OVERVIEW

Reading books is a habit that requires self-discipline. This practice enhances a person's knowledge but can also be difficult to maintain consistently. As a book reading application, it is essential to offer users more than just the ability to read; we must also make the reading experience enjoyable and engaging. By doing so, we can significantly increase the likelihood that users will develop a love for reading and spend more time using our app. Although numerous book reading apps currently exist, most of them provide a wide variety of books but lack features beyond basic reading. Therefore, I have decided to design a more interesting and engaging reading application.

Info.

Time. 2025
Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe XD, Figma
Process: User Research, Ideation, Conceptual Testing, Iteration, Usability Testing
Category: UI/UX Design, Design Research, Prototyping, Wireframing, Branding

Design Background

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Problem Space:

Users are seeking online reading experiences that are more interesting and engaging.Developing a hobby requires making it enjoyable. Reading can be a challenging hobby to cultivate, so it is important for our reading app to offer a more interesting and interactive experience.

Research: get in touch with the user.

I have a strong passion for reading, both online and in print books. On average, I complete a book each month, Reading to acquire diverse knowledge and experiences is a genuinely enjoyable process for me.

Therefore, I conducted survey with various individuals to gain insights on their reading habits. I sought to understand the following: Do you read? How frequently do you read? What do you enjoy most about reading? What aspects do you find least appealing? Additionally, what features or functionalities do you believe would enhance your online reading experience? What insights or benefits do you feel you have yet to gain from reading? I aimed to understand the perspectives of readers at various levels regarding the reading process, as well as to identify new features that could enhance their reading experience. During the survey, I categorized the user population into two groups: those who read fewer than six books per year and those who read more than six books per year.

Sample Size:

13 People

Take Aways:

• want to know people insight on the book
• feedback about single quote or words(sentence/paragraph)
• able to reply or comments
• search optimization
• expand the reading scope
• what people are reading
• hot books
• better categorization of books
• fun feature(made more engaging/interactive):
• painting of characters/scenes
• Voice of lines
• favorites book/ saved book feature:
• saving section customizable;
• easy to recommend books to friends

Design Goal

How to Inspire Readers to Cultivate a Reading Habit and Enhance the Enjoyment of Online Reading

Ideation

Idea 1: discussion thread: Readers have the opportunity to share their comments and insights on any chapter or even specific sentences, also allowing other readers to respond and engage in meaningful conversations.

Idea 2: personalized Bookshelf: Create a customizable bookshelf where users can organize their favorite books, books they are currently reading, and those they plan to read.

Testing

I shared my wireframes with the participants from my reading habit survey, and 6 out of 13 provided feedback.

Feekback:
The feedback indicates that responders feel overwhelmed by the amount of text, making it difficult to identify interesting books or key information at a glance.

Solution:
Incorporate more graphics, such as images, icons, and call-to-action buttons, to visually break up large text areas. This approach will guide users toward notable content, making the app more engaging and easier to navigate.

Feekback:
The navigation elements, such as library categories and bottom icons, may be too small, with the home icon disproportionately larger.

Solution:
Re-adjust the UI sizing to ensure that all navigation icons are consistently sized and easily tappable, enhancing usability and providing a balanced design.