CommunityReads

[eliazzo]

Project Name

CommunityReads (open to alternatives)

The problem

• Their is limited access to books for individuals without the means or resources to discover and purchase new books.
• Many people have a desire to read and learn but do not have access to a variety of books or a local library. Those who do, might not know where to find book recommendations.
• Additionally, some individuals may have a collection of books that they no longer need or want to share/ recommend their favourite books.

Checkout out my starter wireframe on Miro

Some potential user flows:

Who are the stakeholders?

1. Users: Users who want to borrow, recommend or lend their books to others.
2. Developers

Long term stakeholders:

• Local Libraries
• Educational Institutions
• Bookstores
• Publishers and Authors
• Non-Profits

What technology might be interesting to explore?

• Auth0 for sign up and login
• React.js
• Google maps API (for geolocation and Proximity)
• Cloud storage services like Amazon S3 (!) or Google Cloud Storage for storing book images, user profiles, and other media assets and/OR multer/ multer-sqlite
• Node.js
• Express.js
• Libraries or APIs like ZBar or ZXing for barcode and QR code scanning functionality
• Game development frameworks like Unity or Phaser to create gamification elements within the app.

Other considerations

1. User Ratings and Reviews: Add rating and review system that appear on the user profile

2. Geolocation and Proximity: Incorporate geolocation feature to show users nearby book owners or borrowers

3. Social Integration: Integrate social media features to allow users to connect their BookShare profiles with their existing social accounts (also for OAuth)

4. Notifications and Reminders: Implement push notifications and reminders

What is currently being done to solve this problem?

1. Online Book Swapping Websites: Several websites like BookMooch, PaperbackSwap, and Goodreads' BookSwap.

2. Local Library Services: Many local libraries offer book lending programs, allowing community members to borrow books for a certain period.

3. Little Free Libraries: Little Free Libraries are small, outdoor book-sharing boxes where people can take a book to read or leave a book for others to enjoy.