[Case 03]
Reimagining discovery, tracking, and community for readers
Social Reading Platform Redesign
Goodreads
Reading, Tracking & Discovery Platform
[Project Overview]
This project explores a redesign of Goodreads, a platform where readers track books, write reviews, and connect with other readers. While Goodreads has a strong community and a large book collection, the current experience feels cluttered and difficult to navigate. This redesign focuses on creating a clearer, more engaging interface that supports book discovery, reading progress tracking, and community interaction, while also giving the social and personal-tracking sides of the app more defined, separate spaces.
[Problem Statement]
The current Goodreads interface feels cluttered and overwhelming, making it difficult for users to understand the purpose of each page. Key actions are often unclear due to the high amount of information presented, and weak visual hierarchy makes important features hard to scan for. This redesign aims to make the platform more intuitive by reducing clutter and prioritizing core actions, like discovering books, finding people to follow, and tracking reading progress, while also creating a stronger connection between Goodreads' social features and its book-tracking tools.
[Industry]
Social Reading Platform Redesign
[My Role]
Product Designer
[Platforms]
Web
[Timeline]
Feb 2026 - March 2026
[Deliverables]
High Fidelity Web Prototype
UX Case Study Report
Component Library
[Persona]
Mia Alvarez
[Marketing Coordinator]
Mia is an avid reader who uses Goodreads to track what she's read, discover new titles, and stay connected to a community of fellow readers. She doesn't belong to an in-person book club, so the app is her main way to talk about books and find recommendations she can trust.
Age: 27
Location: Austin, TX
Tech Proficiency: Moderate
Gender: Female
[Goal]
Easily track her reading progress and keep up with her yearly reading challenge.
Discover new books through trustworthy recommendations from people she follows, not just ads or generic bestseller lists.
Share her thoughts on books and connect with a community of readers who share her taste.
[Frustrations]
The current interface feels dense and cluttered, making it hard to quickly find what she's looking for.
Key actions, like updating her reading progress or finding new books, aren't clearly prioritized on the page.
Ads and unrelated content compete for attention, making the platform feel spammy rather than reading focused.
[Process]
[01] UX Research
Conducted a competitive and heuristic analysis of Goodreads to surface usability gaps
Used AI tools to speed up early research and information gathering
Cross-referenced and reviewed findings for accuracy rather than validating through live user testing
[02] Insights
Identified that the dense, ad-heavy layout was competing for attention, making the platform feel less intuitive than competitors like StoryGraph
Found that core actions like tracking reading progress or finding books weren't visually prioritized, forcing users to search rather than recognize key features
Recognized that the design lacked a strong visual connection to reading culture, relying mainly on book covers rather than a cohesive reading-inspired identity
[03] Design Solution
Restructured page layouts to declutter the interface and reduce ad prominence, improving focus on core content
Strengthened CTA hierarchy with clearer placement, color, and iconography to prioritize key actions like tracking and discovery
Introduced a cohesive visual identity, grid system, and reading-inspired imagery to connect the design more clearly to books and reading culture
[04] Testing & Iteration
Progressed through low, mid, and high fidelity prototypes across weekly feedback rounds to validate layout and hierarchy decisions
Refined visual design and functionality based on recurring feedback, adjusting CTA placement, iconography, and page structure
Used competitive and heuristic analysis to identify usability gaps early, informing design decisions before high fidelity iteration
[Outcome]
Delivered a high fidelity prototype covering Explore, Library, and Social Feed/Profile pages, demonstrating a decluttered, more intuitive redesign of core user flows
Established a clearer visual and interaction hierarchy, making key actions like tracking progress and discovering books easier to find and use
Built a stronger visual identity connected to reading and books, moving the design away from a generic layout toward one rooted in reading culture
[Key Learning]
Defined spaces are more usable
Separating personal book tracking and searching from the social feed made both feel more purposeful instead of competing for the same attention
Hierarchy is what makes decluttering actually work
Removing visual noise wasn't enough on its own. CTAs, icons, and content needed a clear priority order for the interface to actually feel easier to use
Clarity and personality can coexist, but only with restraint
The challenge was adding a reading-inspired visual identity without tipping back into the clutter I was trying to remove