Changing the way readers connect

Incorporating a feature into the kindle app

Enhancing Kindle’s social experience by integrating real-time discussions.

Duration: Approx. 90 hours

Role: UX/UI Designer

Intro

Relaying on external platforms is not the way to go

Background:

The Kindle app, developed by Amazon, is a widely used platform for digital reading, allowing users to access eBooks, digital magazines, and newspapers across multiple devices. With over 1.5 million monthly active users (Statista, 2023), Kindle is a leader in the digital reading space. However, despite its extensive library and accessibility, Kindle lacks built-in social features that allow readers to engage with each other beyond simple highlights and notes.

Problem:

Many readers enjoy discussing books, sharing insights, and participating in reading challenges. However, Kindle users currently rely on external platforms such as Goodreads, Reddit, and Discord for these interactions, leading to a fragmented experience. Research from the Pew Research Center (2021) shows that 43% of U.S. adults who read books engage in discussions about them, yet Kindle does not offer a dedicated space for these conversations.

With this in mind I wondered how might we help Kindle users feel more connected?

1

Research

Process

2

Ideation

3

Design

Research

Benchmark

Seeing what is out there in the digital reading arena:

Interviews & Affinity Mapping

Seems like everybody is missing the chapter where they get to connect and share:

I interviewed 6 people who are passionate about reading to help me understand their habits, preferences, motivations and frustrations, and this is what I learned:

“I love the convenience of Kindle and Audible, but Kindle feels too solitary, I wish there were more ways to connect with other readers.”

-Mohammed

From all the insights I was able to gather and sorting everything with affinity mapping I noticed that users there is a clear demand for more real-time discussions and reading challenges, but users also want these features to be flexible and unobtrusive to avoid clutter. Sharing annotations and insights, particularly for non-fiction, is also a common wish, as well as better book recommendations tailored to personal interests. Users value a simple, customizable interface to maintain focus while reading. Overall, users want more interactive features without compromising simplicity or creating notification overload.

User Persona

Problem Statement & HMW

I focused on on 3 different competitors for this secondary research:

Google Play Books offers a vast library with seamless integration into Google’s ecosystem, making it a great choice for general readers, though it lacks a subscription model and community-driven features. Kobo Books caters to avid readers with diverse file support, an international presence, and a subscription option through Kobo Plus, but it has a smaller title selection and limited community engagement. Meanwhile, Wattpad stands out as a social storytelling platform that nurtures aspiring writers and young readers, though its open nature leads to varying content quality and a less traditional eBook experience.

“Book clubs keep me motivated, but online reading communities often feel impersonal, I want something that makes discussions feel deeper and more engaging.”

-Fernanda

“I love the flexibility of Kindle, but I wish I could have structured discussions without feeling overwhelmed like I do on Goodreads.”

-Melanie

Encompassing my insights into one user persona:

Esther Rivera’s persona captures key themes from all interview participants by balancing reading habits, social engagement, and usability concerns. She enjoys fiction for relaxation and values the ability to engage with other people about current reads. Her frustration with disorganized reading communities aligns with the preference for smaller, more personal discussions over large, impersonal groups. She also shares concerns about cluttered interfaces and notification overload, highlighting the need for a clean, customizable reading experience. Esther’s desire for flexible reading challenges and spontaneous discussions represents the broader user need for engagement without disruption, making her a well-rounded reflection of participant insights.

Locating the problem and how might we solve it

Kindle users often find the reading experience isolating due to the lack of built-in discussion features. Many prefer small, intimate communities over large, overwhelming groups but struggle to find a space that fosters meaningful book discussions.

So… How might we create a simple and engaging way for Esther to connect with others in small, intimate reading communities?

Ideation

The Solution

A social spin on Kindle…

The solution I came up with enhances Kindle’s social experience by integrating real-time discussions in a way that fosters engagement without overwhelming users. Readers can join topic-based conversations and interact with shared posts, creating a collaborative yet non-intrusive reading experience. To prevent the disorganization issues seen in platforms like Goodreads, the design prioritizes clarity, ease of use, and manageable group interactions, ensuring discussions remain meaningful. Additionally, customizable notifications allow users to stay connected without feeling bombarded, striking a balance between social engagement and Kindle’s signature seamless reading experience.

User & Task Flows

Showing how users will be able to experience reading communities

#1 Finding a community for ongoing read “Mistborn” (USER FLOW):

#2 Leaving a comment on a post (TASK FLOW):

Low Fidelity

I chose 2 tasks that directly address the issue of isolation in the Kindle reading experience and the need for simple, intimate community engagement.

  1. User Flow: Finding a community for an ongoing read ("Mistborn") - ensures that users can easily discover and join small, focused reading groups tailored to their interests. This aligns with the insight that readers prefer intimate discussions over large, overwhelming groups and need an intuitive way to connect with like-minded individuals.

  2. Task Flow: Leaving a comment on a post - tests how seamlessly users can engage in discussions once they’ve joined a community. Since participants emphasized the importance of simplicity in social features, this task helps evaluate whether the commenting process feels natural and unobtrusive, ensuring that engagement enhances rather than disrupts the reading experience.

Visualizing the Social Reading Experience

Finding a Community for an Ongoing Read ("Mistborn")

  • Option 1: I sketched two different entry points for this task:
    a) Using the search function to quickly look up a specific community.
    b) Navigating through a new "Community" tab in the bottom navigation bar, which provides a browsing experience for users who prefer to explore rather than search directly.

  • Option 2: This dual approach ensures that users with different browsing habits can seamlessly find and join reading groups, addressing the issue of Kindle feeling isolating and making community engagement more intuitive.

My sketches are based on the two key flows I identified: finding a reading community and leaving a comment on a post:

Leaving a Comment on a Post

  • My sketches for this flow focus on ensuring a simple and unobtrusive commenting experience, aligning with the need for intimate but easy-to-use discussion features.

  • I included a clear comment button and an intuitive input field to keep the process minimalist and distraction-free, preventing feature overload while still fostering engagement.

Design

High Fidelity

Following Kindle’s established design patterns to showcase how the Community feature fits seamlessly into the app

Option 1: Using the search engine

Option 2: Using the “communities” option on the bottom navigation bar

User Testing

Getting positive responses to the prototype and only needing minor tweaks

Since this project focuses on enhancing Kindle’s functionality rather than redesigning its interface, I worked within Kindle’s existing UI style to ensure a cohesive experience. Instead of developing a separate UI kit or branding, I followed Kindle’s established design patterns, typography, and color scheme to maintain visual consistency and minimize disruption to the user experience.

The high-fidelity screens showcase how the Community feature fits seamlessly into the app, using intuitive navigation and familiar UI elements. The new "Community" tab in the bottom navigation bar aligns with Kindle’s existing structure, while the search and comment functionalities are designed to blend naturally into the reading experience. These screens emphasize simplicity, ensuring that the feature enhances engagement without overwhelming the user or cluttering the interface.

#1 Finding a community for ongoing read “Mistborn” (USER FLOW):

#2 Leaving a comment on a post (TASK FLOW):

1. Plan:

Evaluate the usability of the new reading groups feature on the Kindle app. Specifically, assess how effectively users can navigate and engage with community features, such as finding relevant communities and interacting with posts.

Task Flows:

  1. Locate the “Allomancers’ Hub” reading community for the book Mistborn.

  2. Engage with a post where a user shares their fanart within the “Allomancers’ Hub” community.

Metrics for Success:

  • Completion of each task without assistance

  • Time taken to complete tasks (6min max)

  • Number and types of errors encountered

  • User’s confidence and ease with the feature

2. Results:

While task completion times varied slightly among participants, all tasks were completed within the estimated time frame. Participants generally found the feature intuitive; however, minor accessibility issues were noted:

  • Three participants experienced some difficulty interacting with the "comment" icon, noting that its small size may be contributing to the challenge.

  • Additionally, one participant suggested displaying the number of likes and comments on each post

3. Next steps:

Upon reviewing the “comment” icon size, I found it measures 14px by 14px, which falls below the recommended minimum standard. To improve touch accuracy and ensure accessibility for a consistent user experience, I will increase the icon size to 16px by 16px in line with standard icon size guidelines.

  1. After analyzing the participant’s feedback on displaying the number of likes and comments, I will be adding the amount to each post since this can aid users in understanding which posts have more community engagement, potentially enhancing the relevance and interest of posts within the user’s experience.

Iterations

Final prototype

At last… the final results

#1 Finding a community for ongoing read “Mistborn” using the search engine

#1 Finding a community for ongoing read “Mistborn” using the bottom navigation menu

#2 Leaving a comment on a post

Reflection

From a Solo Journey to a Shared Experience

This project aimed to bridge the gap between solitary reading and social engagement within the Kindle app by introducing a Community feature. Through user research, affinity mapping, and usability testing, it became clear that readers desired a way to discuss books in smaller, more intimate groups without overwhelming notifications or a cluttered interface.

By designing an intuitive community discovery and discussion experience, I ensured that users could seamlessly find and engage with reading groups while maintaining the minimalist and distraction-free nature of Kindle. Balancing usability and simplicity was key to making the feature feel like a natural extension of the app rather than an intrusive addition.

This project reinforced the importance of user-centered design, especially when integrating new features into an existing platform. If I were to continue refining this concept, I would conduct further long-term usability testing to assess engagement and iterate based on user feedback. Overall, this case study deepened my understanding of social UX design and the challenges of creating features that enhance, rather than disrupt, an established digital experience.