Goodreads Project

The Redesign of Goodreads App and Website.

My Role: UX/UI Design & Researcher - CASE STUDY

Project Dates : 11/2024 - 3/2024

Project Overview

Objective:

The goal of this project is to redesign the Goodreads app and website to modernize its navigation and interface.

Why? :

Goodreads struggles to meet the expectations of modern book enthusiasts due to its outdated interface, clunky navigation and lack of social features.

Goodreads needs a redesign to modernize its outdated interface and navigation, making it a more appealing and functional platform for today’s book community. With the surge in book-related content, particularly through the rise of TikTok's "Booktok" and the growing popularity of reading since the pandemic, there’s a unique opportunity for Goodreads to become the go-to platform for book enthusiasts. Additionally, with Twitter's rebrand to "X" and its controversial changes causing many users to leave, there’s a gap in the market for a widely-used, text-based social media platform where the book community can connect. While Instagram and TikTok cater to photo and video content, Goodreads is uniquely positioned to cater to readers who prefer text-based interactions—fostering meaningful conversations, book discussions, and reviews. A redesign would allow Goodreads to capitalize on this moment, improving its user experience to establish itself as the ultimate online hub for book lovers. text goes here
Goodreads is falling short in meeting the needs of modern book enthusiasts due to its outdated interface, unintuitive navigation, and limited social features. Despite the growing popularity of book-related communities, such as "Booktok" on TikTok, Goodreads has not adapted to provide a seamless and engaging user experience for readers who want to connect through meaningful discussions, share insights, and engage in text-based conversations. The lack of modern design and community-driven features prevents Goodreads from fully leveraging its potential as the go-to platform for book lovers, leaving a gap in the market for a dynamic, reader-centric social hub. Without addressing these issues, Goodreads risks being overshadowed by more innovative platforms and losing its position as a staple in the online reading community. text goes here

Research

Modernizing Goodreads is key to unlocking its potential as a vibrant, user-centric platform for book lovers.

Goal

To understand the needs, frustrations, and preferences of Goodreads users and book enthusiasts while identifying key usability issues and interaction patterns on similar platforms. This will ensure the redesign aligns with user expectations and fosters a more engaging, user-friendly experience.

Research Methods

For this project, I utilized several research methods, including a public online survey aimed at Goodreads users and avid readers, in-depth user interviews with Goodreads users and readers from online communities, and competitive analysis research to evaluate similar platforms.

Goodreads leads with a strong user base and impressive numbers, but falls behind in user experience and community engagement. Competitors highlight what it’s missing: connection, clarity, and a modern, socially-driven design.

Competitor Analysis

Direct Competitor Research

User App Reviews - Most users think the app has an immense amount of potential but falls flat with its dated and cluttered UI and could use more convenient features .

“This app has been great for keeping me on track with what I want to read. However, this app is NOT user-friendly. It is not easy to find friends, groups... also people & authors I want to follow. This app really has SO MUCH potential, but it falls flat. I will continue to use it , but I wish I could do all the things book related with it. ”

— Amanda Cain - Google Play Review

“Overall, I think this is a decent app for tracking your reading progress (though by no means the only one in this category). The process of finding a book, adding it to your shelf, tracking its progress, and leaving a review is simple and easy. it’s when you spend a little more time on it that I think it could use improvement...”

— The ink wyrm - Apple App Store Review

Goodreads has the advantage of being far more established than its direct competitors and needs to hone in on that advantage by updating its UI, implementing more modern features and create an interactive community.

Findings

Insights

Strong Concept, Weak Execution: Users love Goodreads for book tracking but are frustrated by its usability and lack of engaging features, highlighting a missed opportunity to enhance user satisfaction.

Untapped Potential: With a much larger user base than competitors, Goodreads could leverage its numbers to build a more dynamic and engaging community.
Need for Personalization: Modern users expect tailored recommendations and mood-based discovery, especially casual readers seeking quick, relevant suggestions.
Demand for Social Tools: Improved features like private reviews, enhanced profiles, and group interactions could foster stronger connections and loyalty.
Community Engagement Matters: Better tools for sharing thoughts and participating in discussions would transform Goodreads into a more vibrant and interactive platform.

Pain Points

Outdated Design: Users find the interface outdated and navigation clunky, making it hard to track books or discover new ones.

Overwhelming for Casual Readers: A cluttered layout and unintuitive design discourage deeper engagement.
Generic Recommendations: Suggestions lack personalization, often showing repetitive or irrelevant options.
Limited Discoverability Tools: Missing robust filtering and sorting for TBR lists, genres, and author pages frustrates users.
Weak Social Features: Users struggle to connect meaningfully due to outdated social tools, especially compared to platforms like Letterboxd or TikTok.

User Personas

The “Avid Reader” (Book Tracker and Reviewer)

The “Casual Book Lover” (Discoverer and Social Reader)

Wireframe Sketches

I sketched out the main pages for the redesigned app and brainstormed some ideas.

This will be the foundation I will build off of when creating my Flow chart and Lo-Fi Wireframes .

Lo-Fi Wireframes

High Fidelity

INTENDED IMPACT

Final Reflections

This project taught me how to approach UX research and design with more creativity, resourcefulness, and attention to detail, especially as a solo designer managing limited time and tools.

What I learned—and what I’d do differently next time:

Getting Creative with Research:
I initially struggled to gather enough survey participants, but adapted by analyzing app store reviews to pull real user insights—something I’ll remember for future projects with limited access.
Image & Asset Quality:
I want to better understand how to save and export high-quality visuals and graphs, especially when working with limited tools or platforms.
Prototyping Polish:
Small layout and spacing tweaks in my mobile mockups made me realize how important precise alignment and scale are when designing for real devices.
Time Management & Consistency:
This self-initiated project took longer than planned due to work and school priorities. In the future, I’d like to dedicate more consistent time to personal projects to keep up my creative momentum.