Kyuri K

Product/System Designer

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WEB UI Design

Enhanced search & analysis tool for
comparing online classes

Kyuri K

Product/System Designer

Kyuri K

Product/System Designer

Classscope started as a nonprofit side project where I joined 3 developers to design and build a working MVP from scratch. My focus was on shaping the information architecture, UI system, and visual consistency across the product, keeping the interface simple, light, and approachable.

In an age where physical spaces compete with digital convenience, South Korea’s historic bookstore Bandi & Lunis sought new ways to rekindle the joy of offline book discovery. Our team envisioned an AR-powered browsing experience that guides users through the store, highlights trending titles, and creates delightful moments of surprise along the way.

TIMELINE

Mar 2023 – June 2023 (3 months)

ROLE

Product & UI Designer

TEAM

3 Developers

OUTCOME

Fully functional web app (React + API integration)

Let's see how it works

THe big why

What if bookstores could help readers explore effortlessly, just like online platform, but without losing the joy of wandering?

The project began with a question:
Can AR make physical bookstores more intuitive, enjoyable, and meaningful again?

In a time when online algorithms decide what we read, the joy of wandering through shelves is quietly fading. Our team set out to reimagine Bandi & Lunis, one of South Korea’s most iconic bookstores, as a space where technology amplifies human curiosity instead of replacing it. By combining AR interaction, brand redesign, and spatial renewal, we aimed to transform a static retail space into a living, learning experience.

Experience First

Discovering Books as an interactive journey

Visitors often feel overwhelmed by the scale of bookstores and unsure where to start. The challenge was to turn wandering into guided exploration, without losing the serendipity of traditional browsing.

Heading towards the bookstores

Stumbled upon a vast book section

Captivated by a desired books

Context

When bookstores became too vast to explore

Visitors often feel overwhelmed by the scale of bookstores and unsure where to start.
What used to be a place of serendipitous discovery has turned into a maze of endless choices.

This project began with a simple yet urgent question:

How might we make discovering books in a large bookstore more intuitive, enjoyable, and meaningful again?

How might we make discovering books in a large bookstore
more intuitive, enjoyable, and meaningful again?

Experience

Reframing the Bandi & Lunis bookstore experience

We mapped the in-store experience into three key emotional moments:

1.Anticipation

Entering the bookstore with curiosity but no clear direction.

Entering the bookstore with curiosity

but no clear direction.

2.Exploration

Navigating vast aisles with AR cues highlighting curated or trending books.

3.Discovery

Reaching a specific title or section, rewarded with contextual insights or points.

This journey design helped us preserve the emotional flow of browsing—only now, enhanced with AR.

This journey helped us design a system that keeps the emotional flow of browsing intact—just enhanced by AR.

Background

Why Bandi & Lunis and why bookstores?

Once one of Korea’s most recognized bookstore brands, Bandi & Lunis had begun losing relevance in the digital age. Competitors like Kyobo and Yes24 embraced digital ecosystems early, while Bandi & Lunis struggled to bridge its physical presence with the online discovery habits of modern readers.

As digital platforms dominate book recommendations, the brand’s offline experience grew static and unclear. We saw this as an opportunity not just to redesign an interface—but to redefine what a physical bookstore could mean today.

Research

Listening to readers and staff inside the bookstore

We conducted interviews with two groups - bookstore visitors and staff, to uncover the main friction points and behavioral patterns in offline book discovery.

Staffs said…

“We spend more time explaining directions than talking about books.”

Many customers experience decision paralysis when faced with endless book sections.

Readers said…

“I feel lost. There’s so much to see that I end up not finding what I want.”

Staff members frequently handle repetitive questions about book locations and recommendations.

Readers said…

“I feel lost. There’s so much to see that I end up not finding what I want.”

Staff members frequently handle repetitive questions about book locations and recommendations.

Readers said…

We saw this as an opportunity to redefine the role of physical bookstores — not as outdated retail, but as spaces for interactive cultural experiences.

Staffs said…

“We spend more time explaining directions than talking about books.”

Many customers experience decision paralysis when faced with endless book sections.

Space research

Understanding spatial overwhelm in large bookstores

Our spatial analysis revealed that the sheer scale of Bandi & Lunis can unintentionally create decision paralysis for visitors. The multi-level layout and dense shelving system make it difficult for first-time customers to know where to start.

Many described the experience as “It feels like a treasure hunt that becomes exhausting.”
We identified four recurring perceptions:

Too broad

Treasure-hunt

Disorganized

Too complex

By mapping emotional and behavioral patterns, we saw that gentle guidance and curation could transform confusion into curiosity.

DESIGN Goal

Making book discovery intuitive with AR

We used AR to translate overwhelming spatial layouts into guided, meaningful interactions.
Readers can easily navigate, discover personalized titles, and reconnect with the joy of browsing through subtle digital layers.

By combining books with the real world, we designed an experience that reawakens curiosity, one shelf at a time.

Key experience

The reader's AR Journey

We mapped the AR experience into three key moments, preserving the natural rhythm of browsing.

Through these moments, readers experienced guidance without losing autonomy, a balance between structure and spontaneity that defines meaningful exploration.

As the AR system began reshaping how users interacted with the space, we realized the transformation couldn’t stop at the interface.

To fully embody this new experience,
the brand and its environment needed to evolve too.

As the AR system began reshaping how users interacted with the space, we realized the transformation couldn’t stop at the interface. To fully embody this new experience, the brand and its environment needed to evolve too.

How might we make discovering books in a large bookstore
more intuitive, enjoyable, and meaningful again?

Brand redefinition

Rebuilding trust through
clarity, warmth, and modernity

The AR experience gave Bandi & Lunis a new purpose: to help readers navigate both space and knowledge with confidence. To embody that, the brand’s identity needed to evolve, balancing warmth, clarity, and modern intelligence.

The new symbol unites the ideas of coexistence, moonlight, and connection, bridging the duality of tradition and innovation. A refined serif wordmark and warmer color palette complete the transformation, creating a unified identity that feels both digital and human,at home across screens, shelves, and physical spaces.

Spatial design

Turning architecture into part of the navigation system

The physical space was redesigned to mirror the logic of the AR experience, zoning clear paths for browsing, discovery, and checkout. By separating exploration zones from purchase zones, the layout reduced visual clutter and improved natural flow.

Through these moments, readers experienced guidance without losing autonomy, a balance between structure and spontaneity that defines meaningful exploration.

Testing & results

AR Feature User testing

User testing at the bookstore revealed how AR enhanced engagement and enjoyment.
Readers spent more time browsing and expressed particular delight
when contextual reviews appeared as overlays beside books.

Reflection

From overwhelming to enlightening

Through AR, visual identity, and spatial design,
Bandi & Lunis evolved from a static retail brand into a living cultural platform.

This project taught me that great design doesn’t separate UI, brand, and space,
it connects them into one continuous story of human curiosity.

Through AR, visual identity, and spatial design,
Bandi & Lunis evolved from a static retail brand into a living cultural platform.

This project taught me that great design doesn’t separate UI, brand, and space,
it connects them into one continuous story of human curiosity.

NEXT PROJECT

Redefining how Deaf and hearing professionals communicate in real time.

Owned end-to-end experience

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Contributed as a founding product designer

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Kyuri K

Kyuri K

Kyuri K

Kyuri K

What if bookstores could help readers explore effortlessly, just like online platform, but without losing the joy of wandering?

Discovering Books as an interactive journey

When bookstores became too vast to explore

How might we make discovering books in a large bookstore more intuitive, enjoyable, and meaningful again?

How might we make discovering books in a large bookstore more intuitive, enjoyable, and meaningful again?

How might we make discovering books in a large bookstoremore intuitive, enjoyable, and meaningful again?