Bookworm

Elevating Reader Engagement with Exclusive Content

Overview

Bookworm is an e-commerce platform that offers users an efficient way to purchase books while enjoying book-related content. I created this project to put my Google UX Design Certificate skills to the test and get some hands-on practice before diving into real-world projects.

Team

Product Designer

Project Timeline

November – December 2022

Role

User Research
Prototype
Visual Design

KPIs

+8% YoY Growth
12% conversion rate
~6% user retention

Links

View prototype ↗View final design file ↗

User Research

Exploring valuable user insights

I conducted 10 interviews between the ages of 20 and 35 of 50% book readers and 50% non-book readers to understand current app usage and uncover gaps in user interest. Users find the entertainment value of current book apps lacking, making it challenging for both groups to stay engaged.

“I like Amazon’s huge range of books, but it feels bland in terms of entertainment. Wish there’s a way to make reading interactive.”

Phoenix B. • Amazon

“Looks clean but I want options to buy physical books without switching through different websites.”

Lana S. • Apple Books

“Barnes & Noble closed their stores and prices are higher than what’s found online. Shipping is slow compared to other platforms.”

Noah R. • Barnes & Noble

“Users frustrated with current book apps due to lack of personalized features, and limited interactive elements.”

Competitive Analysis

Is The Market Sleeping on Page-Turning Potentials?

After reviewing a few online book sites, I found their visual design unappealing and overwhelming with the amount of information shown. This challenge detours users from returning back to the app as well as adapting to poor user design.

Platforms here focuses only on ebooks, paperbacks, and audiobooks, there's a many opportunity to tap into other types of book-related content.

Design Principle

HMW help users discover more value from Bookworm through author-driven engagement?

I decided to structure my design to emphasize three specific focal points, each tailored to address the distinct needs and preferences of my target audience, based on user research and competitive analysis insights.

Unique Product Offering

Attract new users with a product that redefines expectations

Simple Navigation

Intuitive experience for effortless user discovery

Boost Author-User Interaction

Strengthen connections through engaging content

End-to-End Flow

Mapping a clear, friction-free journey

I began outlining my skeleton for a high-level view of the key features to prioritize, such as home/discover, bookmarks, and book details. This approach helps pinpoint impactful areas for product placement and provides a clear reference to stay focused and targeted when making final decisions.

Holistic view of Bookworm's user journey map to pinpoint optimal areas for product placement.

Task-Focused Flow

Mapping a clear, friction-free journey

I decided to hone in on the book details flow and created Bookworm+, a premium subscription service offering early access to pre-orders, exclusive author chats, pop-up events, interviews, and signed digital NFTs. This strategy will drive significant growth for authors and elevate Bookworm's revenue.

Focused book details flow from the newly integrated Bookworm+ subscription model with premium offerings.

Exploration

Generating ideas without limits

I began brainstorming different design directions to get an overview of which areas I needed to prioritize such as high-traffic user touchpoints and optimal moments for upselling. This approach helped me generate a wide range of ideas without limiting myself to a specific design structure.

View design file ↗

Quick look of early exploration process from discovering concept, ideas, and UI to guide the trajectory of Bookworm's app layout.

Low Fidelity

A solid wireframe foundation

I landed on these low-fidelity screens cause it felt the most organized and compelling when presenting Bookworm+. This wireframe helped layout what the basic visual model will look like before implementing final touch-ups.

Quick look of early exploration process from discovering concept, ideas, and UI to guide the trajectory of Bookworm's app layout.

Design Handoff

Final designs

This handoff document includes organized final design, components, colors, typography, providing a well-organized resource for developers to reference.

View final design file ↗

Unique Product Offering

Attract new users with a product that redefines expectations

Simple Navigation

Intuitive experience for effortless user discovery

Boost Author-User Interaction

Strengthen connections through engaging content

Polished design highlights Bookworm's seamless flow, connecting authors and users through a compelling subscription offering.

Preview of the component library for quick and efficient design updates to simplify any design changes easier down the line.

Rich green primary evokes a cozy, inviting library atmosphere — deep and grounded without feeling heavy. A softer green secondary provides contrast for supporting UI surfaces. Yellow, blue, and orange tertiaries bring warmth and visual variety to graphics, illustrations, and NFT cards. Neutral grays from 90 down to 10 form the structural backbone, ensuring text, borders, and backgrounds stay readable and balanced across every screen.

Georgia for headers and titles brings a classic, reader-friendly feel. Open Sans handles sub-texts and body copy, keeping everything clean and easy to read.

Introspective

Learnings

This project was super fun to design and I don't think this app would exist without finding gaps in the market and coming up with unique and compelling offerings to put in Bookworm. I learned a lot about how to sell new features, snappy marketing moments, and upsell products to increase user retention.

Next Steps

I would like to collaborate with developers to bring this app to life. After launch, I would like to focus on adding features to boost user retention, attract non-book readers, and explore additional subscription options to draw in more subscribers.