Brooklyn Public Library Chatbot

A chatbot for patrons featuring general information, recommendations, and the ability to connect with a librarians.

After discovering that patrons are not taking advantage of the vast amount of cultural events and programs being offered, The Brooklyn Public Library reached out to explore a solution that could serve in closing the gap and maximize engagement. As a student at the CUNY Design Works program looking to receive my certification in UI/UX design, this became my assigned capstone project and I worked in tandem with the BPL. One of the goals of the library was exploring a chatbot that could connect them with more patrons while establishing a strong communication channel.

The user base for this project consists of people in the 18-40 age range. The majority being divided into two subgroups, people looking for a quiet place to study and parents looking to build their children's relationship with the library. The majority of these users valued clarity and easy access.

Encompassing a Patrons Best Needs

“How can we build a multi-functional chatbot that serves the broad needs of Brooklyn Public Library patrons?”

Many patrons have varying needs, so the challenge was encompassing all those needs in a multifunctional chatbot. Some pain points patrons encountered when connecting with the library were:

Flowchart with four sections discussing challenges in library communication and decision-making. Top left: icons of a computer and phone, text about not knowing which communication channels the Brooklyn Public Library uses. Top right: icon of a confused person, text about lack of clarity around hours, locations, event info, or drop-off sites. Bottom left: icon of a person with thought bubbles of a library and house, text about uncertainty of benefits of visiting the library. Bottom right: icon of a person by a bookshelf, text about uncertainty of what books to choose.

My Role

Product Designer | Timeline: 4 weeks | Tools: Figma, Google Survey, FigJam

I worked on this project as a product designer throughout the course of a month. My main responsibilities included:

  • UX Research and Analysis

  • UI Design

Exploring the Problem

Who Benefits Most?

Creating a google survey and interviewing library patrons were essential methods in the development of personas. Some interviews questions that fed into these personas were:

  • How do you connect to the Brooklyn Public Library when not there physically?

  • What library services do you value the most?

Pie charts showing survey results about age groups and preferred library resources. The first pie chart displays age groups with the largest segment being '30-39', and the second pie chart illustrates preferred resources, with 'Books & Materials' being the most selected.

Connecting Research to Design

The primary finding from our research was that the target user base (18-40) values clarity and easy access. Specifically, the persona Bryan Jones, who is a parent, requires quick navigation to children's programs. Similarly, Angie Reyes seeks efficient ways to find specific, quiet study branches. This research directly informed the hierarchy and feature set of the chatbot:

  • Information Velocity: Designed a solution based on pre-set, high-priority options to deliver rapid answers (hours, events, status).

  • Prioritizing Engagement: Created a dedicated, prominent navigation path to ensure patrons could find cultural programs immediately.

  • Human Handoff: Incorporated a clear, easy-to-access human support function for complex needs, solving communication channel confusion.

From Plan to Paper

After establishing personas I was able to move into the development of low fidelity wireframes. These were simple sketches that allowed me to get a sense of how the refined product would look.

Sketch of a website and mobile app interface with wireframes for a messaging feature, including icons representing text bubbles and a navigation button.

Mapping Out the Experience

Refining the Experience

I ran two rounds of usability testing with six participants using the mid-fidelity prototype. The first round revealed hesitation starting the chat and confusion between book and event options. I updated the entry point to “Chat with BPL” and simplified the first message to three clear options: “Find an event,” “Ask a question,” or “Get a book suggestion.” In the second round, 83% of participants completed tasks in under a minute, describing the experience as “friendly but efficient.”

These foundational flow changes, combined with additional testing on the wireframes, highlighted further key insights that led to iteration:

  • Establishing Tone: Rather than a human name, users favored a professional, utility-focused label like “Brooklyn Public Library Chatbot.”

  • The Need for Specificity: Users wanted more control over the book recommendation feature, leading to the addition of search filters for materials and genre, transforming a simple suggestion tool into a guided discovery tool.

Your Handy Chatbot

Once I ruled out all the usability issues and established a user flow, I started designing the final screens in Figma. While keeping the The Brooklyn Public branding guidelines in mind, I completed a high fidelity prototype. These features work to create a simple and concise experience that presents users things they’d most likely need, by simply typing into a chat. Later, I took the same designs and design principles and brought them to mobile as well. Now patrons can find more information on hours, events, and connect with a librarian all within seconds.

  • Mobile screen showing a chat interface for the Brooklyn Public Library virtual assistant with options for 'Branches,' 'My Account,' 'Programs,' 'Explore,' and 'Other.'
  • Screenshot of a mobile chat interface with a virtual assistant from Brooklyn Public Library, showing dropdown menu options for filtering by materials, genre, and sorting options.
  • A digital screen showing a library chatbot interface with book recommendations for young adult fiction, including 'Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda,' 'Speak,' and 'The Fault in Our Stars.' The conversation includes options to connect with a librarian and a text input field.
  • Mobile app interface of Brooklyn Public Library with options for My Account, Catalog, Library Information, Events & Classes, and a contact menu with options to call, email, or chat with the library.

Results and Takeaways

The end results was a multifunctional chatbot prototype that was presented to the Brooklyn Public Library, this informed stakeholders of what a chatbot could possibly bring to the table and all the necessary elements needed.

Defining Success

For a live implementation, success would be measured using the following metrics:

  • Reduction in Reference Desk Contact: A decrease in repetitive patron inquiries handled via phone or email, shifting that volume to the automated chatbot.

  • Increased Program Engagement: A measurable increase in clicks on links to Events & Classes and Programs pages originating from chatbot recommendations.

  • Positive User Feedback: High satisfaction ratings collected via a small post-interaction survey for users who successfully found their answer using the chatbot.

I left this project having learned so much more about the Brooklyn Public Library, and how much it care about it's diverse audience from all walks of life. The library's openness to evolution is what has preserved it as a cultural hub of knowledge.

"Really well thought out and well presented. An amazing amount of research, branding and design work went into this in a very short time." - BPL Associate