DEN | A Social Reading App
Project Overview
The ultimate solution for the lonely reader. DEN allows you to read along, ask questions, and discuss popular books with your friends.
DEN is a social reading platform, connecting users and allowing them to interact while reading their favorite content. Users can download and access all reading materials within the app.
The Problem
Book clubs and interactive reading are great, but coordinating schedules takes a lot of work. Currently, there needs to be a sufficient platform that allows users to perform in-app reading, discuss, ask questions, and create polls for their friends.
The Solution
DEN was created to treat reader loneliness. This app allows you to browse titles from the app’s bookstore, create a book club, or join a public club. From here, the user can read and leave notes within the book for their other club members. Group discussion is made easy with the DEN’s private and group messaging features.
Target Audience
People aged 16-55
Users with a Desire and an Ability to Read
Avid Readers
Teachers and Students
The Approach
The app aims to facilitate the qualities of an in-person book club. Without compromising the qualities of group reading, the app incorporates interactive features and avoids ritualistic meeting times.
My Role
All elements of this case study were performed and created by me. As the UI/UX designer, I was responsible for all stages of the design process. From Discover to Test, I carefully considered the user’s needs and potential design and research improvements.
The Design Process
Discover
Product Category: Books
Description: An app equipped for social reading. With a monthly subscription, gain access to the app’s vast reading selection and create or join user-hosted book clubs. Or, join for free and link your application to existing subscriptions.
Designate stopping points in your reading for all members, create polls for your friends, highlight, make a comment, or ask questions. Within the reading, you can share your thoughts and ideas with other members or save them for a stopping point.
What value does DEN bring?
Finding time in your busy schedules to coordinate with others can be difficult, especially if you want to meet weekly. This app combats the inconveniences of an exclusively in-person reading club. The app allows the entire book club experience to be digital and asynchronous.
The app maintains the most important qualities in any book club, connection, and reading with its numerous interactive features. Discussions can gain depth or remain casual and fun. The app’s many features can match your group’s intentions and reading style.
What does Den Add to the current market?
Interactive reading with friends: Connect with friends and family who download the app and have a shared book club code. Start your private club or join someone else’s. You can also join strangers with open clubs interested in reading the same book. Each book club has a chat room for members to discuss their reading.
Digital Library and App Extension: Browse and read from the app’s selection of books, or connect your app to subscriptions on other digital-reading applications.
Social Note-taking and Highlights: Insert comments to be viewed by other members after sentences, paragraphs, or chapters. You can also highlight passages to stand out and be viewed by other members.
No Reading Ahead: Members can opt-in to the designated stopping point feature within the app. Members choose and vote on when a new chapter becomes available. Otherwise, the chapters following a stopping point become unavailable.
Polls, Surveys, and Questions: Club members can create and insert polls, surveys, and questions at any point in the reading to interact and collect opinions from other members.
