BookWorm will be a book browsing application that changes the way our users explore, engage with, and purchase books, building a vibrant community for book enthusiasts.
The application is designed with a primary focus on providing readers with a way to discover books based on their reading preferences. It will allow the readers to create reading wish lists, filter by their favorite genres, search for authors, rate their favorite books, purchase books and leave comments on their favorite books. The readers will also have access to a profile which remembers their preferences. Authors will have similar functionalities as readers, with the addition of being able to showcase their own books to be discovered by users.
The application is focused on exploration, discovery, and engagement with books. Therefore, it does not need to handle any form of billing and payment systems, inventory management, user input moderation such as an administrator stakeholder, and social media integration systems. It does, however, need to maintain a catalog of books, authors, reader comments and reviews.
Different levels of security will be required for each possible user of the system. Readers have access to their reading preferences, wish lists, favorite authors and books. Users will have the ability to access and change their preferences but not information that belongs to a different user. Authors will also have the ability to add and remove books that they own.
The book browsing application is valuable due to personalized book recommendations based on the user’s reading preferences resulting in better book discoveries. It is also convenient because the user will be able to browse and purchase books anywhere using their devices which eliminates the need to visit physical bookstores, or online retailers. User comments will also help readers create an informed decision on which book they should read and also provide a sense of engagement with a book’s fan base.
The project will be considered successful on three criteria. Firstly, if readers prefer using this system to discover new authors and books. This can be measured by a user survey. Secondly, if users create engaging discussion on their favorite books, resulting in feedback for the authors. To measure engagement, we can track the amount of reviews and comments a book receives. Additionally, we can also ask the authors via a survey to measure the amount of feedback they are receiving through the reader discussions. Finally, a third success criterion would be if authors gain more recognition through the application, resulting in an increase in book sales. The increase in book sales can be measured by comparing the sales before and after authors use the application.
