A non-sponsored re-design from a fan.
Goodreads
Project Timeline
Two months, June - July
My Role
UX & UI Designer
Researcher
Wireframer & Prototyper
The Problem
The current app looks out of date and is not easy to navigate without running into problems.
Millions of users worldwide use Goodreads as a tool to better their reading experience. However, for most it is begrudging use due to broken links, poor navigation, and very outdated user interfaces.
The Solution
Update the app's UI to the modern standard while simultaneously correcting the navigation problems and broken links.
From this...
To this.
From this...
To this.
Research
"Of 125 million users, only 50 million of those are actively interacting with the app on a monthly basis."
According to DMR, a statistics website, Goodreads struggles to maintain active user interaction on the scale of those who download the app. Their conversion rate versus their download rate is not nearly as high as it could be.
This conversion problem continues when you observe the number of books listed on the app versus the number of actual book reviews. The app definitely has users, but most who download the app don't actively use it. What could the problem be?
User Interviews
Hello!
Hi!
"The Goodreads app is such a monument in the reading community online. It's just a shame that using it feels like pulling teeth."
Though I definitely have personal experience with the issues in this app, I wanted to understand other users experiences. To do so, I conducted a series of user interviews to better form my understanding from other perspectives.
Research Questions
1
How long have you been a Goodreads user?
2
What are some issues that you typically experience in the app?
3
Do those issues ever cause you to stop your intended task due to frustration?
4
Is there something that you feel the app does especially well for your usage?
5
What things could be done with the app to give you the overall experience that you desire?
Research Insights
For most users, the issues came down to functional problems and appearance.
After my user interviews, I moved on to arranging my observational notes into an affinity diagram. A few insights popped out upon completion.
Key Themes
Appearance
Users hated the overall look and feel of the app.
Functionality
Users felt like the app didn't work the way that it should for the tasks they needed to complete.
Long Wait Times
Users did not bother to wait around for the app to work. They would leave the app if it took longer than a typically app load time.
Design
I wanted to keep the Goodreads feel while also modernizing the appearance and functionality.
When starting on the designs, I wanted to keep the nostalgia of Goodreads' color scheme and hearken to the written word. However, I also wanted to update the feel to a more modern design standard.
When shown to the users, they liked the concept but definitely needed some explanation to understand what was going on. With some basic explanation and good feedback, it was on to creating mockups and prototypes.
The Final Look & Prototypes
Once the designs were finalized, the users understood the layout and function. 99% of those interviewed and those who participated in the usability study were happier with the results than the original app. The users felt it had a more modern modern feel but kept the integrity of the original brand.
Final Thoughts & Reflections
"I realized that what I though about the design process wasn't universal. The users had better ideas and it gave me faith in the work."
This was the second design project for me after completing the Google UX Design course. I realized that I had grown in both my design abilities but also in my user study abilities as well. The insights below are the key takeaways I got from the project.
1
Users may come up with a design that is the opposite of what you think will work, but with objective reflection, it can be better than initial ideation.
2
Using nostalgia and color match to original designs while updating the feel is a good idea.
3
Nothing feels better than watching users be excited about using an old app again.
I feel proud of this project as both a fan and a user. I have been a Goodreads user off and on for about ten years. Like some of the interviewed users, I started it from watching BookTube. I felt the usability struggles even at the start but I didn't have the words to put to my feelings. Now, as an adult and a designer, it feels good to breathe life into an app that had such an impact on me. There are definitely a few things I would change, for starts I would let go of my attachment to my first designs sooner, but it feels good to have put so much passion into a project.