Connecting Readers with Kindle
Helping Kindle become the number one book club and social reading app
Timeline: Two week sprint
My Role: UX Researcher, UX Designer, UI Designer, Project Manager
Contributions: User Research, User Interviews, Competitive Analysis, Affinity Mapping, Site mapping, Design Studio, Wireframing, Sketching, Hi-Fi Prototyping
Team: Ayah Khalil, Kristina Anis, Macy Carlson, Jansen Scott
Project Brief: How can Kindle evolve into not just a reading platform, but also a space where users can share their reading progress, reflections, and connect with fellow readers?
Define
User Interview Quotes
Juliana Silva
"I want to be able to easily connect with friends and see what they’re reading "
Olivia Wilson
"I rarely read a book I don’t share"
Daniel Gallego
"With Kindle I can’t see what my friends are reading and follow them"
User Research Insights
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Users are primarily going to social media apps to connect with other book lovers (bookstagram, booktok)
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Users aren’t clear on Kindle’s branding, features it has to offer, and Kindle as a whole
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Kindle is lacking in implementing the communal feel when reading books
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Apps like bookclubs and goodreads aren’t good for allowing users to find other individual book lovers and go through the reading process with them
Main Takeaway
Book lovers want a platform to join book clubs, explore, and connect with other book lovers from across the world
Problem
Discover
Readers need a way to find new books and connect with others so that they can have an enriched reading experience
1. How might we integrate social media into book clubs?
2. How might we improve the book club experience?
3. How might we better connect book lovers?
How Might We's
User Persona
Meet Chris Miller, a fictional character we created to represent a typical user - a 28 year old software engineer who wants to find new books and connect with other readers
Solution
Create an app that combines Kindle's marketplace with features that allow users to find new books and connect with others so they can have an enriched reading experience
Design
For my Kindle case study, I designed a site map to organize the app's features, including an Explore page where users can view posts about books, purchase them, and socialize by liking or commenting. This structure helped guide my sketches, ensuring smooth navigation and a user-friendly experience.
Site Map
Initial Sketches
These early sketches for the Explore Page, Homepage, and Book Club Page laid the groundwork for the app’s layout and user flow. They focus on creating intuitive navigation and integrating shopping, reading, and social features seamlessly. Below are the initial concepts for these key screens.
Explore Page
Homepage
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Book Club Page
Final Wirefames
I focused on bringing Kindle's missing social component to the forefront. To encourage interaction, I designed an Explore page where users can connect globally, discuss books, and even purchase them directly. The Book Club Page allows users to explore what the book club members are currently reading and interact with other members.This addresses the key issue: book lovers want a more social, meaningful reading experience.
Home Page
The homepage connects users to current and suggested book clubs, making it easy to join with a single click.
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Explore Page
To encourage interaction, I designed an Explore page where users can connect globally, discuss books, and even purchase them directly.
Book Club Page
The Book Club Page allows users to explore what the book club members are currently reading and interact with other members. This addresses the key issue: book lovers want a more social, meaningful reading experience.