My Role
Product Designer | Idea Generation, UX Research, Information Architecture, User Flows, Prototyping
Team Size
3 members
Duration
2 months
Tools
Figma, Notion, Goodnotes
Overview
Back in late March, I joined my first design-a-thon hosted by Wilfred Laurier University: UXL Design-a-thon. The challenge was to design spaces where communities could connect and engage with art and artists.
With my partner, we created an app called WeRead, a platform where readers can find their next book.
CONTEXT
The challenge was to design for meaningful connections between global artists and audiences
Based on the challenge prompt of the design-a-thon, technology incentivized a certain behavior of engaging with art: consumption. The goal of this challenge was to design spaces where artists and audiences could create, collaborate and discuss about the art, not just consume.
problem
Finding a book to read was tedious
One could find a blurb or book cover that entices them, but in order to go through with a purchase or borrow, one would find book reviews or even consult with friends and family.
Usually all three methods could occur in different platforms, creating friction between the user and attaining the book.
Constraints
Short timeframe: In the design-a-thon, we were only given 48 hours to decide on an idea, conduct user research and create the app before pitching to a panel of judges.
💡
The challenge was to help users discover book recommendations while also engaging with their community.
solution
Users can find their next read in a few swipes
Users can customize their book recommendations by swiping seamlessly
A collection of photos, called vibe boards, relate to the book's themes
When users like the vibe board, the book cover is revealed to them, together with the its details and community reviews
research
BookTok succeeded in recommending books through visual teasers
A 2023 survey found that 48% of TikTok users in the US and 53% of Canadian users reported reading more because of BookTok's influence (Shaw). This was further reinforced through the user interviews my partner and I conducted where users found new books through BookTok.
Insights
Visual aesthetics and quotes garnered book interest to users
Though BookTok had reviews and the book's premise, what made users encouraged to read a book was relevant pictures or quotes from the book itself. This is further exemplified by these tiktoks, reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions of likes.
design + improvements
Creating immersive experiences through interaction design and visual boards
First Iteration: WeRead provided recommendations through a collection of pictures called vibe boards
These pictures could be aesthetically pleasing imagery, quotes and even fanart, providing a way in which users can engage with their community. Users can choose to like or skip these vibe boards to customize their recommendations.
Second Iteration: Users swipe through recommendations
Due to user testing, one user commented how the selection of book recommendations was similar to how dating apps worked. After the design-a-thon, I continued to not only work on this gestural swipe interaction, but also delightful animations within the app.
Third Iteration: Users are provided with the means to purchase or borrow a book
Due to feedback from a senior designer, it was important to streamline the process of a user being interested by the book, acquiring the book, and then reviewing the book. This manifested in this flow as follows:
User likes the vibe board (swiping to the right)
User views the book cover, book details and community reviews
User likes the book (swipes to the right a second time)
Direct links are provided for the user to attain the book of interest
final product
WeRead: Find your next read
Here is all of the delightful animations:
takeaways
Upon reflection,
This was a fun project to do, even after the design-a-thon ended. I focused a lot more on interaction design, exploring Figma Prototype and delighting in the minute details of animation. Here is what I learned:
User Interviews provide insight on designing towards engaging experiences. I never thought to make a connection where liking or skipping a book could be akin to swiping through a dating app. By mimicking this swiping behavior, the app became more immersive, converting a mundane action of pressing a button to a dynamic experience.
If I could do things differently, I would make sure acquiring a book was a core flow from the start. These would lead to much more interesting flows such as borrowing the book from a library or purchasing the book in-app and having a built-in reading experience.
Thank you for reading!
References
Shaw, Michaela. “Booktok: Americans & Canadians Reading More Because of Tiktok.” Casino.Org, 9 May 2023, www.casino.org/blog/booktok-americans-canadians-reading-more-because-of-tiktok/.
More works
Sparky: AI Assistant for Teachers
User Research
Prototyping