Timeline: 8 weeks
Role: UX/UI designer with the task of adding a new feature to an already-existent application
This project consists of adding a new feature to the Goodreads application, which is a platform for book lovers.
The feature I added was the possibility to host/join a video call with other members to discuss a book they have finished reading.
The problem
This is a hypothetical situation where I am asked from Goodreads to work on an extra feature to include in their app.
I would be responsible for the research as well as the design part of the process.
The new feature
The feature added is the possibility to host/join a video call with other members where they can discuss their thoughts about a book they have already finished reading.
Goals
Create a feature that fits seamlessly in the design and function of the already existent application
Respect the design and personality of the app
Find a feature that Goodreads users actually need
Target Group
Gender: Women/Men/Other
Age: 18 - 50
First, I did a Competitor Analysis
These are the main competitors:
SWOT
Strengths
Wattpad brings readers and writers in contact
Possibility to interact with other readers
Users can get inspiration to increase their creativity
Users’ writing talent can be appreciated and known
Weaknesses
It can be disturbing when a user only wants to enjoy reading
Competition can get in the way of reading time
The awards can intensify the competition
Opportunities
It makes people more willing to share what they are reading online
Book lovers know that they can find an online community fit for them
Spreads awareness on more books to be read
Threats
People might start using the app more in the hopes of getting recognized and less for just reading
It can create a toxic feeling of antagonism between book lovers
Strengths
Leio helps improve reading habits by keeping track of everything
Users can create a list of the books they have read & want to read
It provides detailed data about all your actions
Weaknesses
Only available for Apple devices
Only available in English, Spanish and Portuguese
It doesn’t provide a community aspect
Opportunities
Being only a journal to manage the users’ reading habits, it doesn’t have a social aspect so it creates space for another app to cover that need
Threats
Reading books can become only a way to hit the best score or complete a marathon, removing the joy of simply reading without caring about data
It can trigger obsessive or competitive behaviours
Strengths
Litsy is Instagram only for books
It covers the social need to share the book you are reading
It gives the possibility to comment, like, post reviews or take part in discussions, creating the feeling of a book community
Weaknesses
With the feature of Litfluence, users can aspire to become influencers and get the need to upload more, sometimes less meaningful content
It can create an addictive attitude
Opportunities
It doesn’t provide a very good user experience, since it crashes regularly and the pages don’t update automatically, so it’s very probable that users who actually try this app and are not content with it, search for something else
Threats
Having partnered with Library Thing, it got a lot of promotion that it has everything a user needs, with a big library base and also the social aspect, so a book lover might not look further for something better
The research
For the research, I used the Interviews method
Interviews
5 people who love books and either read quite a lot on a daily/weekly basis or they would love to include reading more into their lives.
Insights
The interviewees love reading but often feel discouraged or lose motivation to choose reading instead of something else.
They mentioned that belonging to a book club or something similar would hold them accountable and motivate them to read more.
They feel the need to discuss a book they have just finished, especially if they really liked it.
In traditional book clubs, sometimes they feel intimidated and left out or not clever/educated enough.
The Interviewees
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Inga
She reads around 15 books per year, usually recommendations from friends with similar taste.
Sometimes she feels the need to discuss about the book she just finished but there are not lots of people her age or in her circle that read at all or the same genre of books. She has never gone to a book meeting because they remind her of school and the way they were analysing books then was really not her style - she was feeling like the outsider.
She would probably be interested in joining a book meeting, as long as it’s open to discussion with people who don’t think of themselves as book critics.
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Francesco
He never participated in a book meeting or been to a book presentation.
When he finishes a book and has some strong thoughts about it, he usually wants to discuss it but there are not other people around him who share the same passion or read the same book recently.
He would never initiate a book meeting but if it’s a book that had a big impact on him, he would like to join it.
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Lidia
She keeps notes on the books she has read, to collect interesting ideas or concepts on a topic. She tries to choose a new topic every time, and she starts by reading the preview.
If she finds the book interesting, then she feels the need to talk about it, but only if she knows the other person would be interested in it.
She has never searched for an online community to discuss a book but she thinks she would prefer to discuss it in person.
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Chara
She has created a books wishlist on Amazon and she has a GoodReads account, so she keeps track of the books she has read and also the ones she would like to read in the future.
When finishing a book, she loves talking about it to anyone who is open to listen!
She was one of the founding members of the bookshelf of greeks in Barcelona and they were frequently talking about books online but in general, she prefers meeting people and talking to them in person. She has been in book clubs and she would love to have the possibility to do this again, offline or online.
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Nick
He would like to a find a planning system that would help him to read more in the future.
He decides which book to read next based on his needs in that specific moment. When a book has an impact on him, he feels like at that moment he sees things in a different perspective and he really feels the need to talk about it.
He has never joined a book community or meeting but he would be curious to join one. He believes that maybe a community like this would actually help him to be more motivated and start reading more, but in a fun way, because he would look forward to talking about it with the other members of the group.
Affinity Map
Personas
“I would love to find people who motivate me to read more, but in a fun way!”
Natalie loves reading books but because of work/daily life, she never puts it as a priority. Most of her friends don’t enjoy reading and this has had an effect on her too. She would love to be able to have some people that she could get inspiration from, discuss about some books that she has liked and have someone to make her accountable for her reading habit. In the past she joined a book reading club but she found it very boring and school-like.
Frustrations & Pain Points:
She doesn’t put reading as a priority
She doesn’t have friends who inspire her to read more
She doesn’t have someone to talk about the books she likes
Needs & Goals:
Read more and more consistently
Get inspiration about books
Make friends who also enjoy reading
“I’m tired of having people roll their eyes whenever I talk about a book I liked.”
Giuseppe enjoys a lot reading fantasy and young adult books but he finds it very difficult to meet people who like the same book genres as him. When he intends to talk about books with his friends and circle, he often feels uncomfortable or shallow, because everybody seem to judge his reading preference as childish. When he finishes a good fantasy book, he has the need to talk about it to everyone, but because of those comments, he prefers to keep his thoughts to himself.
Frustrations & Pain Points:
He doesn’t have friends or people from his circle who read the same book genre as him
Nobody has read or wants to read the books he likes/suggests
He feels judged by the people around him
He has to contain his enthusiasm about a book he read so he won’t feel ashamed by others
Needs & Goals:
Meet people who like the same style of books as him
Have people suggest him books that he knows he will like
Be able to talk about a book that he deeply enjoyed without the fear of being criticized
“Sometimes only reading is not good enough - the real fun comes when you share it with others!”
Alex is the typical book lover who loves talking to people about books, is interested to hear other people’s opinions and is always on the hunt for a good mystery novel! In the past he had created a book swap club, he never misses a chance to socialise with other book worms and is up for anything that has to do with his favourite hobby. However, lately he finds it more and more difficult to discuss about something he read because he has become somewhat of an expert in this category and not many people even know about the books he is reading or are not up for trying to read them, since they’re a bit too hard for them.
Frustrations & Pain Points:
He doesn’t have people around him who have read the same books as him or are interested to do so, because they want something lighter
He wants to discuss about the deeper ideas and thoughts he gets after reading these books but he can’t
He wants to belong in a book community where he can be his true “nerdy” self but also socialise with people like him
Needs & Goals:
Belong to a book community where he can meet other people like him
Discuss about the difficult ideas he finds in his books and try to analyse them with other people
Spread the love for reading and bring people together through his hobby
Problem Statement
People who enjoy reading sometimes don’t find easily the motivation to read and need someone to keep them accountable for their reading habits.
Explore ways to create a circle of people who will inspire each other to read more.
People have the need to feel accepted and safe when they’re talking about a book they love, without any judgement.
Explore ways to create a safe and open environment for all readers to be their true selves without feeling judged about their reading preferences.
The development
Mood Board
Style Tile
User Flows
Low-Fi Wireframes V.1
Low-Fi Wireframes V.2
Mid-Fi Wireframes
High-Fi Wireframes
Usability Test
I asked 5 people to test my design by trying to complete the following tasks:
Schedule a meeting
Join an already scheduled meeting
Goals
Assess how easy it is to complete the task
Discover any pain points or frustrations
Complete the tasks with ease following the predetermined path
Feedback
Tester 1
She went through the flow without any problems but she couldn’t understand what Online - Offline means in regards to where the meeting is happening. She asked me “does Offline mean it won’t happen in the end?”. She suggested to change it to “Virtual - On Site” to make it more clear.
Tester 2
She couldn’t understand where she has to click in the very first screen to update the reading progress of the book, but this is the flow as it is already, it doesn’t have to do with the extra feature. Other than that, she went through the tasks fast and without any problems.
Tester 3
She said that everything is self-explanatory and pretty clear. She just suggested to add how many people are joining each meeting and some avatars of them, to be able to know how big is the event before making a decision. Also, the people that the user is following should be the first ones appearing, in case they also join the same meeting.
Tester 4
He had tested it also in its mid-fidelity form and said that it’s better that now there are more options for booking a meeting and it’s not just one, as it was before, since there can be more people who want to join a meeting but there is the probability that the one that is already scheduled doesn’t fit their schedule or timezone.
Tester 5
He went through both flows without any problems, he said that it was very clear for him where he had to click in order to move to the next step and that overall, this would be a feature that he would be interested in using.
Final Result based on the feedback
Schedule a meeting
Join an already scheduled meeting
Reflections
Something that I changed based on the feedback:
First, I had only designed the possibility to have one meeting scheduled at a time. During the testing process, two of the participants mentioned that it would be nice to be able to have multiple meetings scheduled, in case you can’t join the one scheduled first and so you won’t have to wait for it to be done. Also, one of the participants is based in the US while the rest are based in Europe, so this made me think that it would be good to give the possibility to choose timezone as well.
This project made me more careful on how to respect an already existent branding and design and to try my best to add a new feature that would add value to the brand.
Key takeaways that I could use in future projects:
To organise my time, split the process in parts so that I don’t stress out, talk and test with people throughout the entire process in order to be able to make the changes slowly without having invested too much time and effort on something that in the end is useless or needs to change.
