The project is about Dekoh Books which is a next generation web 2.0 application that brings book readers and book collectors together. It promotes the social nature of reading with the informed consent of the individual users. It combines the functionality of personal library and the features and richness of sites like Amazon.com. Thus, Dekoh Books is a personal networking application based on the passion for books.

It allows one to create one’s own book collection, and share this information with others over the Internet, off one’s computer, with no uploading to a website. It facilitates building online catalogues and showcasing it to friends, discussions on books, viewing what other friends are currently reading and getting personalised recommendations from friends. It also leverages the functionality of Amazon.com by providing recommendations based on one’s choices and on what one is currently reading, thus opening a whole new horizon for book lovers. Thus, it is a one stop shop for everything related to books. Also, by building personal identities based on reading preferences, it creates a close-knit community amongst friends who are passionate about reading. As Edward Burke put it ‘To read books without reflecting is like eating without digesting.’

Actualising a product is much different from just conceptualisation. Overall, I learnt the importance of understanding the developer’s language. I realised that it is very important for a designer to know and understand technology to find effective solutions for a problem.