Abstract:

With the development of the economy, the change of consumer culture and the impact of the Internet, many offline bookstores have disappeared. According to the Korean Bookstore Manual (한국 서점편람) since 1996, when bookstores in Korea were 5378, the number of bookstores has declined by more than 60%, counting in 2015 only 2166 stores. According to statistics from the National Statistical Office (통계청 통계자료), in 2017 58.4% of purchases were made via the Internet and 41.6% of purchases were made by person in offline bookstores. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze offline bookstores’ reading space through a comparative analysis study based on young people’s experiences, and identify the requirements to design a space that meets users needs. The research team selected two large offline bookstores in two of the main areas of Seoul where young people gather, Gangnam-gu and Mapo-gu, and divided users in their 20s and 30s into four groups according to their visit frequency. The research method is as follows: First, related literature and previous researches have been analyzed in order to give a theoretical consideration about reading spaces and user experience, and thus derive the elements useful to conduct this study. Second, the behavior inside the space by each user group has been observed, and through interviews and surveys usability and satisfaction levels have been identified and analyzed. The derived results were analyzed and divided into a five-point scale. Third, by deriving requirements from surveys’ results, the directions for reading space planning have been presented.

According to the previous researches, the five design elements that affect users visit frequency are five: comfort, sensory stimulation, zoning, interactivity and diversity. The results of this study show that the main reasons why people visit a space are comfort and zoning. The choice of spatial form, spatial alignment, spatial furniture, lighting, color, and exhibition layout are the elements that attract the users attention, by arousing their desire to experience and, at the same time, by giving psychological comfort and safety. Moreover, according to zoning concept, balancing the various elements and connecting efficiently the spaces ensure that the movement flow is not obstructed and that the user feels at ease.

Keywords:

User Experience, Offline BookStore, Reading Space, Space Experience.