Redesigning the State Library of Victoria for an Interactive Family Experience

Because there’s a noticeable gap between the structured environment of schooling and the informal setting of home life.

HMW selectively curate the space to provide a deeply enjoyable experience within the redesigned children’s library for both kids and their parents.

So that children and parents can engage, explore, and learn collaboratively, fostering meaningful connections and bonds while seamlessly bridging the transition from school to home.

Research & Insights

We conducted a preliminary exploration of the Pauline Gandel Children’s Quarter to understand user interactions and the service structure. By mapping the site, we identified key areas such as the books section, family zone, and playground, while assessing accessibility and user flow.

Auto-Ethnography Insights 🔍

Our research identified both effective design strategies and challenges that hinder family engagement at the Pauline Gandel Children’s Quarter.

Good Design ✅

Age-Specific Zoning: The two-storey layout effectively separates learning spaces for older kids (8–12 years) from interactive play areas for younger children, balancing focus and exploration.

Family-Friendly Amenities: Well-designed furniture, pram-friendly access, and baby-change stations enhance usability for parents.

Structured Learning & Engagement: Expert-led programs and interactive spaces foster cognitive development and community participation.

Bad Design ⚠️

• Navigation & Booking Issues: The website is cluttered, making event booking difficult due to unclear details about dates, age suitability, and registration.

• Wayfinding Challenges: Limited signage and a generic design make it difficult to locate key areas, often requiring staff assistance.

• Marketing Gaps: The kids’ library lacks a dedicated social media presence, making it difficult for parents to find event updates.

While the library caters effectively to different age groups, navigation, booking, and outreach challenges create barriers for parents, highlighting the need for a more intuitive and accessible family-friendly experience.

Problem Defining

• Parents struggle to find and join free events, making planning overwhelming.

• Minimal engagement in the joining phase means children participate passively while parents remain uninvolved.

• A lack of interactive wayfinding and touchpoints further limits participation.

• The service must simplify event discovery, engage children earlier, and create opportunities for parent involvement.

The Solution

Family Castle reimagines the library as an inclusive space by making participation simpler and more interactive for both parents and children.

• Rebranding to “Family Castle” – Expands the focus beyond kids, fostering co-participation.

• Simplified Event Booking – A redesigned website and calendar app make event discovery effortless.

• Interactive Wayfinding – Outdoor stickers, children’s signage, and an Explorer Package with maps and badges encourage parent-child navigation.

• Engaging Activities – Pairing-up experiences and multiple touchpoints ensure parents remain involved.

• Stakeholders drive Family Castle’s success through engagement, accessibility, and awareness.

• Parents, guardians, and library staff facilitate smooth participation.

• Educators, schools, and community groups extend outreach.

• Sponsors and policymakers provide funding and ensure sustainability.

The pre-visit phase includes event discovery and booking, often hindered by complex navigation. The on-site experience is enhanced through improved wayfinding, an Explorer Package, and interactive touchpoints to boost engagement. Finally, the post-visit phase encourages families to return with app reminders and loyalty rewards, fostering ongoing participation.

Final Design

• Explorer Package: A kit containing wayfinding maps, identity badges, and QR codes for seamless navigation and event booking.

• Rewards & Revisit System: Families earn stickers by attending events or reading books, boosting engagement and encouraging return visits.

• Wayfinding & Outdoor Signage: Child-height signs and interactive maps encourage children to actively navigate the space.

By combining communication, interaction, and incentives, Family Castle creates shared learning experiences and lasting connections, making the library a dynamic, inclusive space for families.

Digital Features (Selected Pages)

A feasible participating process and rejoining

The Family Castle app and website simplify event discovery and booking with a clear layout, age-group filters, and a one-click system. Integration with Google Calendar enables seamless scheduling, and access to past events enhances engagement.

Personas & Storyboard

Results

Family Castle has successfully introduced a service design intervention that enhances family engagement at the State Library of Victoria:

• Seamless Service Journey – A restructured user flow simplifies event discovery, booking, and participation, creating an intuitive, accessible experience for parents.

• Integrated Digital & Physical Touchpoints – The redesigned website and app feature filtered event listings, calendar integration, and single-click booking, reducing planning friction.

• Engagement-Driven Experience – Interactive wayfinding, explorer packages, and reward systems incentivise participation, fostering ongoing engagement between parents and children.

• Service Scalability & Adaptability – The model supports future collaboration with external stakeholders, such as schools and community organisations, expanding outreach and long-term impact.

Lessons Learnt

• Frontline staff insights drive service improvements – Interviews with library staff offered valuable perspectives on operational constraints, user pain points, and service delivery gaps, informing the service blueprint and opportunity areas.

• Enhancing service touchpoints improves accessibility – Simplifying event booking and wayfinding creates a seamless user journey, reducing cognitive load for parents navigating the service.

• Designing for co-experience fosters deeper engagement – Encouraging parent-child interaction transforms the library from a child-centric service into a shared family experience, boosting participation across key service moments.

• Iteration and service prototyping refine user experience – Continuous testing and validation allow for service optimisation, ensuring interventions align with user needs and operational feasibility.

And many more… :)