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Goodreads
A modernized and easy-to-use website for book lovers!
Project Vision
I have been using Goodreads for five years. I have realized that the current website is not user-friendly. Its target audience is young readers, but the current UI is not enjoyable or appealing to them. So, it's time for Goodreads to acknowledge user expectations.
What I did
  • UX/UI Design
  • Interaction Design
  • UX Research
Timeline
  • August 2021
  • 2 Weeks

Problem Statements
  • The current UI is pretty basic and boring.
  • It is difficult to reply to other users.
  • There are too many menus that lead to entirely different screens for minute tasks.

EMPATHIZE & DEFINE
For this project, my target audience constituted young readers and Millenials. I wanted to understand what type of interface young people expect when they visit a website. So, for the research, I talked to five avid readers to document their needs.
IDEATE
After understanding user needs, I produced some ideas to address the problem statements.
Solutions
  • Making the interface aesthetically pleasing is a priority while targeting young users.
  • An option to quickly reply to comments.
  • Reducing the number of menu tabs and building all the options around the Home page. This will make sure every feature is easy-to-access.

PROTOTYPE
Current Website

My Redesign

    • To tackle user frustrations, I utilized the already existing 3-column layout of the website and removed the top navigation bar.


    • The current recommendation page has an out-dated and hard-to-navigate layout so I simplified the filter menus and redesigned the UI.


    • I took away the spreadsheet-like layout from this page to modernize the look and make it easier to navigate.


    • One of the most frustrating elements of the current website is replying to a comment. I added a + button so users can easily leave a reply.


Takeaways
As an avid reader, this project helped me connect with other book lovers and explore different user needs within the same generation of people. This redesign makes the website usable and enjoyable while keeping the existing brand identity intact.