular media in a library should be as straightforward as possible.
The original OPAC Stuttgart took a very long time to show users an untidy, disordered list of similar-looking items with differing pieces of information.
Furthermore, there was no possibility to get inspired by media similar to the ones you had taken on loan or have been interested in before.
The whole page's appearance didn't seem up-to-date either.
how it works
Appearance
As we used the OPAC of Stuttgarts Library as a reference object, we decided to style the catalogue inspired by the design of Stuttgart's main library interior. Therefore we chose neutral, light colours and let the media be the only multi-coloured elements on the system.
Restructured Information
In our redesigned OPAC the most important specifications of each medium, as well as their availability in certain branch libraries, are visible at a glance. Depending on whether you view search results in list or tile view, there are different details shown on hover.
Media Details
The detailed view of media has been redesigned by restructuring information in a tidy way and adding recommendations as well as links to media from the same series.
Filter / Categorical Search
In case users would like to search for media by entering its key properties, the Filter Section on the left turns into the categorical search when nothing is typed into the search bar on top.
The available filter options are by branch library, release date, genre, media type, availability and language.
Bookmark / Keep Track
Save books to your personal list so you can view or pre-order them later. See which media you have borrowed and when their return period ends. Media you have pre-ordered will also be visible until you have picked them up.
Pre-order
Most libraries have a pre-order service where staff saves books for you to pick them up later. Pre-ordering can be accomplished within just two steps.
Discover
To make people aware of books & media that might be worth a look, the main page shows a selection of media. The selection consists of recent toplists and user-tailored recommendations.
David Glock
Kai Magnus Mueller
Kai Wanschura
Made during Application Design I
at HfG Schwaebisch Gmuend.
Summer 2017
Supervised by Juergen Graef
© Kai Wanschura
© Kai Wanschura
© Kai Wanschura