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Case study · 2024 · Graduation project · Service · Space · Brand · App
Turn reading back
into an adventure.
Kibixy is an interactive children’s library - a playful space, a character-led brand and a companion app that bring kids back to physical books.
Role
Solo · graduation project
Timeline
4 weeks · 2024
Type
Service · Space · Brand · App (UI/UX)
I did
Research · Service design · Space · Branding · UI/UX
In 30 seconds
The short version
01 · Problem
45% of the kids we surveyed read for fun only rarely. Libraries feel passive next to screens.
02 · Insight
Kids already read on screens; parents still want books. 80% would read more with interactive features.
03 · Solution
One experience in three layers: a playful space, a character-led brand and an app that leads back to the shelf.
Skip to the app ↓
01 · Why kids stopped reading
Kids still love stories. Libraries stopped competing.
2012: 38% of kids read for fun every day.
2021: just 25% - and 1 in 5 never do.
The library barely changed in between.
In our survey, 44.8% of children read for pleasure only rarely - and more of them read on devices (35%) than in a library (15%). Libraries still offer quiet rows of shelves.
UK children aged 0-17 reading for pleasure “every day or nearly every day” vs “never”, 2012 vs 2021. Source: Farshore Consumer Insights research, reported by ReadingZone (30 March 2022).
Problem statement
Children are drifting from physical books because digital entertainment is simply more engaging - and traditional libraries offer few hands-on, playful reasons to visit.
The opportunity: if kids already live on screens, use them as the doorway - and make the library the place they want to end up.
02 · What we heard
Kids aren’t bored of stories. They’re bored of sitting still.
The tension that shaped everything: kids live on screens, parents want books. Kibixy had to use the first to get to the second.
03 · Who it’s for
Designed for kids - and the grown-ups who bring them.
Design goal
Create an interactive library that pairs traditional reading with modern technology - so every visit feels like play and builds a lifelong reading habit.
04 · The idea
Not a library with an app. One experience, in three layers.
Each layer answers a different insight - and every one of them points kids back to a book.
05 · Layer 1 · The space
Design the visit first. Then the room.
I blueprinted every step of a visit before drawing a single wall - so the space fixes the moments where families got lost.
Mood board - children’s spaces that use colour, characters and cosy nooks to invite exploration.
06 · Layer 2 · The brand
A star, a kid and the letter K. Then six friends.
From a page of pencil marks to a logo a child could draw - and a cast of characters that carries Kibixy into the space, the app and home.
04 · Final: star + kid + K = the mark, built on a grid and tested on every brand colour.
07 · Layer 3 · The app
Kids already read on screens. The iPad app walks them back to the shelf.
iPad first, for kids aged 6-10 - big enough for small hands, easy to share with a grown-up, and at home on the library kiosks. Desktop and mobile follow as ideas.
01
Home
Ellie picks one story for today (Headspace-style), and a Duolingo-style reading path leads to the week’s sticker - one big button to start.
Today card + flat scene with Ellie
Reading path → this week’s Bear sticker
Entry point · sets the playful tone
02
Discover
Kids pick a feeling - each one is a library zone with its own colour, icon and name - and get real stories that are on the shelf right now.
Six feelings = six zones (colour + icon + name)
Kibixy Classics: real public-domain stories
Answers Insight 02 · screens as the doorway
03
Book detail + map
A split view made for iPad: the book on the left, the library map on the right - with the shelf highlighted.
Live availability; “Reserve” turns into a toast, not a new screen
Zones shown by colour + icon + name, matching the signage
Answers Insight 03 · the signage pain point
04
Rewards
Challenges and a sticker book turn reading into progress kids can see - and collect for real at check-out.
Badges unlock for books borrowed, never for time in-app
Matching physical stickers at the desk close the loop
Answers Insight 01 · play is the hook
05
Ask Ellie
A kid-safe AI buddy: it suggests real books that are on the shelf, explains tricky words simply and reads them aloud.
Voice first - big mic + tap-to-ask chips
Only books, words and the library; grown-ups see every chat
New · AI that leads back to real books
Also in the app
Shown as mockups, not designed in full.
Beyond iPad · ideas for later
The same system, stretched to two more contexts.
08 · Outcome & reflection
Designing for kids is designing for the grown-ups too.
What I learned
01 · Service before screens
Blueprinting the visit showed the real pain (signage) - and the app’s best job: getting kids to the right shelf.
02 · Two users, one product
Kids need delight; parents need trust. The app splits into a kid space and a parent space for that reason.
03 · Tech should point to books
Every digital touchpoint earns its place only if it ends at a shelf.
“Kids don’t need to be told to read - they need a place that makes them want to.”
Mehnaz Basheer
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