Roles
Duration
Tools
Sole UX/UI Designer
75 hours
Figma, FigJam
Overview
As a lifelong book lover, I was excited to finally try the Kindle over the holidays. It quickly rekindled my passion for reading. But while the device delivered on its promise of immersive, distraction-free reading, I noticed something missing: connection. I wanted an easy and organic way to share highlights, track goals, and discuss books with friends, without picking up my phone or juggling third-party apps.
Challenge
External Tracking Disrupts the Reading Flow
Kindle lacks integrated tools for tracking, reflection, and shared engagement, pushing users to break their focus by turning to external apps. Having to reach for book tracker apps on my phone to monitor my reading progress or set goals completely undermined the Kindle's core benefit of providing a distraction-free sanctuary for reading. It felt counterintuitive to pull myself back into the digital noise just to manage my reading life.
Solution
Crafting a Connected and Motivating Reading Journey
Introducing Book Buddies, a seamlessly integrated feature designed to enhance your Kindle reading experience by fostering connection, tracking progress, enabling goal setting, and facilitating shared insights. Imagine having your own virtual book club right within your Kindle. Book Buddies aims to bridge the gap between the solitary joy of reading and the desire to share and engage with others.
01
Read Together
Create or join "Buddy Circles" to read books simultaneously with others, fostering a shared experience remotely
02
Set Reading Goals
Set individual or group monthly reading goals within Buddies Circles, with group progress tracking available
03
Integrated Note Sharing
Highlight text and jot thoughts, then share these in-context notes with Book Buddies for discussion without leaving the book
Research
I analyzed Goodreads, Boox, Rakuten Kobo, and The StoryGraph to see what reading data and analytics they offer users. I looked at the types of insights, tracking detail, personalized recommendations, and data visualization in each app to compare their approaches.
Existing solutions fall into two camps, social vs data-focused, but none offer seamless, in-device reading engagement for Kindle users.
Key insights:
Social vs. Data Insights: Goodreads emphasizes social interaction, The StoryGraph provides detailed data insights, while Boox and Kobo offer basic, integrated tracking
Integrated UX Advantage: The built-in tracking of Boox and Kobo offers a more seamless user experience compared to standalone apps
Despite Amazon's ownership of Goodreads, a deeply integrated social reading and tracking experience within the Kindle device itself is notably absent
Interviews
What do readers really want from a connected reading experience?
I conducted interviews with 5 users who read regularly and have used or currently own a Kindle. It highlighted diverse reading tastes and habits. While some actively track progress with multiple apps, others don't, though interest in reading speed exists. Kindle is loved for focus and portability, despite some interface gripes, and undisturbed bedtime reading is a key plus. Sharing reading for connection was also important to many. See my full affinity map here.
Here’s what was mentioned most frequently:
Users value seeing their reading progress, speed, and goals—it helps build habits and a sense of achievement
There’s strong interest in social features like shared reading, book clubs, and challenges to feel connected and stay inspired
Users want any new features to feel seamless and intuitive, without disrupting Kindle’s clean, focused interface
Ideate
Personas
Based on user interviews, I identified two primary user personas: the Casual Reader and the Avid Reader. My analysis revealed distinct focuses and goals that shape their reading experiences.
Storyboards
To truly empathize with how Book Buddies could fit into their lives, I also developed storyboards for both the Casual Reader and the Avid Reader. These visual stories helped me step into their shoes, illustrating their individual reading habits and revealing the specific contexts and motivations that would drive their interaction with this new feature.
User Flows
Following the development of user personas and storyboards, I then mapped out the user flows for the core Book Buddies features. This involved detailing the steps a user would take to initiate a reading buddy invitation, engage in chat and note/comment sharing, and participate in setting and tracking shared reading goals.
Design
Sketches
Holding my Kindle as a constant reference during the initial sketching phase was really helpful. My main goal with the lo-fi designs was to ensure that the new Book Buddies features would feel like a natural extension of the existing Kindle interface, seamlessly blending in with the familiar layout.
Homepage
Chat & Comments
Shared Goals
Mid-Fidelity
Putting my mid-fi Book Buddies screens in front of users revealed a generally smooth flow for sending invites, but the chat and note-sharing features felt a bit clunky and unclear for some. Setting up shared reading goals also caused some confusion regarding group progress.
Hi-Fidelity
Testing
To really see how Book Buddies would land with readers, I ran a usability test with 5 individuals and my main goal was to get a firsthand look at how intuitive and appealing the key sharing features felt to them. I asked them to try out:
Send a reading invitation
View a friend's highlight and leave note
Set Up a Shared Reading Goal
Use In-Chapter Chat
View Prototype
Results
Sharing is Caring!
What Worked
It was really encouraging to see how much testers connected with the idea of sharing thoughts through notes and working towards reading goals together. Getting those initial invites sent out felt easy for everyone, which was a great sign.
What Confused Users
The distinction between "note" and "all notes" was confusing for some users
The function of the "See More" button was not immediately obvious
Testers wanted more granular goal options (e.g., by chapter or page)
Users still preferred external messaging apps over the in-app chat
Iterations
Listening to User Feedback
Originally, I included a chat feature, but removed it due to Kindle’s technical limitations. In follow-up testing, users also shared they’d rather chat on their phones if needed—making the feature unnecessary on the device. This let me focus on more impactful, Kindle-native interactions.
Iteration 01:
Notes
Iteration 02:
Currently Reading Page
Iteration 03:
Adding Goals
Final Thoughts
Reflection
This project started with a personal frustration and turned into one of the most meaningful design challenges I’ve worked on. As someone who genuinely loves reading, I felt connected to the problem and motivated to improve the experience for others like me.
Designing Book Buddies taught me how to introduce new features without compromising the core experience. I had to constantly ask myself what belonged in a distraction-free environment and what would feel like unnecessary noise. Small decisions, like how to share notes or track goals, became opportunities to practice thoughtful restraint.
I learned to lean on user feedback, iterate with purpose, and design within tight boundaries. More importantly, I gained a deeper appreciation for simplicity and focus in product design. The best features are the ones that feel natural, like they were always part of the experience.
Next steps:
Conduct follow-up research on reader communication preferences
Collaborate with developers to understand implementation constraints
Explore potential integrations with Goodreads to build on existing networks
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Until next time~
katrinaicruz@gmail.com ✽ LinkedIn