Yoto Player — UX Research and Prototyping
For this project, my goal was to create an iPad-based user experience based on the Yoto reading device, and have it integrate with the experience of being a patron at the library.
Roles: UX Strategist, Prototyper, and Design System Developer
Duration: 2-3 months (2025)
Tools: Figma, Figjam
➶ Strategy
As the UX designer for this project, my goal was to craft an iPad-based experience that bridges the Yoto audio device with the physical journey of being a library patron. This approach enriches the reading experience by merging digital interaction with the tactile discovery of books, encouraging deeper engagement for young readers in library spaces.
Problem Statement
How might we help Jake (target user) create a fun literacy skill-building experience by creating a tablet-based reading platform leveraging Yoto so that children can foster their love for reading and engage with their library?
User Persona: Jake the Librarian
Jake is a Librarian and Youth Services Specialist with an extensive background of 8 years working in youth services. Jake holds a Master’s degree in Library Sciences, so he is constantly staying up-to-date with developing technologies to make his library state of the art.
In his library, Jake wants the opportunity to leverage technology to create an engaging and fun environment for youth visitors.
“I believe that libraries should be vibrant hubs of activity, where kids can come to explore, create, and connect with others. I’m always looking for new ways to make our programs relevant and fun!”
For the tablet based reading app, there are necessary functions that need to be included for a viable solution, as expressed in Jake’s user stories.
The potential solution would require the following features embedded in the user experience:
Functionality
View library of titles
Playback controls
Book selection
Chapter controls
Bluetooth connectivity
System flow: High Level
How might we help Jake (target user) create a fun literacy skill-building experience by creating a tablet-based reading platform leveraging Yoto so that children can foster their love for reading and engage with their library?
Wireframes
With a foundation of the user’s goals and the functionality laid out, I began producing wireframes to draft the placement and look of user interface elements.
Next Step: Paper prototypes
Our target user, Jake, wants to make the library experience more interactive. Although having the pages from the book displayed on the screen can be helpful, encouraging the young listener to pair the tablet UX with a physical book offers the best of both worlds.
To validate this assumption, I conducted a paper prototype for low-cost user testing to evaluate the core feature set and benchmark it against user preferences. I walked through the user flows with two participants who worked in youth enrichment.
💡 What is Paper Prototyping?
Paper Prototyping is the method of simulating a user experience by using wireframes printed on paper to see how users interact with and perceive certain elements. This is a low-cost method that can be easily produced and efficiently reveal core user insights without commiting to hi-fi prototypes or development.
Paper Prototype: User insights
What’s working
Navigation Flow
Users smoothly navigated between pages, chapters, and screens without confusion.
Playback Interaction
The slide-up/down playback panel felt familiar and intuitive for both users.
Primary Action Clarity
Buttons to start, pause, and navigate chapters were clearly understood and easy to use.
Needs Improvement
Label Visibility & Clarity
Missing or unclear labels (e.g., chapter names, playback duration, and physical book location) led to confusion and disrupted task completion.
Page Tracking During Playback
Lack of on-screen page numbers made it difficult for users to follow along with physical books.
Secondary Button Functions
Page-change buttons lacked descriptive labels, making their purpose less obvious to users unfamiliar with the interface.
Final Prototype
Based on participant feedback, I opted to move forward with a user experience that more closely followed audio/video streaming.
This approach would provide familiar interactions with the user while allowing serving as a digital component alongside the experience as a patron of a library.
In the finalized prototype there is:
Labeling of chapters in playback mode
Audio-based UI, no individual pages to limit scope and encourage interaction with physical books
Buttons to control playback, allowing the user to read and listen simultaneously
Takeaways
This project allowed me to approach UX design in a way I had not before. The project allowed me to strengthen my skillset in designing something from the ground up, developing a design system, and introduced me to paper prototyping and the value of low-cost UX research.
If given more time, I would have liked to...
Run usability tests on the final
hi-fi prototypes to find more areas of improvement.Perform a more comprehensive competitive analysis of e-reader platforms.