UX - App Feature - Book Club — Ben Bullock

Book Club - Mobile App Feature

UX Design Case Study | Student Project - DesignLab
Role | UX/UI Designer, Graphic Designer, Researcher
Duration | 12 weeks

Book Club for Audible's mobile app lets users share their favorite audio content with friends and family, sparking discussions, discovery of new content, and increased engagement within the Audible app.

I designed the Book Club feature to seamlessly integrate with Audible's existing user interface, creating a cohesive and engaging experience. The project deliverables included high-fidelity design frames and an interactive prototype showcasing core functionalities.

Research

I conducted a comprehensive analysis of audio content platforms through competitive analysis, user interviews, and surveys to understand user behavior and social sharing habits. This research informed the development of a new Book Club feature for Audible to enhance user engagement.

Research Objectives

Analyze the design, function of the current Audible Mobile app and identify common design patterns and features of existing websites and apps in this space (Competitive Analysis)
Understand how users consume and engage with their audio content (User Interviews)
Determine users interest in sharing recommendations, experiences and audio content with peers via a mobile app (User Survey)

Competitive Analysis

Many apps today focus specificially on music, podcasts, audiobooks, and even ebooks, while others offer a range of diverse content. In this analysis, I was interested in digital products that primarily offered audiobooks and podcasts. Competitors in this space and those my respondents used most often were Audible, Spotify, Apple Books/Podcasts, Scribd, and Libby.

All platforms examined offer vast content libraries and exclusive titles, but lack robust social features. While they provide essential functionalities like sleep timers and bookmarking, opportunities to engage with friends are limited to sharing external links. This gap in social interaction presents a significant opportunity for increased user engagement. A Book Club feature could differentiate Audible and foster a stronger community among listeners.

Spotify Sharing Options

Apple Books Sharing Options

Libby Sharing Options

While platforms offered essential features such as sleep timers and bookmarking, they lacked fundamental social functionalities. Sharing recommendations, libraries, or wishlists with friends, or even connecting profiles within the app, were notably absent. This oversight represents a missed opportunity to enhance user engagement and build a stronger community.

User Interviews & Surveys

I found that a significant portion (82%) of users interviewed consume both audiobooks and podcasts. Their choice depends on the activity they're engaged in. Podcasts are preferred for multitasking due to their shorter length, while audiobooks are favored for focused listening during relaxation time. Interestingly, road trips emerged as a popular scenario for shared listening experiences, where users reported enjoying the content even more when actively engaging with others.

My research also revealed a strong desire for social interaction around users' audio content. A high number of respondents expressed interest in joining or creating book clubs, highlighting the appeal of a community aspect. Additionally, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family played a big role in how users discovered new content.

These findings suggest significant opportunities for a Book Club feature within the existing Audible app. It can foster a community by enabling users to connect with others who share their listening interests. The feature can also enhance content discovery by facilitating recommendations and discussions within groups. Ultimately, a Book Club feature has the potential to boost user engagement and loyalty by providing a platform for social interaction and shared experiences.

I compiled these results and interview notes into an Affinity Map to guide me and help determine exactly how a Book Club feature should function.  Consolidating the feedback also helped align my design goals, making sure I was addressing the most important needs of my potential users.

Research Takeaways

Users get more enjoyment from content when they connect over it with friends and family.

By giving users more ways to engage with and share their audio entertainment, they will engage with the app more and get more out of that content.

The Book Club experience should be as similar to an in-person club as possible to maximize impact and engagement.

The app needs to be more than just a messageboard. Users need to see the club members faces, be able to react in real time to comments and posts, and feel like they are engaged with each other's experiences, not just their own.

Users are more likely to listen to a piece of audio content when recommended by their friends and family.

Having users connect and share over audiobooks and podcasts will expose them to more content than they may otherwise have, potentially increasing sales and revenue for Audible and driving the business case for adding this feature.

Define

Having completed my research, I needed to define exactly what problems the Book Club feature would solve for users. I developed key POV statements to  understand the state of mind of my potential users, and then created several “How Might We” questions to focus the design into solvable problems. Next, a thorough analysis of Audible's branding and visual design ensured the Book Club feature aligned with the app's aesthetic and functionality.

POV Statements

I’d like to explore ways to replicate and enhance the traditional book club experience within a mobile application.
I’d like to explore ways to help users bond with their communities over new and interesting content, and spark conversations and new discoveries within the Audible app.

HMW Questions

How might we help people get the maximum enjoyment from their listening experience within the Audible mobile app?
How might we provide a platform for users to easily engage in conversation and discussion over their favorite audio content?
How might we empower users to build a unique and custom listening experience for their friends and family?
How might we encourage users to explore new content and make new discoveries they are excited to share with their community?

User Personas

Now, having outlined some of the main questions I need to answer for my users, I wanted to understand the why of people’s desire to engage over the audio content they were consuming. One of the best ways to do this was to develop some personas and help build empathy with potential users. I chose to represent users who referred different content (audiobooks vs podcasts) and also had different reasons and motivations for wanting to connect.

Feature Set

Next, I began developing a list of features and components that could help users meet their goals.To define how a Book Club feature could help users meet their goals within the Audible app, I broke out the possible features and functions into categories of: Listening, Discussing, and Sharing. I further broke these out into essential and nonessential groups for delivering a minimum viable product. I worked with my mentor to sort through the list of features, developing some additional ideas and giving the app a clear direction.

MVP Features

User Flows

Organizing the ideas in this manner helped me get a bird’s eye view of the “Book Club”, and I now had a solid understanding of the new feature’s potential. I was now ready to identify and define the essential task and users flows for the MVP. The four users flows were: Create a Book Club, Select a Title, Invite Members, Start a Discussion.

Visual Analysis & Design

To seamlessly integrate the new Book Club feature into the Audible app, I analyzed the existing visual design system. The app’s clean and intuitive interface served as a blueprint for maintaining consistency. By deconstructing the app’s layout through screenshots and grid overlays, I established a foundation for designing new screens that align with Audible’s established visual language.

To accurately design new elements for the Book Club feature, I meticulously analyzed the existing Audible interface, focusing on specific components such as menus, buttons, call-to-actions, icons, and typography. By closely examining screenshots, I ensured pixel-perfect consistency between the new designs and the overall app aesthetic.

Develop

With a defined feature set and a thorough understanding of Audible’s design system, I initiated the wireframing process. The challenge was to seamlessly integrate new elements into the existing visual framework. To achieve this, I reverse-engineered existing designs, identifying components that could be adapted or repurposed for the Book Club feature.

Initial Wireframe Sketches

I began by sketching out the new frames based on my user flows, determining how the new screens could fit within the exisiting app structure, and what the essential elements were to allow users to complete their tasks.

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

After defining the Book Club feature's functionality, I focused on creating a visually cohesive design within the Audible app. By analyzing existing UI elements and design patterns, I established a foundation for the new screens. The initial low-fidelity wireframes closely aligned with the final high-fidelity designs, demonstrating the effectiveness of building upon the established visual language.

High-Fidelity Wireframes

After further restructuring and refining of my low-mid fidelity wireframes, I was ready to make them fit the look and feel of the Audible app experience. Having high quality screenshots to reference was very helpful in getting the wireframes to this next stage, and once locked in, I began to work through the prototype actions and settings to make it really come to life.

Audible Home

Book Club List - Empty

New Discussion Post

Create a Club

Book Club List - Filled

Audible - Book Club CTA

Book Club Home

Discussions Home

Prototype & Testing

With the key user flows in mind, I began linking all the screens to make the prototype interactice. I conducted 4 live testing sessions with potential users of the new Audible Book Club feature. While observing them over zoom, I gave them four tasks to perform: Create a New Club, Select a Title, Invite Members, Create a New Post

Testing Results

The usability of the new app feature is solid.  Users were able to complete all the user tasks without any issues or confusion.  The app functioned as the users expected it to, even users who were new to audible found the new feature and its screens navigable and clear.  Testing demonstrated that the concept of a Book Club feature in Audible has potential to increase engagement with the app and content, while providing users a unique experience that other competitors do not.

Visual/UI Design of the screens is good; users felt the design fit in well with existing Audible visual system and that helped to make clear their next steps. The prototype was clean and felt intuitive to the users, no hiccups when trying to complete their tasks.

Revisions & Next Steps

Some users mentioned was wanting to see more attention called to the new Book Club feature. I made several adjustments to address this feedback. To highlight the book club, I added a full width banner ad on the main home page, I also modify the design of the club CTA buttons, both in size and design to grab users’ attention.  The revised final frames came together quickly, and I am very proud of the final results. 

Overall, testing went well and demonstrated that users could engage with the new feature and complete their tasks. I’ll make a few additional adjustments to the app prototype to better define the users next steps and improve the visual clarity of the final screens.

Conclusion

This project was a fun challenge. Figuring out how to add something totally new to an app that already looked great was tricky. I had to really dive into Audible's style to make sure my ideas fit right in. It took some time to come up with the Book Club idea, but once I did, it felt like a perfect match for Audible.

While the initial concept development was exploratory, the subsequent design process emphasized a deep understanding of Audible's visual identity. By maintaining an overview of the process before delving into specifics, I effectively aligned the Book Club feature with the core app experience. This project showcases my ability to analyze, adapt, and create design solutions that seamlessly integrate within established brand guidelines.

Book Club Final Frames

Below are the final screens for the Audible Book Club feature. The frames fit well with the Audible app’s UI and the new features seemless blend within the existing screens.  Users were asked whether they would use this digital product in the future if it were to be built and 100% responded they would absolutely create or join a Book Club on Audible.

Audible Home