Arduino, Product Design
Study Space Seat Finder
The Focus Zone Library Seat Finder, a system that combines a physical kiosk with a check-in/check-out process and a companion mobile app.
My Role
UI/UX Designer, Researcher
Duration
Mar. 2025 - May 2025
Documentation
Presentation
Overview
Finding a study spot in the library isn’t always easy, especially during peak times like finals week. Students often waste a lot of valuable time searching for open seats, leading to overcrowding in some areas while others sit empty. This makes the whole process more stressful than it needs to be, hurting productivity and frustrating the college student population.
As a team of 4 students, we found our solution in the Focus Zone Library Seat Finder, a system that combines a physical kiosk with a check-in/check-out process and a companion mobile app. At the kiosk, students scan their student ID to check into or out of study spaces, keeping real-time seat availability data accurate. The mobile app tracks all of this information and allows students to view seat availability remotely, check heatmaps of crowded areas, monitor noise levels, and receive optional notifications. Together, the kiosk and app work to make it faster and less stressful for students to find open seats, while also helping libraries manage space more efficiently.
Research
We did both secondary and primary research to gain a vast understanding of study spaces, student behaviour, and campus libraries. This included a comparative analysis with a similar app (Waitz), interviews with both students and library staff, and general research into data collection seat management systems, privacy, and campus limitations. We decided to focus specifically on Purdue University due to the ease of data collection and our personal experience. Using all our research, we created a journey map that would break down the experience of the seat-finding journey for us to use as a guide for the pain points and opportunities.
Design
We went through several iterations with our design process. We sketched out ideas for our physical kiosk and also explored ways for us to showcase the functionality of the kiosk (e.g. using Arduino). Additionally, we also revised user flows for our final product and created multiple app screens. Here are some pictures from our process below.
Results
We wanted to design something that actually helped students, not just looked good in theory. That’s why our solution combined a physical kiosk with a mobile app, so students could quickly check in when they arrived and also view seat availability from anywhere. As we didn't have the materials to build the kiosk prototype in full, we built a mini version and used the Arduino aspects to display functionality.
The kiosk was built to be as clear and accessible as possible. It has a check-in/check-out system using student IDs, along with an LED light at the top that shows whether seats are available. We kept the design simple so it wouldn’t get overlooked and made sure it worked fast enough that people would actually use it. On the app side, we added features that came directly from our research and interviews. Real-time heatmaps and noise level indicators let students choose where to study based on their preferences, whether they want quiet or don’t mind a little background noise. The reminders and favorites features were also things students said would help them stick to routines or check their go-to spots without extra effort.
Check out our Figma prototype for the app and the video demonstration for the Kiosk prototype below.
