Bookworm Reads
Revolutionizing the Reading Experience
BUSINESS SUMMARY
Bookworm Reads is a mobile application designed to enhance the reading experience and foster a vibrant and inclusive community of book enthusiasts. Our mission is to offer an all-in-one platform that caters to book lovers, making it easy to discover, discuss, and explore the world of literature.
THE CHALLENGE
Bookworm Reads is losing money. My job was to optimize overall feature engagement, enhance ease of app navigation, and prioritize the user experience on the Book Details page to compete effectively in the book enthusiast community while allowing users to purchase books successfully.
CONSTRAINTS
-
2-4 week deadline: A lean sprint was conducted to acclimate Bookworm Reads with the most updated and seamless experience for users.
-
Key Demographic: Gen Z and young Millennials; Queer Femme
-
Stakeholder Priorities: Acute focus on user flow, Book Detail page, Interaction with Features
DAVID DAVEIGH TAKING ON GOLIATH
A young social cataloging app geared towards a queer femme audience called Bookworm Reads was conceived and nurtured by a collection of people who do not connect with the existing social book club platforms of today.
In just two years Bookworm Reads has exploded and become a contender to larger social cataloging platforms like Fable, Amazon's Goodreads, the Storygraph, and others.
Bookworm Reads wants to capitalize on the current momentum to catapult itself beyond its predecessors, but in order to do that it needs to surpass the common hurdles of a quickly expanded product - unclear user flows, untargeted content, incoherent design system, and cluttered information architecture
ORIGINAL DESIGN
The original flow from Home (left) to book details, discussion board, reviews, etc. (two on the right)
IF YOU CAN'T JOIN THEM, BEAT THEM
Conversations with the client revealed this was more about community than just book cataloging. The one thing the competitors could not do was provide a safe and engaging space for the queer femme community. So now that Bookworm Reads had a strong and rapidly increasing community, we had to match the same level of user experience - or better!
UNDERSTANDING THE COMPETETIVE LANDSCAPE
A variety of tools were used to conduct analysis on Bookworm Reads and its competitors including Feature Inventory. Through this I was able to comprehensively assess the functionalities and tools within the platforms, identifying their strengths, weaknesses, and relevance to streamline the redesign process for improved user experience - with a quick return rate.
BOOKWORM READS HAS ALL THE MAINSTREAM FEATURES, PROJECT DONE I GUESS...
A deep dive into Bookworm Reads revealed they had a very lean and inconsistent set of features that did not provide the same value those same features did for Goodreads, Fable, or the StoryGraph. Litsy was another competitor on our radar, but after consulting with the client we concluded we did not want to pursue them for this sprint.
.png)
ANALYZING THE SAME FLOW, FOR ALL COMPETITORS AND THE CLIENT, USERS WOULD TAKE TO USE THE FEATURES THEY'VE COME TO KNOW
The same flow was all but the same. There were certainly pros and cons for each of the competitors and the client.
SYNOPSIS AND NEXT STEPS
-
Goodreads as a reference, could serve as a short-term goal for improvements.
-
Fable should be the long-term target.
-
Invest in a design system to ensure consistent UI and brand identity.
-
Refine features, user flows, content, and UI.
-
Conduct more user research to enhance user flows.
-
Study competitor user flows to learn from best practices.
GETTING THE BIGGEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
A Competitor Analysis delivered the perfect level of insights needed for a short sprint like this. There is a lot of work done in a couple days that went into this that led to the next phase.
READY OR NOT, HERE I COME...
In a perfect world, I would test, interview users, and gather more data but alas time runs with or without you - so I better catch it.
There was enough research data to move forward into the next phase - for now.
IDEATION PHASE
-
Use Fable's features and user flows as long-term goals.
-
Consider Goodreads' UI for inspiration while aiming for even better.
-
Refine Bookworm Reads' features, user flows, content, and UI to at least match Goodreads' level.
-
Develop a design system to create cohesiveness while preserving Bookworm Reads' unique brand identity.
Credit: Jesse Russel Morgan - Featuritist & Cognitive Overload
PRIMARY USER FLOW
.png)
A concise flow from start (Stream) to finish (Book Details), where users can view, interact with others, and make purchases.
I PARTNERED WITH A FELLOW DESIGNER TO GENERATE IDEAS
Referencing our competitors' prototypes we start designing possible ideas that could take users from the Stream screen to the Book Details screen all while remembering our research.
Recap:
-
Goodreads as a reference, could serve as a short-term goal for improvements.
-
Fable should be the long-term target.
-
Invest in a design system to ensure consistent UI and brand identity.
-
Refine features, user flows, content, and UI.
-
Conduct more user research to enhance user flows.
-
Study competitor user flows to learn from best practices.
.png)
.png)
.png)
REFINING IS ONLY HALF OF IT, BUT DOES IT FIT THE BRAND IDENTITY?
Following the Brand Guidelines provided I combined design best practices and the client's Mission, Vision, Values, and more.
I have intentionally not shared the client's Brand Guidelines and Assets here.
Mission
Vision
Values
Colors
Typography
Content
BRAND IDENTITY IS THE BACKBONE OF BOOKWORM READS AND AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE DESIGN PHASE.
MID-FI WIREFRAMES WAS THE PERFECT INTERSECTION TO BLEND IDEAS AND BRAND IDENTITY.
Mid-fi wireframes provided insights into the information architecture, content, features, and the flow from screen to screen necessary for the client to understand.
LITERARY TREASURE TROVE UNVEILING
Here's the outcome of all the work accomplished. Let's recap - there was Client alignment, Research, User Flow, Ideation, Brand Identity, and Content consideration - and a couple of bumps and bruises along the way.
HI-FI PROTOTYPE FOR THIS SPRINT
ORIGINAL TO PROPOSED DESIGN
Main Stream Screen
Original
Proposed Design
.png)
Creating cards as a component in the Main Stream screen allowed for a cohesive look across different activities including improved:
-
constrast
-
readability
-
consistency
-
layout
-
and more...
All Book Activity
Original
Proposed Design
.png)
The Book Details screen is the largest part of the book tracking concept.
As such, I designed a more robust screen to bridge the gap between what Bookworm Reads offers and what its competitors offer.
Details About The Book
Original
Proposed Design
.png)
An About section is the apex in the journey from discovering books to reading to recommending, whether virtual or in real life.
So instead of hiding the section, I brought it into the forefront next to other features of similar hierarchy.
Book Clubs and Buy Options
No Current Designs
Proposed Design
.png)
-
Clubs section was a feature that was also integrated to close the gap between Bookworm Reads and its competitors.
-
The Buy section on the other hand was designed to streamline the buying process and bring the experience in house from the initial external third-party website.
No Current Designs
Proposed Design
.png)
OUTCOMES
-
MVP prototyped featuring the Book Details page
-
Redesign considering navigation, content, user flow, and common features should promote user engagement
-
Improved UI is matching competitors' and user expectations
-
User flow also includes In-app purchases as a way of monetizing and creating an end-to-end experience for users.
-
Prototype and documentation have been handed off to client/developer.
UPSKILLED
-
Understanding user engagement with various functionalities and tools within the platform offers insights into user preferences, their favored features, and those that might require enhancement or reevaluation.
-
Shed light on the significance of aligning features with user needs and expectations
-
Value of focused improvements that directly address user challenges and elevate their overall experience including User Flow and Navigation.