The Novel Network
Mobile-first Responsive Website
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, finding communities has proved to be a difficult task amongst young adults.
In person book clubs have decreased and virtual book clubs have been on the rise.
How can virtual book clubs foster more community?
Timeline: August - October 2024
The Problem
Tools: Figma & Plugins
Role / Individual: UX Research, UI/UX Design
Virtual book clubs often fail to foster meaningful social connections and sustained engagement, leaving users feeling disconnected and unmotivated to participate consistently.
Research & Discovery
User Interviews
Goal: to better understand the pain points of young adult readers in virtual book clubs
Key Findings
People want to feel motivated to read.
People want to build relationships through a virtual book club
Possible Solution
I’d like to explore ways help young adult readers increase their motivation to read because lack of accountability causes book club attendees to lost interest in their communities.
Define
Who are we solving for?
Bonnie | Aspiring Book Worm
“I miss finishing a good book! I’d love to join a book club that motivated me to read more.”
Finn | Internet Friend
“It bums me out when I’m excited to discuss an exciting chapter and none of my fellow members are available.”
Understanding Bonnie & Finn
Card Sorting
Conducted an open sort exercise with 30 terms to understand user mental models and devise a sitemap that felt familiar to interact with
Key Findings
Users grouped “Preferences” “Goals” and “Personalization” under “Profile” which led me to prioritizing personalized account creation.
What will they accomplish?
Key flows to focus on:
Personalized account creation - so users can have a tailored experience based on preferences and goals
Search for and join book club - receive personalized search suggestions to get one step closer to your new book club community.
Key features:
Goal setting - Users select a reading goal and have a visual progress tracker to hold them accountable.
Book Club Buddy - A one on one connection with another member in a book club - to build relationships beyond the book.
User Flows
Task Flows
The first task flow prioritizes minimal user effort and task confirmation.
The flows for managing reading goals and joining a book club break the tasks down into manageable steps, minimizing complexity, making each task less overwhelming for the user.
This user flow provides a straightforward sign up process and tailored account personalization creation, which was a key takeaway from my research
Confirmation screens are key in these flows so users are reassured their actions were successful and provide a sense of progress.
Low-Fidelity
Personalized account sign up
Searching for a book club
Wireframes
I iterated my sketching to be more intuitive and mindful of touch points, while keeping the simplistic sign up process. I received feedback to add a progress tracker to display visual progress. Additionally, I built out some key features included in the book dashboard.
I was satisfied with my sketching when I could visualize Bonnie and Finn successfully navigating the flows; and knew I could begin wireframing.
Wireframing was key to begin building a simple and straightforward layout that would pair well with our users mental models.
Colors:
#C36F43
#F5F5DC
I chose this primary color because it encapsulates a warm, inviting energy that I wanted to evoke throughout the platform.
This secondary color compliments the orange and meets WCAG compliances.
UI Breakdown:
The product’s brand values include community, connection, learning and inclusivity. I chose a warm, naturalistic color palette to evoke a friendly atmosphere for users.
Component Library:
Additionally, I designed a comprehensive component library to maintain consistency across the platform, ensuring that all UI elements—from buttons to forms—aligned with the overall brand identity
Connecting the pieces:
Personalized account creation:
Searching for and joining book club:
Bonnie is discovering more books that according to her personal tastes and she feels accomplished in her new reading habits based on her set goals.
Finn enjoys building relationships with his Book Club Buddy and interacting with the whole group through various social features.
Usability Testing
Utilizing Figma’s rapid protoype tool to simulate the flows of creating an account, searching for a book club and updating book progress in the club dashboard. I conducted remote testing with 5 participants.
100% task completion rate across all flows
Participants found the platform easy to navigate
The clean design and warm colors were praised for creating an inviting atmosphere
What went well?
Frequent critique
Users expressed how visual feedback on actions would be helpful to know what action has been completed.
There was a functionality issue with dropdown menu during sign up flow.
Based on feedback, these are priority revisions I made:
I updated the input fields for clarity between states so the user is better aware of what completing the action looks like.
I iterated upon the language dropdown menu to match the UI of the goal setting dropdowns to maintain consistency across the platform.
I increased the spacing between genre selection buttons and radio buttons for more comfortable touchpoints.
I added a toast message when the “Request to join club” button is pressed so users know what will happen next in the book club sign up process.
What I learned…
The process of conducting research, designing and testing was overall satisfying. While there is always room for improvement, I’m proud of the product I created and it’s abilities to help my users needs.
Next, I will work on refining the features and discovering ways to make the product more intuitive. This project demonstrated the power of user-centered design in creating a virtual platform that not only meets users' functional needs but also fosters a vibrant reading community. The process has been an insightful experience in balancing functionality with user engagement, setting a strong foundation for future iterations.
