Overview
I tackled a take-home design challenge by creating a social media platform that seamlessly merges the authenticity of a traditional in-person book club with the dynamic engagement of social media.
Problem
As an avid reader myself, I noticed a lack of digital spaces that delightfully pairs genuine social interactivity and discovering new reads aligned with my interests. Generic social media platforms can make it hard to tailor content feeds, and existing platforms tailored to readers provide a limited community-building experience.
From here I pursued a structured approach to hone my perspective on a solution - further defined key problem areas, crafted user personas and stories, executed market research, and developed wireframes and prototypes.
Target Persona
Market research
Key research questions:
Usability - what usability elements are common across popular social media platforms?
Value proposition - what unique user experiences are facilitated on current platforms designed for readers?
User Stories and Flows
Key user stories and user flows that enable users to discover and join online book communities
Register or Sign-on
User story: “As an avid book reader, I would like to create and account or sign in so that I can join virtual book clubs and be given suggested reads based on my preferences.”
Create a post
User story: “As a registered user, I would like to post content to my feed so that I can participate in discussions with other members of my book clubs.”
Engage
User story: “As a registered user, I want to search for a book title to find its virtual community, join, and participate in discussions.”
Wireframes and Protoypes
Low-fidelity designs to high-fidelity mockups of the end-to-end Bookbuddy experience - allowing users to effortlessly browse, join, post, and discuss within book communities
New user module with profile customization
Main pages
Sign-up module
Profile Page
Community Page
Clickable Prototype