bookSwipe
TIMELINE
4 weeks
INDUSTRY
LitTech
PROJECT TYPE
Capstone, UX/UI Design, Branding
ROLE
Researcher, UX/UI Design, Branding, Prototype Testing
TOOL(S) USED
Figma, Zoom
This is a case study project for DesignLab UX Academy.
Finding the right book can be overwhelming with so many options. Traditional discovery methods like bestseller lists and reviews lack a seamless, interactive way to explore books based on personal preferences.
Background
Readers struggle to find books that match their interests, relying on multiple sources that feel cluttered or impersonal. They need a quicker, more engaging way to discover books that suit their tastes.
Problem
bookSwipe aims to make book discovery effortless through a fun, swipe-based interface, personalized recommendations, and tools for tracking lists, exploring reviews, and finding books that match user preferences.
Goal
Inspired by dating apps, bookSwipe lets users swipe to explore books, get curated recommendations, track reading progress, and engage with reviews—all in one seamless experience.
Solution
RESEARCH
Competitive Analysis
How intuitive and user-friendly is the navigation and layout?
How feature-rich is each platform? Do they serve a single purpose or offer a multi-functional experience? How well do they execute it?
What design patterns do competitors use to enhance engagement?
Emphasizes community and user-generated content, but it has an outdated design that feels cluttered and displays too much content all at once.
Goodreads
Showcases the power of personalization and advanced filtering, which can be adapt for tailored book recommendations. However, the content is overwhelming for new and casual users.
The StoryGraph
Clean and functional design, especially for features like reading progress and notes. However, there’s a gap in discovery and social community interaction.
Amazon Kindle
Tinder’s swiping mechanism is highly engaging, but there’s no option to go back and undo a mistaken swipe.
Tinder
Focusing on one main feature while allowing optional enhancements can improve both usability and convenience.
Tinder’s swiping mechanism offers a fun and engaging interaction, but it’s important to give users the option to retrace their choices.
Insight
User Interviews
In order to have a better understanding of user needs and goals, I interviewed 7 book-reading participants with these questions in mind:
What factors influence their decision to find a book to read?
Do they keep track of books they read or want to read?
What challenges do they face when trying to discover new books?
“After finishing a great one, I get post-read depression and take a long break since my expectations get too high.“
~ Participant discussing challenges in finding new books
Insights
Most participants choose books based on their mood or sudden bursts of motivation, often leading to binge-reading.
They rely on various social media platforms for book discovery, resulting in scattered, unorganized lists that are difficult to navigate.
Many struggle to find new books due to "Post-Read Depression" and heightened expectations after finishing a great read.
Only avid readers use Goodreads to organize their lists and track their progress.
DEFINE
Personas
Avid Reader
GOALS
Organize his reading lists efficiently.
Discover new books that match his tastes and current reading streaks.
Share his book reviews and recommendations with friends and family.
FRUSTRATIONS
Overwhelmed by managing multiple reading lists and saved book recommendations.
Finds social media book trends hard to navigate due to overhyped recommendations.
Doesn’t like spoilers but struggles to filter reviews effectively.
Causal Explorer
GOALS
Discover books that catch her interest without feeling overwhelmed.
Find quick, personalized recommendations based on her current mood.
Explore book-related discussions without the pressure of joining a book club.
FRUSTRATIONS
Struggles to find books that keep her motivated to read.
Finds many online review platforms cluttered and time-consuming to sift through.
Wants more relevant recommendations tailored to her interests.
How might we create a seamless and engaging book discovery experience that caters to users’ personal preferences and moods?
Feature Set
Swipe-based Book Discovery
Discover new books by swiping through selections, with instant access to key details by tapping the cover.
Profile Page
Keep track of a reading journey that displays reading lists and helps organize books effortlessly.
Book Preferences Form
Customizable reading experience by selecting favorite genres, tags, and authors for tailored recommendations.
Book Review
Share thoughts on books by leaving reviews, rating them, and marking reviews as spoiler-free for others.
Sitemap
The architecture of bookSwipe was designed around an engaging book discovery experience, with iterations refining a structure that prioritizes visual exploration through book covers. By making swipe-based discovery the core feature of the home page, I enhanced the experience with book organization tools like reading lists and reviews. A “Book Preferences Form” during sign-up further personalizes recommendations, ensuring a seamless and tailored journey for users.
User Flows
Key
Book Preferences Form
Filling out the Book Preferences Form after Sign Up.
Add Book to List
Discovering new books and adding them to reading lists.
Book Review
Making a book review through the Profile page reading list section.
CREATE
Low-Fi Wireframes
Created low fidelity wireframes based on the architecture and user flows for initial testing.
Home
Book Preferences
Profile
Book Info
Reading List
Book Review
Branding
Discovery • Engagement • Personalization • Community
I drew inspiration from the layering elements to add depth and texture to the page. I also love the dark mode color scheme—it keeps the focus on the books, making the app feel like a seamless host without distractions.
Colors
The black and white create a neutral base, allowing the colorful books to stand out. The yellow accent, like a flashlight, directs attention to key elements of the app.
Typeface
I chose Source Sans Pro as the typeface because it is a highly legible, and versatile typeface with a clean, modern design. It offers a range of weights and is optimized for digital use, making it perfect for app design.
Logo Design
I explored three different directions for my logo. The book-themed concepts felt too generic, while the swiping-based designs were not immediately intuitive. Ultimately, I chose a version of the letter "B" that resembles an open book. After receiving positive feedback from my mentor and peers, I decided to move forward with this design.
Draft
Final
UI Component Library
UI is slim, rounded edges. Different values of dark blue are used throughout, and yellow is used sparingly as a highlight color for primary components.
High-Fi Wireframes
Changes were made to the wireframes based on initial prototype testing with 7 participants, and feedback from mentor and peers.
Book Preferences Form
Added sections for easier readability and navigation.
Home Page
Condensed the navigation and filter into one line, and added “Add to list“ button for easier interaction.
Profile Page
I removed the graph since this isn't a tracking app, expanded “Author” to “Authors I Follow” for clarity, and moved the settings into its own page.
Book Info
I streamlined the reading list buttons into a single “Plus” button, moved star ratings to the “Reviews” section, added filters, and made the “Write a Review” button more accessible.
TEST
Usability Testing
After incorporating feedback into my high-fidelity prototype, I conducted usability testing with 7 participants to evaluate the design changes.
What Worked
Website was intuitive and easy to navigate. They also liked the color palette of the app.
Overall Flow
The page was intuitive to access by clicking the book cover. The contents of the page shows everything they wanted to know about the book.
Book Info Page
Priority Revisions
Profile “Create new list” Button
Plus button was not intuitive
Expanded to “Create a New List” button and moved it to the “Custom Reading List” section.
Replaced the plus icon with a "Create a New List" button and relocated it to the "Custom Reading List" section for improved clarity and accessibility.
Reading List Page
Buttons weren’t consistent in sizing and placement
No option to filter through the list
Replaced buttons with a pencil edit button
Added a filter
Improved page navigation by adding a filter and reducing the size of the review buttons to save space.
FINAL DESIGN
Task 1: Book Preferences Form
Task 2: Book Discovery + Write Review
Task 3: Profile + Book Review
REFLECTION
Takeaways
Designing bookSwipe taught me the importance of balancing personalization with simplicity to create an engaging book discovery experience. Through iterative testing, I refined the app’s architecture to seamlessly integrate book discovery, list management, and personalized recommendations. One challenge was ensuring the swiping interaction felt purposeful, leading to improvements in how books are organized and tracked. Research and usability testing played a key role in validating design decisions, shaping features, and improving the user flow.
Next Steps
Looking ahead, I see opportunities to incorporate social elements with friends and community and refine the recommendation system. This project reinforced my belief that great UX is about creating intuitive, meaningful interactions that keep users engaged.
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