good
reads
Buddy Reading
Project Type:
Feature Add
Role:
Sole UX/UI Designer
Duration:
2 Weeks
Problem
Goodreads Users Want to Interact More With Other Readers
As the largest literary social media network, Goodreads is a gathering place for readers. The platform allows users to search books, track books they’ve read, connect with friends, and create “shelves” for books they’d like to read. It is one of the only online communities for people who like to read, with over 150 million registered users in 2024.
Goodreads has seen few improvements since it was established in 2007, leaving users frustrated and switching to competitors. With such an extensive network of users, there are opportunities to improve how the platform is used socially.
Solution
Goodreads Users Can Read With Friends Through Buddy Shelves and Buddy Reading
Through the addition of Buddy Shelves, users can create and share shelves with friends as a more streamlined way of sharing book suggestions and creating collaborative reading lists. User can also start a Buddy Read to read alongside a friend and share commentary and discussion while reading.
Discover
User Research
Competitive Analysis
User Personas
Define
Feature Roadmap
Site Map
User Flow
Design
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Visual Identity
UI Kit
Deliver
Prototyping
Usability Testing
Revisions
User Research
Readers want a better way to communicate with their friends or book clubs with mutual reading interests
I conducted research to understand the social needs of readers. I wanted to better understand how users were currently using the app to interact with other readers, how and where they connect with other readers outside the app, and identify social events and actions surrounding reading.
Target Users
Readers
Book Club Members
Goodreads Users or Competitor App Users
Objectives
Evaluate current social Experience
Identify Unmet Needs
Understand how readers want to interact with other readers
ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM RESPONSES
The online discussion forum was a good way to get quick insights. I discovered that while the main use of Goodreads is finding and tracking books to read, there is a want for more interaction. Many users find there to be gaps in social features like book discussions and groups.
Joy Points:
Reading other people’s reviews and questions and having a record of what is read and when
Having friends who read similar books and following what they read, their want to read lists, and their reviews
Pain Points:
Discussing a book with others who are currently reading it, accessing groups, or creating polls
No way to see books common among friends or finding likeminded readers based on books currently being read.
USER INTERVIEWS
I interviewed 5 participants who were all readers that sought out some form of connection or engagement over what they read, whether it was through book clubs, social media, or commenting on Goodreads. There are both individual social needs as well as book club needs that are not being met such as platforms for discussion, book selection, and general communication.
Competitive Analysis
Competitor Strengths include better formats for discussion with features such as read-alongs
While Goodreads is the market leader and excels at searching for books, tracking books read, and finding new books to read, competitors offer far more social features. Competitor strengths include better formats for discussion and interaction with friends. Bookclubs and Storygraph boost engagement through features like buddy reads and read-alongs.
User Personas
Despite varying personality types, readers want to interact with other readers on some level to enhance their reading experience
I decided to create 2 separate user personas given that the social needs of readers can be widespread. At a high level, the basic social need of wanting to connect is the same across the board. However, there are nuances in HOW they want to connect and in what formats. Some readers are extroverts and some are introverts, but both still want to interact. The feature designed needs to address the goals of both the more passive “organizer” and the more outgoing “commenter”.
Feature Roadmap
Mapping Insights and needs into Features
I created an affinity map to group the research results by theme, including interview quotes and forum responses. The high level themes that mererged were community, discussion, and book selection. I summarized my findings from resesarch into 3 main insights per theme. I mapped each theme into a user need to be addressed and a potential feature solution.
Insight from research
Book selection: Users rely on friends or book clubs for recommendations but selecting a book can be a difficult process
Discussion: Users want more frequent, informal discussion. The current newsfeed has liited actions and more conversation while reading is desired
Community: There is an unmet need for grouping friends with similar interests in order to see specific friends reading updates
User Need:
Track and organize books specifically for book clubs or from friends
Facilitate more frequent discussion between friends or book club members
Group friends with similar interests in order to view updates
Solution Feature:
Buddy
Shelves
Buddy
Reading
Buddy Reading
from Buddy Shelves
User Flows
Creating happy paths for each new feature aspect and use case
The user flows follow the related actions of creating a shared shelf, adding books to the shelf, and starting a buddy read. The flows were created with the current app setup in mind so as to minimize switching between tabs or adding unnecessary content.
Low Fidelity wireframes
Organizing how each new feature flow will be structured within the existing architecture with key screens
I began wireframing a few key screens to explore where the new features would live within the existing architecture. The goal was to make sure the feature additions were well integrated and didn’t feel out of place. Initial user testing revealed that users found the feature additions appealing. They felt they were consistent with the current Goodreads set up and it did not feel unfamiliar. Some minor gaps in functionality and implementation were identified. Overall, many users could envision themselves using the features and shared several examples of potential use cases.
Buddy Reading
Start a buddy read from my books and invite friends to read alongside. View friend activity and add comments in buddy read feed.
Buddy Shelves / Shared Shelves
Create a new shelf or shared shelf. Add books and view shelves by category. Invite friends to collaborate and add books.
High Fidelity Mockups
Prototyping user flows and applying UI consistent with the Goodreads visual language
Usability Testing
Test Goals
1. Observe if the user could locate the added features, create and share a shelf, and start a buddy read.
2. Evaluate if the added features are well integrated
3. Evaluate if features were located in appropriate locations and accessible
4. Resolve if added features solve initial user goals
5. Receive feedback on how features would be utilized
Test Plan
I conducted usability testing with 5 participants. I had participants complete 3 main tasks based on the user flows created for each aspect of the feature concepts.
Task 1. Participants imagined they just started a new book club and created a shared shelf for club.
Task 2: Add books to the shared shelf created in part 1.
Task 3: Start a buddy read with the book added in part 2.
Test Results
Majority of participants found the new features easy to locate, the tasks quick, easy, and intuitive to perform, and the location of the new features well integrated within the existing Goodreads ecosystem. The main source of confusion was redundancy with the create shared shelf button. Minor iterations were required.
Overall, users expressed enjoyment over the new features. Most participants would utilize the added features either for book club use, with friends, or with family in a way to make their reading habits more social and shareable. There was 100% success rate in completing the usability tasks.
Revisions
Usability Result: Users found it confusing to create a shared shelf and did not notice the difference between personal and shared shelves. Two CTA buttons perform similar actions, and scrolling to a different type of shelf is unnecessary.
Revision: I combined and created a single CTA button for creating a shelf. I created a simplified yet clear distinction between shelf types.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Conclusion
Challenges
The biggest challenge I faced was working within the existing product architecture and UI. I had to try my best to stay consistent with the current state of design. My feature had to implement good design principles while integrating into a system that did not adhere to good design principles.
Tradeoffs
I almost had to make a tradeoff between two features – shared shelves and buddy reading – but after taking them both into user testing I found that users perceived both features as working in tandem. I was able to implement both features as part of a singular user journey.
What Worked Well
Although constrained, I was able to creatively investigate new ways to solve problems and develop solutions that could exist cohesively. I had to learn not just about unmet user needs, but about current user behaviors in order to not disrupt existing user flows.