Redesigning Goodreads

Case Study

Overview

Goodreads is one of the most widely used platforms for book tracking, reviews, and community engagement, boasting millions of users worldwide. Despite its popularity and Amazon ownership, the platform has faced longstanding criticism for its outdated interface, lack of personalization, and limited UX evolution. This case study explores the user experience of Goodreads, highlighting the friction points users encounter when navigating the platform and how these impact engagement, usability, and satisfaction.

The Problem

Goodreads’ website is very outdated and almost cluttered. As a frequent reader and user, using the digital bookshelf can be confusing for first-time users. The design is not very instinctive and could be more aesthetically pleasing also. As a frequent user and reader, I would love a more structured and informative way to store my books I have read.  There is also a frequent issue where users cannot view their friend’s reading progress and challenges.

This challenge is ensuring that users can seamlessly add their books accurately and navigate their shelves effortlessly. This project also focuses to improve the aesthetics of the interface, keeping the design simple and user-centric.

My Goals

1) Make bookshelf interface more inviting

2) Understand and fix user experience problems

3) Fix interface to add reading challenges/progress of friends

Target Audience

The target audience is all readers who may want to interact with other readers and store their own digital libraries to keep track of their books/accomplishments. This includes readers of all genres, ages, and backgrounds. It can be a good way for those who do not frequently read but are looking for ways to make it fun and less intimidating. This project aims to make the platform easy to navigate and usable for all readers.

User Research

Since this was project was done on a time crunch, I used the reviews of current/past users that critique the interface. In my findings, I found that many users feel the website is outdated and lacks user-friendly design.

  • “…takes so  much scrolling to see basic information like what other books the author has written…” -Gruselchloss (Reddit)

  • “everything is way too big, especially for a desktop. Weird how it’s the book page specifically. Putting everything in one infinite scroll column is tedious. -hlp3916 (Reddit)

  • “Switching to a different edition of a book is a little more complicated than before.” –hlp3916 (Reddit)

As an app owned by a tech giant, you would expect for the app to be designed for users and not just seemingly thrown together.

Surveys

I conducted a virtual survey of Goodreads users. The pool varied from frequent and non-frequent users.

From the results, it was concluded that:

  • Users are looking for an updated, inviting, and usable interface

  • Users who use Goodreads primarily for interacting with friends need to be able to easily find their friend’s challenges, reviews, books, etc.

  • Feature that are more commonly used should be updated and made more “exciting”

Prototyping

As part of my UX redesign process for Goodreads and discovery experience, I began with lo-fi to explore layout ideas, user flows, and organizational clarity. These wireframes helped me rapidly test and iterate concepts before committing to a higher-fidelity design.

Paper Wireframes

The paper wireframes capture my earliest layout explorations:

  • I focused on separating core functions—like “Currently Reading,” “Want to Read,” and “Finished”—to avoid visual overload.

  • I noted pain points like announcement clutter and the lack of visual hierarchy on the current Goodreads homepage.

  • Early UI elements like drop-down menus, progress indicators, and a more personalized “News” section started here.

These sketches helped me define layout priorities and envision a cleaner, calmer shelf system.

Lo-Fi Wireframes

Design Goals:

  • Make it easier to distinguish between bookshelves at a glance

  • Allow users to horizontally scroll through each shelf instead of endless vertical lists

  • Add a quick Add Book feature with category dropdown

Key Differences:

  • Clear separation of "Currently Reading", "Want to Read", and "Read" shelves with better labeling

  • Grid layout improves scannability, especially for mobile or tablet users

  • Cleaner sidebar and call-to-action area for better hierarchy

Design Goals:

  • Highlight relevant book activity (e.g., reading updates from friends)

  • Prioritize the Reading Challenge progress and allow quick access to ongoing books

  • Introduce a hero section that could feature community updates, book giveaways, or trending titles

Key Differences:

  • Reduced clutter by grouping relevant elements together (Reading Challenge, Updates, Recommendations)

  • More consistent alignment and padding for visual clarity

  • Emphasis on social proof and reader activity for engagement

Design Goals:

  • Create a clean, modern layout with better readability

  • Emphasize user reviews, genres, and related book discovery

  • Include a clear CTA for “Want to Read” and “Places to Buy”

Key Differences:

  • More intentional use of white space to reduce fatigue

  • Consolidated genre tags and edition information into one view

  • Preview of “Readers Also Enjoyed” offers visual browsing over text-heavy lists

This project is still under construction.

Feel free to explore my other projects!