Goodreads is a social platform specifically designed for book lovers. It allows users to discover, review, and track books they’ve read or want to read, and connect with a community of fellow readers. As a bibliophile, this is one of my most visited websites. However, it’s UI could benefit from some improvements. I worked on the redesign of the website by focusing on user-centered design, performance improvements, and brand alignment.
Feel free to interact with the redesigned website and play around with the redesigned mobile application!
Approach
1. Identifying the Need for Redesign
- Outdated Design: The existing design no longer reflected the company’s brand identity or current web trends.
- Poor User Experience (UX): Users reported difficulty navigating the site, finding relevant information, and interacting with key features.
- Mobile Responsiveness Issues: The site was not fully optimized for mobile devices, resulting in high bounce rates from mobile users.
2. Defining Project Goals
- Improved UX/UI Design: Create a more intuitive and visually appealing interface to enhance the overall user experience.
- Mobile Optimization: Ensure the site is fully responsive and accessible on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.
- Streamlined Content Structure: Organize content in a way that makes it easy to navigate, improving accessibility to important information.
- Performance Optimization: Reduce load times and improve site speed for better SEO and user retention.
- Modernization and Brand Alignment: Align the site’s design with current brand guidelines and industry standards, presenting a fresh, modern look.
3. Research and Analysis
The redesign started with a comprehensive analysis of the existing site. This included:
- User Feedback: Conducting surveys and analyzing user behavior data to identify pain points.
- Competitor Analysis: Studying competitors’ websites to gain insights into best practices and industry standards.
- Performance Audits: Using tools like Google Analytics to assess the site’s performance and identify areas for improvement.
4.Information Architecture (IA) and Wireframing
Based on the research, the next step was to rethink the structure of the site:
- Site Mapping: The creation of a clear and concise sitemap to define how users will navigate the site.
- Wireframes: Developing wireframes for key pages to outline the layout, structure, and placement of elements such as navigation menus, content sections, and CTAs (Call to Actions).
5. Design and Development
Once the wireframes were approved, the design phase began:
- UI/UX Design: Incorporating modern design trends, such as flat design, minimalism, and ample whitespace to improve readability. The color scheme and typography were also updated to reflect the brand’s personality.
- Mobile-First Design: Adopting a mobile-first approach, ensuring that the site was designed with mobile users in mind from the outset.
- Interactive Elements: Adding interactive elements like sliders, hover effects, and animations to enhance engagement and provide visual feedback to users.
Key Changes and Features
Several key features and improvements were implemented during the redesign:
- Improved Navigation: A simplified navigation structure with clearly labeled categories and subcategories made it easier for users to find what they were looking for.
- Enhanced User Interface (UI): Modern aesthetics with large visuals, bold fonts, and intuitive buttons created a more engaging experience.
- Mobile Optimization: The site was redesigned to be fully responsive, improving usability across devices and reducing bounce rates.
- Clear Calls to Action: Prominent CTAs were strategically placed throughout the site to guide users toward key actions, such as signing up for newsletters or making a purchase.