

Overview
Booksy is a cozy digital space designed for modern readers who want to quickly discover books they’ll love — without endless scrolling or cluttered interfaces. This project began with a broad brief and turned into a focused exploration of book discovery and personal library building, shaped by real reader needs.
From competitive research to usability testing, every step aimed to answer one question:
How can I make discovering books feel simple, intuitive, and joyful?
My Role
UI/UX Designer — I led the end-to-end design process including user research, competitive analysis, wireframing, UI design, prototyping, and usability testing.
Duration
Sept - Nov 2024
Tools Used
Figma, FigJam, Notion, Miro
Booksy App design
Personal project
10 min read


Design
Process

Target users
The Reader Spectrum
My deep dive into internet rabbit holes helped me spot patterns, behaviors, and types of book lovers.
I did some secondary research on quora and reddit on various book reading topics to find out my target users. The most helpful was - https://www.quora.com/What-do-people-who-are-avid-readers-have-in-common
I'm the biggest glutton of books amongst my friends and I read about 20-30 books a year. My second runner up friend reads about 10. Any other friends I have usually read 1-3 books a year.
I am the only avid reader in my friend group and at work (and I still "only" read 50-70 books a year. A few of my friends are in a monthly book club, so read 10-12 books per year. Many of my coworkers enjoy reading, but don't go out of their way to read and/or are picky about the books they do read and will read 10-15 books per year.

User quotes
User groups
From the research, I identified two main user groups.
Avid Readers
Read 20-70+ books per year
56% are women, primarily aged 25-44
Open to various genres, motivated by curiosity, learning, and the desire to be informed and entertained
Sometimes introverted, prefer reading at home
Often read in the evening or night on tablet/ mobile
Often have a stack of unread books (online/offline) indicating they have a high consumption rate.
Casual Readers
Read 1-15 books per year
Pick up books when they have time, not overly selective
More likely to read for relaxation or entertainment when the opportunity arises.
Primary age group: 25-44 years old (similar to avid readers, as they often read to relax or during commutes).
Secondary Age Group: 45-60+ years old (people in this age group may read less than they used to, as stated in the research, but still enjoy reading occasionally, especially during free time or for relaxation).
I picked these two groups because they engage with books differently.
Avid readers are the most obvious target due to their passion and high reading frequency, making them more likely to actively use and contribute to the app. Casual readers, on the other hand, are a wider group who might use the app to find new books or swap ones they’ve finished.
The challenge
I used a project brief I found very exciting-
"Design an online place where people can know everything about books and novels and can also exchange books with other users".
So since the project brief was quite vague, I asked myself:
Why would someone want a dedicated space to discover books?
What difficulties would people face when searching for books or finding people to exchange with?
And more importantly — is book exchange the real need here, or is it something else?
As someone who’s grown up reading everything from Wimpy Kid to YA fantasy, I understand how exciting yet frustrating it can be to scroll endlessly trying to find the right book. Readers often don’t have friends with similar tastes to get recommendations from, and most apps feel more like databases than cozy libraries.
That’s when I realized — instead of trying to solve everything (like book discovery and exchange), I’d focus on the most meaningful part: helping users quickly discover books they love and track their reading journey with ease.
This case study focuses on designing that discovery experience — one that feels personal, simple, and joyful.
The goal

Project aim
Make it easy and fun for users to discover books based on their mood, genre preferences, and interests.
Design a user-friendly way to add books to a personal library.
Reduce decision fatigue with a smart quiz and smooth filtering features.

Business goals & OKRs:
Improve engagement by making users want to come back regularly.
Increase the number of books added to a user’s library per session.
Enhance user satisfaction and ease of use through a minimal, intuitive design.

Scope constraints
I chose not to build the book exchange feature in this phase.
My goal was to design an MVP prototype focused on book discovery and library features.
The user flow was tested with a working Figma prototype.
User Flow
From these exercises and using my research, I made a rough user flow of booksy.


Done in a cute way <3
User research
Key Findings from user research
From these user posts, it’s clear that readers face a lot of frustration when it comes to discovering new books. Many struggle with choosing what to read next, especially when waiting for the next book in a series.
A lot of people are tired of books that go viral on TikTok or feel like they’re just popular because of hype—they want something that genuinely matches their taste.
Others mentioned how hard it is to trust ratings or recommendations, because they often suggest the same kind of books and don’t always match what the reader is looking for.




*Scribbled out the usernames for privacy
Basically, people want more personal, reliable, and diverse recommendations that feel tailored to them, not just based on what’s trending.
Competitive analysis
I explored a lot of online forums and reader communities to understand what apps book lovers use the most. The names that came up again and again were GoodReads, StoryGraph, Bookly and LibraryThing.
My main goal for this analysis was to figure out:
How easy it is to discover new books and how well these apps help in tracking reading lists, progress, and goals.


What the users are saying



Designing with Empathy: The Tools That Guided Me

With a clear target audience and the pain points in mind, I created a persona based on an avid reader—someone who reads regularly but struggles to find recommendations they actually vibe with. Creating this persona helped me humanize the problem and constantly ask: “Would this feature actually help them?” It also clarified what kind of solution I should design—something cozy, smart, and personal.
Making It Personal: Who Am I Designing For?

Creating user stories helped me turn Ananya’s big reading goals into small, actionable needs. I wasn’t planning to write seven stories, but once I started thinking like her, they just kept flowing. Oops!
I sat down and began jotting every thought, frustration, and desire she might have as a reader. What started as a simple empathy exercise quickly turned into a list of real, relatable moments—each one giving me insight into her world.
This step helped me truly understand how a reader like Ananya feels, thinks, and acts. Honestly, slipping into someone else’s shoes isn’t easy... but it’s exactly what guided the heart of my design.
Zooming In: What Do They Really Want?

Main story
As an avid reader with a busy schedule, I want to quickly discover new books that match my reading preferences, so that I can save time and maximize my reading without endless searching.
As a book enthusiast, I want to exchange book recommendations with my friends, so that I can explore new genres and broaden my reading experience through trusted suggestions.
I chose the most distinct user story and created a customer journey map to pinpoint Ananya's pain points.
This is where I identified key pain points, like algorithm fatigue, too many similar books, or apps feeling like spreadsheets. These insights directly informed which features I prioritized in the design—like better discovery tags and mood-based recommendations.
Seeing the Frustrations Firsthand

These 3 tools were my guideposts.
The persona gave me focus, the user stories gave me direction, and the journey map helped me identify the right problems to solve.
Define
Understanding the struggle and setting a goal to solve it meaningfully.
Problem Statement
Ananya is an avid reader with a busy schedule who needs a quick way to find new books because she doesn’t want to spend too much time researching and risk missing her daily reading goals.
Goal Statement
Our book discovery app will let users discover new books quickly and easily which will affect avid readers with a busy schedule by personalized recommendations and more filter options ensuring they meet their daily reading goals. We will measure effectiveness by tracking how frequently users find new books and meet their reading goals within the app.
Ideation techniques I Explored
I made a series of “How Might We” questions and then also tried crazy eights.
Ps:I tried everything the traditional way to really get into that booky feel!


Prototyping
Ideation 1: initial concept and Mid-fi prototype design
Using the most relevant HMW questions,
I brainstormed possible features to add to booksy.
Before diving into user testing, I translated my research insights and “How Might We” questions into concrete features. I sketched rough ideas and refined them into mid-fidelity wireframes using Figma. My focus was on building a minimal, testable version of the app with core flows like book discovery, filters, quiz-based search, and saving books to the library.
Core Features of booksy
Every feature was built to match my audience’s reading goals, moods, and habits.
Advanced Discovery Quiz
To help users find books they’d actually love, I designed a short quiz that personalizes recommendations based on preferences like genre, mood, pacing, book length, and ratings. The experience feels more like a fun conversation than a filter-heavy search.
Mood-Based & Genre-Based Discovery
On the Discover page, users can explore books based on how they feel—whether they’re happy, sad, or just vibing. They can also choose by genre, supported by filters like popularity, reader rating, or format. No more endless scrolling, just curated comfort.
Reading Goals and Progress Tracking
Users can set a daily reading goal and track their weekly progress. A gentle nudge appears when they miss a day—encouraging consistency while keeping things low-pressure.
Rewards & Gamification
When users hit their reading streaks, they earn fun badges—adding a light layer of motivation and delight. It’s a small touch that turns reading into a habit loop.
Shareable Collections
Users can group books into personal collection and share them with friends.
Usability testing
Designing is guessing—until you test.
So I rolled up my sleeves and watched real book lovers interact with my prototype.
Methodology
I conducted an online moderated usability test with 5 participants. Each participant was assigned a set of common tasks. I encouraged them to speak aloud and share their honest thoughts throughout the process.
Research plan
To dig deeper, I had a full research plan in place—complete with clear goals, research questions, and KPIs. I wanted to see how intuitive the filters felt, how confident users were while saving a book, and where they got stuck.
System usability scale (SUS)
After the session, participants filled out a 10-question SUS survey to rate the app’s usability. It gave me a clear score to back up the feedback and pinpoint what needed improvement.
This usability round gave me clarity, direction, and empathy—and shaped how the final product evolved.
Task 1
Open the app and go to the screen where you would find new books to read, apply filters and complete the process.
Task 2
Now, go back to the "Discover" screen and try out the "Advanced Search" option. Complete the quiz and continue to the next screen.
Task 3
Select a book and navigate to the next screen.
Task 4
Find a way to add the book to your library and confirm.
Turning Feedback into Themes
I grouped user responses by common patterns to uncover what really mattered.

D: Since it's a reading app, include a dark mode
Dark mode

C: Add a dark theme

A: “I actually liked the process, if I have to search/find things out too much it gets annoying”
Search options

B:“This moods part is doing nothing as it basically seems like the same thing, but just an extra step”

A: Participant was searching near the share button, for an icon which would let you add the book to library

B:“I was confused as to why are they asking for both mood and genres as they are both similar”

D: “If you want to search for a popular author maybe you can add the keywords”

C: add popular books which are trending
Mood & genres

B:“There should be an option which marks 'completed' when you have read a book"

C: Offline mode to read books

A: “Make your collections shareable to friends"

B:Participant thinks a dropdown menu for choosing genres would make more sense to him

D: “I would add more genres in the filters"

B:“like you can add sub genres in the second one of genres from the chosen moods"

A: “There are a lot of options so it would be helpful in narrowing down search options”
Feature suggestions
Genres and filters
UI design
Bringing insights to life while building the high-fidelity prototype
Based on my user's goals and motivations I built a visual design system.
After gathering usability insights, I didn’t go back to tweak the mid-fi screens—instead, I brought those learnings directly into the high-fidelity UI as I built it.
Color Palette
For choosing my color palette, I kept various things in mind such as efficiency, personalization, motivation and a friendly and inviting interface that feels like a cozy library or a reading corner. So I chose a brown shade which was a perfect mix of energy and coziness.
The typography system ensures readability while adding a modern, friendly tone. Every decision—from spacing to icon style—was made to enhance focus, motivation, and ease of navigation.
This wasn’t just about making the app look good. It was about crafting a space where readers feel supported, comfortable, and excited to open the app every single day.

Final Screens
A) Top Feature: Advanced book discovery quiz
Through research, I learned that many users feel overwhelmed when choosing what to read next. So, I designed an intelligent quiz feature to simplify book discovery and reduce decision fatigue.
Users answer a few thoughtful questions, and Booksy finds the right book for them. Behind the scenes, these choices directly influence the book recommendations they see next—creating a sense of personalization and delight right from the start.
Smart, fast, and emotionally aware—this quiz became the heart of the discovery flow.

B) Advanced book discovery quiz: Iterating based on usability feedback
Insight
Users found the Mood and Genre filters too similar and unclear during the Advanced Search quiz. Many thought it felt like an extra step.

What I changed
Now, based on the moods selected by the user, relevant sub-genres automatically appear on the next screen.



Home Page
The home page shows trending books of the week and curated book collections based on different moods and themes, helping users explore and discover new reading options easily.
Discover
The discover screen lets you find books that match your current mood—whether you're feeling happy, sad, stressed, or romantic. You can also explore by genre like mystery, thriller, and more, making the experience personal and intuitive.


Filters
The filters screen helps narrow down your search by letting you choose your preferred language, favorite genres, ideal book length, release date range, and minimum ratings—so you find exactly what you’re in the mood to read.
My Library
Your library is your personal reading hub—track your daily reading goals and view weekly progress at a glance.
Organize books into collections and customize your favorite tags to get tailored recommendations.
The daily goal acts as a gentle nudge, motivating users to return more often and build consistent reading habits.
Users also unlock badges after completing a full week of reading, adding a rewarding layer to their progress.

Book Details
The book details screen gives you everything you need at a glance—read the book’s description, explore user reviews, and check its genres. You can see where it’s available to read, browse more books by the same author, and discover similar titles that other readers enjoyed.

Other
Screens
Dark Mode
Dark Mode: More than a trend
From testing results, almost all of my participants wanted a dark mode.
So, I implemented a full dark mode - not just for looks, but as a core part of the user experience.









Interactive prototype
Lessons learned & Next steps
Designing for Joy, Learning from Friction
This project taught me the importance of doing thorough research with real users before jumping into design. Understanding people’s reading habits, frustrations, and motivations early on gave direction and depth to every design decision I made. Whether it was through sticky notes, interviews, or usability testing, listening to real users helped me design with clarity, empathy, and purpose.
What I learned:
Listening to users is the most valuable design tool.
Even small friction points can affect the reading experience.
Storytelling through design makes a product more memorable and human.
Next steps:
Test the high-fidelity prototype with a broader group of users.
Explore adding social reading features like buddy reads or discussion spaces.
Continue refining the recommendation system using actual reader data.
This isn’t the end—just the beginning of building a better book discovery journey.