Goodreads App Redesign
Goodreads, owned by Amazon, is the world’s largest website and app for book lovers and those looking for book suggestions. Users can sign up for free and log their reading progress as well as keep track of books they would like to read. Users can also review books they’ve read and comment on the reviews left by other people. Users can become friends on the platform and message each other. Goodreads provides reading summaries for users at the end of the year, including number of books read, total number of pages etc, which is an enjoyable feature for users. It is a great space for book lovers, however the app is very different to the website. The website has more features giving users a better experience, such as unfollowing users or comparing books with a friend to see how much you have in common with their reading habits. The app is limited in features and often crashes, making it less user friendly than the website. Using the app can be a frustrating experience for book lovers. This project helps me and other book lovers to see a platform that we love transform into something more functional and user friendly.
OVERVIEW
THE PROBLEM
Having completed a survey on peoples’ experiences of Goodreads, it came to my attention that there are several problems with the app. Many users found the app frustrating to use because of the lack of features that are only available on the website. As someone who has used the app for over 5 years, I have witnessed very few minor changes with the app. While there are some benefits to this, it is an outdated app that has room for improvements. It is not the most user-friendly app, however it does have the potential to be an enjoyable experience for users and this is a problem I wanted to solve.
The goal of the user is to have a more enjoyable experience on the Goodreads app.
The business goal is to provide a user experience that is more accessible and can be enjoyed by users on both the website and app.
GOALS
In order to further understand peoples’ thoughts about the Goodreads app, I created a survey using Google Forms. I designed questions that weren’t biassed in order to ensure that I received honest reviews. This enabled me to create a new design that would improve user experience. I uploaded the survey to my social media pages and received 19 random, anonymous responses. The survey was available for people to complete for 3 days, and once it was closed I began analysing the data to explore what people thought about the Goodreads app. This research was a crucial part of the project as it led my design in the right direction, keeping the user in mind.
RESEARCH
Having analysed the research, I created a new design that was more modern and aesthetically pleasing, always keeping the user in mind. I did not want to completely redesign the app, so I kept the same colours and fonts. Some features that I redesigned include the reviews section and the homepage in order to make them more user friendly. The design creates a seamless transition between different pages on the app, which improves the user’s experience.
SOLUTION
With this new design, users can experience the app in a new and improved way. Users can now give half star ratings, add filters to their homepage and add time updates on audiobooks automatically. Each of these added or upgraded features contributes to an improved user experience. The user can now enjoy navigating the app in an easy manner and can benefit from the new features.
RESULTS
