EchoStream: Fostering Social Connection Through Shared Interests

Role

Service Designer

Duration

6 Weeks

Tools

Field Observations, Blueprinting, Miro

Team Members

Lillian MacGuire

Rohan Boda

Betty Yang

Executive Summary

The New York Public Library (NYPL) is committed to offering free, valuable services to individuals who live or work in New York City. For this project, we focused specifically on understanding the services connected to the NYPL library card.

Over the course of six weeks, we conducted multiple observations at the NYPL Jefferson Market branch and identified key pain points within the service experience. Using extensive service design blueprinting, we mapped out the current system and proposed targeted interventions to address these issues.

Our findings were presented to the class and our professor through a detailed blueprint walkthrough, complemented by additional service design artifacts—including ecosystem loops, intervention mockups, and transition journey maps.

Understanding the NYPL Service Ecosystem

The New York Public Library (NYPL) serves a diverse audience, offering both physical and digital services. To gain a comprehensive understanding of its service ecosystem, we conducted an in-depth service blueprint analysis, combining online research and in-person observation experiences. This approach allowed us to map the end-to-end user journey, identify pain points, and propose targeted service improvements.  

Through this process, we explored the following:  

  1. Service Blueprint Development: Mapping key user interactions, service touchpoints, and operational processes.  

  2. Experience Gaps: Identifying pain points in both physical and digital interactions that impact accessibility and efficiency.  

  3. User Transition Journeys: Analyzing key transitions such as librarian to customer and customer to volunteer to improve service flow.  

  4. Good Services Scale Evaluation: Assessing how well NYPL services align with industry best practices.  

  5. Proposed Interventions: Suggesting digital and physical upgrades, such as a mobile library card for easier borrowing and more accessible book drop-off points.  

Value Exchanges and Ecosystem Loops: Understanding how various stakeholders interact and where improvements can be made. 

Observing the NYPL Library Card Service

Step 1: Planning

NYPL is a free service provided to people living or working in New York state, and the website suggested that there are more services available than just borrowing books. The team's objectives were to understand and map out the process of introduction to the service (both digitally applying for the card, and applying in-person), different services provided within the broader service, and different levels/member types of the service. The goal was to identify pain points at different parts and propose interventions to fill in the gaps.

Step 2: Getting the Card 

The team decided to go to the NYPL Jefferson Market branch to understand better the process of obtaining a library card. Two of three of the team members didn't have a card, so we took this opportunity to document both the online and in-person application processes.

Surprisingly, these were very similar. When we asked the service desk how to apply for a card, they pointed us to a computer that contained the same application as the one that was completed at home (Figure 2). The online application also requires in-person ID verification within 30 days, so customers will eventually need to go to the library with whichever method they choose.

Figure 1: Online NYPL card application

After completing the application, we returned to the library desk and informed the librarian that we finished. We underwent the ID verification process and received our card (Figure 3), prompting us to ask the librarian what services would now be accessible to us as library card holders. 

Figure 2: In-person NYPL card application

Figure 3: In-person ID verification

Figure 4: Receiving the NYPL library card

Step 3: Using the Services

When we asked the librarian about the services we now have access to with the library card, she mentioned the following:

  • Borrowing books

  • Reserving a computer

  • Obtaining an NYC Culture pass

We experienced all three of these, including the process of returning a borrowed book (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Images from our observations of NYPL card services

After our observations concluded, we were ready to begin drafting our service blueprint to map a customer’s journey. We did this first on a whiteboard, to have freedom to erase and make revisions as more of the pieces were being added. In our blueprint first draft we included the following:

  • Evidence (proof of the service happening)

  • Customer journey

    • Line of interactions

  • Front stage actions (employee actions, technology)

    • Line of visibility

  • Backstage actions

    • Line of internal interactions

  • Support processes

Mapping Out the Service Experience

Figure 6: Our blueprint drafting process

After our observations concluded, we were ready to begin drafting our service Through documenting the NYPL library card service through blueprinting, we identified gaps in the service that could be improved, known in service design as interventions. The interventions we came up with aim to make the library card service more accessible and convenient to more customers. We will explore our interventions in more detail below.

Gaps in the Service & Interventions

Problem 1: Physical cards are used less frequently

In New York City, tap-to-pay with a phone has become the norm. Pulling out a physical credit card is increasingly rare, especially among kids and teens who often don’t carry wallets at all—relying entirely on their phones instead. The same trend applies to non-payment cards, like library cards. 

Intervention 1: Adding an NPYL e-card

To keep up with these changing habits and improve the user experience, we propose a digital card that can be added directly to a customer’s e-wallet.

Problem 2: Poor signage leads to customer confusion

Issues with signage came up multiple times through our observation. Firsty, It wasn't clear where to actually apply for the card in person. We had to go upstairs and ask a librarian where to begin the process due to the lack of directions. Secondly, when we returned our book back to the library we totally missed a book drop off bin in the downstairs section of the library. This resulted in us going upstairs for no reason. 

Intervention 2: Add more signage to improve wayfinding

By adding more signage to the library, customers will have more clarity on where to go for the specific tasks they are looking to complete

Problem 3: Unclear Due Dates for Borrowed Items
When a book is borrowed, the due date is printed on a physical receipt handed out by the librarian. Patrons often tuck this slip into the book or their pocket—where it's easily misplaced. Once lost, there's no easy way for them to know when the item is due, increasing the risk of late returns.

Intervention 3: Automated Text Reminders for Due Dates
Sending text reminders removes the guesswork around return dates, making it easier for patrons to stay on top of their borrowed items. It encourages timely returns, improves user experience, and reduces the need for paper receipts—making the process more convenient and sustainable.

Problem 4: In-person ID verification creates friction in the application process
Currently, applicants for a New York Public Library (NYPL) card must visit a library branch in person to verify their ID, even after completing the online application. This requirement disrupts the remote experience and adds an unnecessary barrier to access.

Intervention 4: Integrate digital ID verification into the application flow
Implementing a secure online ID verification system would allow users to complete the entire application remotely. This enhances convenience, especially for those with mobility challenges or limited access to transportation, and aligns with modern digital service standards.

After identifying gaps within the service and attempting to fill them, we began exploring transition journeys—specifically focusing on how customers can seamlessly shift from using the service as patrons to becoming staff members within the library, and vice versa. This allowed us to consider not just the individual roles, but the pathways between them, ensuring smoother role changes and overall service continuity.

Mapping Transition Journeys

Figure 7: Transition journey showing librarian to customer

Key Transitions

  • The librarian switches from an “employee role” to a “customer role” when they clock out.  

  • At the checkout stage, both roles converge at the service desk, where the process is the same for both regular customers and the off-duty librarian.

Figure 8: Transition journey showing customer to volunteer

Key Transition

  • The customer transitions from a passive user of library services to an active participant by becoming a volunteer.  

  • The customer (now as a volunteer) can contribute to the library’s mission in a different but complementary way.  

Ecosystem loops illustrate how various actors, services, and touchpoints interact and depend on one another. Taking this holistic approach allowed us to uncover cause-and-effect relationships—not only between customers and the library, but also between the library and its partnerships with other city organizations.

We began with mapping value exchanges found within the NYPL service space. These included:

  • The exchange between customers and the NYPL

  • The exchange between the NYPL and the Museum Culture Pass

Identifying Ecosystem Loops

Figure 9: Customer to NYPL value exchange

Figure 10: NYPL to Culture Pass value exchange

From there, we expanded the first relationship—between customers and the NYPL—into a complete ecosystem loop. This helped us reveal how independent interactions are interconnected and collectively support and sustain the NYPL library card service. You will find the detailed mapping of this below.

Figure 11: Customer to NYPL ecosystem loop

After identifying service gaps and interventions, mapping transition journeys, and visualizing ecosystem loops, we felt it was the right time to revisit and expand our original service blueprint. In this version, we added the following on post-its:

  • Entry and exit points in the service

    • And potential new entry and exit points

  • Specific points in the journey where service gaps occur

  • Specific points in the journey where interventions were needed

  • Value exchange loops

The goal of this blueprint was to help us understand how behind-the-scenes actions support the customer experience within the NYPL library card service. By mapping out key interactions across both the frontstage and backstage, we identified critical issues and proposed targeted interventions for improvement. With this foundation, we were well-equipped to evaluate the service using the Good Services Scale.

Finalizing the Service Blueprint

Figure 12: Final service blueprint for the NYPL library card service

The Good Services Scale

To evaluate the service, we used The Good Service Scale, measuring 15 aspects (e.g., findability, service explanation) on a 0–4 scale. NYPL scored 44/60 (Level 4), meaning most users navigate it independently, though minor improvements are needed.

Key Areas for Improvement:

  • Setting User Expectations: Return dates are only on easily lost, fading receipts, risking late returns.

  • Clarifying Purpose: First-time users struggle to discover all services due to sparse website and in-library information.

  • Reducing Prior Knowledge Needs: Poor signage makes locating the service desk difficult; wayfinding could help.

  • Adapting to Change Quickly: Redundant steps in applications and book returns could be streamlined with digital updates and clearer signage.

Figure 13: Excerpt from The Good Services Scale evaluation

We presented our final designs via Zoom to our professor and classmates, walking them through the full scope of our research and design process. This included an overview of our initial observations and user insights, followed by a walkthrough of the final service blueprint, which mapped out key interactions and backstage processes. We also shared our ecosystem loops to highlight the relationships and feedback cycles within the service and presented our transition journeys to demonstrate how users move between roles, such as from patron to staff member.

Final Presentation

Figure 14: Screenshot taken from our final virtual presentation board

Reflections and Key Takeaways

This was my very first experience with service design, and there was definitely a learning curve! Taking a more holistic approach challenged me to zoom out and consider the bigger picture. It ultimately made me a more thoughtful designer—and gave me a truly unique learning experience.

Here are some of the most valuable lessons I took away:

  • Design is Messy - and That’s Okay: One of the first things our professor taught us was to embrace the mess. Our blueprint wasn’t meant to be perfect - it was meant to reflect the real complexity of systems. Doing it by hand on paper forced us to let go of polish and focus on clarity, which was tough but valuable.

  • Service Design Has a Huge Scope: Unlike traditional UX, which centers heavily on the user, service design requires a 360° view. That means thinking about internal processes, technology infrastructure, employee experiences, and customer touchpoints - all at once.

  • Collaboration is Essential: Service design can’t be done in a silo. Working closely with my team, and learning how to communicate abstract concepts visually and verbally, was crucial to making sense of the service system as a whole.