Mobile App Case Study | Karen Caldwell

UX CASE STUDY

WorldCat Library Mobile App

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Public libraries thrive on community engagement, yet many users begin their search for books and resources outside the library environment. To bridge this gap, OCLC WorldCat.org set out to launch a mobile app that could bring library access directly into users' hands. I was brought on to lead UX design for the mobile experience, translating a recently redesigned desktop site into a consumer-grade mobile product while introducing new mobile-first features.

THE PROBLEM

The desktop experience at WorldCat.org was robust but not mobile-friendly. Public library users lacked:

A fast way to locate nearby libraries
Mobile-specific tools like scanning or voice search
A simplified, intuitive interface for small screens

Without these, libraries were missing opportunities to engage on-the-go users.

To understand user needs and system constraints, I:

Reviewed results from user surveys

Conducted interviews alongside the Product Manager

Audited the new WorldCat.org desktop experience to translate it into a mobile-appropriate model

RESEARCH

UX STRATEGY & DESIGN

With a tight deadline and limited development bandwidth, my UX approach was designed to accelerate production:

Design

Created ADA-compliant mobile wireframes aligned with WorldCat's design system

Streamline

Built Figma templates to streamline design handoff and reduce production friction

Efficiency

Reduced estimated design time from 6 months to 6 weeks

PERSONAS

Kelly, Book Seller

I use WorldCat to help me sell books to determine the value of the book and who else holds the book. I want to be able to scan a book with my phone to determine the value of the book.

Donna, Puzzle Maker

WorldCat helps me provide the information I need to create my word puzzles that has the best resource for citing the reference that all my patrons can view. I want to share the accurate bibliography globally.

Ramey, Medical Anthropoligist

When working on verifying articles, I use WorldCat to help me find the resource in a library. I want to create list of books I am looking for an article.

MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT

With minimal allocated resources assigned to the app, I worked with the Product Manager to define the MVP. We prioritized the features as follow:

GPS-based library locator

ISBN barcode scanner

Voice-to-text search

Other features were scheduled for later phases, ensuring launch readiness without scope creep.

IMPACT

Delivered an accessible mobile app meeting WCAG 2.0 AA by partnering with PMs and engineers, applying Figma mobile-first design standards to improve usability and compliance.

Boosted design productivity by 65% (3× efficiency gain) by building 12 reusable Figma templates, streamlining UI iterations, reducing redesign effort, and accelerating deployment with a lean dev team.

REFLECTION

This project was a powerful exercise in leading UX under pressure. I'm proud of delivering a mobile-first solution that broadened public library access while meeting an aggressive launch deadline. The lessons learned about streamlining design systems and working with limited developer resources continue to influence my process today.

TOOLS & METHODS

Figma

Figjam

Chat