BookEnds is a mobile app that aims to encourage engagement with books by allowing users to connect with characters, share opinions through hashtags, and discuss books in forums. It recommends books based on a user's profile and location. Features include social sharing, recommendations, GPS-based local content, and RSS news feeds. The app's data architecture stores user profiles, books, genres, and connections between them. It seeks to leverage the engagement features of mobile to get teens reading more regularly.

1. BookEnds
Ishanee Rudra, Nilufa Begum, Christy Chan, Ming
Cooke, & Zineb Ouachtouki

2. What is the App?
• Read like you mean it!
o Engage with the characters and plot
o Share with each other
o App encourages students to read more
• Delivers engagement through the features of the mobile
platform
The difference between an interested and a disinterested
reader is the feeling of connection with the character and
plot of the book.
Friend your book !

3. Why this App? (The backstory)
• Film: "Freedom Writers”
o Deeply inspirational
o Engaging with the characters and plot of a book can
Change a teen's daily reality
o Even if placed in a different time, country or
circumstance !
• We are a group of teens
o Some like to read, some don't
• We realized:
o Americans between the of ages 15 to 24 spend ~2 hrs/
day watching TV, but only 7 minutes of their daily leisure
time reading
• But, reading is an essential building-block of learning !

4. Why a Mobile App?
• Engagement, engagement, engagement !
o Mobile phones are:
§ always with you
§ always on
§ always time-aware
§ always location-aware
• Print media is moving to digital
o Less expensive
o Easily shared

5. Overview of App

6. Features
• Social
o Hashtags
§ Write opinions and share personal connections
o Contacts - Profile
§ Twitter - for trending
• Recommendation Engine
o Books and articles
• GPS
o Google Maps
o Connect to current events and book availability
• RSS feed - News
o NYC Alerts
• Similar to Hot or Not App
o Help use their methods to choose and recommend books
• Discussion/Forum
o Space for chat

7. Data Architecture
UserProfile UserGenre
Books BooksGenres
UserId UserId
BookId BookId
GenreId
GenreId
UserBooks
UserId
BookGenre
BookId GenreId

8. Ecosystem Architecture
Mobile Phone
• eBooks
• News feeds
Book
- eBooks • Articles
Contacts
Database
Ends
- News
feeds • Local
- Articles announcements
Chat / Discussions
Twitter
Facebook
BookEnds on other phones

9. Market Analysis
Similar websites & apps:
• GoodReads
• BookYap
• YALSA Teen Book Finder
All focus on:
• Search, lists, social sharing
Non focus on:
• Engagement !
• eBooks

10. Future...
• Beyond books: engage teens in reading
about local events:
o bring real-time news & articles
o bring hyperlocal news & articles (location-aware)
• Beyond teens
o partner with organizations (clubs, associations, etc)
Utilize the features of the mobile platform even
more!

11. Q&A
Thank you!
Friend your Book.