Yu & Read.
Inspired by Yu & Me Books.
In a random sample, only 5% of books in a typical bookstore are written by POC.
According to a study by the NYT, 2020
Yu & Me Books
FLIPS
that metric.
Yu & Me Books is a bookstore located in the heart of NYC-Chinatown that "serves books, beer, coffee, and community.
Yu and Me Books focuses on the strong, diverse voices of our community, with a focus on immigrant stories."
Yu & Read is an app inspired by Yu & Me Books
Find belonging in
Books
After the pandemic, there was a rise in independent, POC-owned bookstores, according to the Washington Post.
Yu & Read gives you a curated experience, letting you stay up to date with events in independent POC-owned bookstores, like Yu & Me Books.
Keep up with your community
Recommend books to friends
Find reads
Add reads to your Bookshelf
It's the sense of
home, comfort & belonging
that we aim to foster.
Support—and be supported by—your local bookstores
Find local bookstores & events based on your location
See which of your local bookstores carry your book
Process
I started this project because my friends & I got sick of using Goodreads.
FIRST ITERATION
Leaning into communities
Shifting focus from rating books to finding local events and bookstores.
SECOND ITERATION
Intentional socials
Even though social interaction is a key part of the app, we don't want it to be social media.
THIRD ITERATION
Books as a medium
Finding ways to make visual design distinctive for books.
FINAL ITERATION
Making it more Yu & Me
Taking inspiration from Yu & Me Book's website and merch to inform branding.
FOLLOW UP & REFLECTION
Designing for Small Businesses
At the start of the design process, I decided that Yu & Read should be able to stand alone as a product, rather than soley supporting Yu & Me Books. Through this, I realized that most local businesses' main source of profit aren't digital products, yet creating digital access to these businesses might be valuable for customers.
In the future, when I'm moved to NYC, I'd like to get real feedback from Yu & Me Books!