For this project, I was tasked with creating a high-fidelity prototype of a self-publishing website based on common practices and other self-publishing sites. This website was required to consist of seven parts: secure login, dashboard, photo manager, cover manager, manuscript editor, pricing and royalties, and publishing page.

Problem/Assignment

Proposed Solution and Planning

Our first task was to investigate other self publishing sites and take note of what works well and what doesn’t. Then, create low fidelity sketches on my self publishing site that utilize the best practices found in my research. We received feedback on our low fidelity designs and made adjustments before finalizing the high fidelity designs.

Solution

• Home Screen:

  • Search and filter features

  • Ability to start Publishing new works

  • Preview past or in-progress works

  • Books sold

  • Revenue

• Photo Manager:

  • Ability to add graphics

  • Ability to organize and categorize

  • Search and filter features

• Cover Editor:

  • Use templates for layout and color

  • Import cover images

• Manuscript Editor:

  • Ability to add images to pages

  • Import option for manuscript text

  • Preview pages with a search by page option

  • Commonly used text editor features

• Pricing and Royalties:

  • ISBN options

  • Printing options and cover finish

  • Publication date

  • Pricing and royalties

• Publish

  • Preview feature

  • Terms and conditions text

  • Save and Publish buttons

• Secure Login Page

  • Follows conventional formatting

Challenges Faced

What I Learned

The most daunting challenge of this project was orchestrating the myriad of features essential for the functionality of the website.

This project gave me a greater understanding of how intricate the User Interface can be when taking into account the many different ways in which we use creative products such as Google Docs, Photoshop, or a self publishing site.