Bookify.
Read more. Earn more. Together.
Role
Researcher, Designer
Year
2020
Type
UX/UI, Mobile Application
Context
Concept Project
Why This Matters
Most reading apps lose casual readers within the first month. Not because the content is bad, but because there is nothing pulling them back.
Bookify's reward program changed that. Usability testing showed strong positive response to the Read Along feature, with users calling it genuinely motivating in a way existing apps had not achieved. Built from real interviews with avid and casual readers, the program introduced social reading, multi-platform point redemption, and community-driven earning, things Kindle and Google Play Books simply don't offer.
The result is a loyalty system that makes reading feel less like a solo habit and more like something worth showing up for.
Objective
Bookify had a strong content library. What it lacked was a reason for casual readers to keep coming back. This project set out to design a reward program that felt native to the reading experience, not bolted on, giving users meaningful incentives tied directly to how and how much they read.
Goals
- Give users a compelling reason to choose Bookify over other free reading apps
- Build lasting reading habits through structured, rewarding engagement
- Create a long-term loyalty program that deepens over time
Process
The project followed a five-step framework: Observe, Define, Ideate, Design, and Validate.
Step 1
Observe
Step 2
Define
Step 3
Ideate
Step 4
Design
Step 5
Validate
Observe
User Interviews
I interviewed seven co-workers and friends who are avid readers. The goal was to understand their digital reading behaviors, what motivated them to open a reading app, and what they expected from a rewards experience.
User Profile
Ages 20 to 40, tech-savvy, regularly use mobile devices, Kindles, or reading apps.
Key Takeaways
- Why people read digitally: access to reviews before buying, convenience of always having books on hand, avoiding carrying physical books, and personal growth.
- When people read: commuting, during work breaks, before sleep, when bored.
- What they expect from rewards: flexible programs similar to shopping or travel apps, redeemable on platforms they already use.
User Challenges
- • Casual readers struggle to find motivation to start and continue reading
- • Hard to pick up where they left off after a break
- • Existing reward programs feel generic and disconnected from the reading experience itself
Define
Personas
Research surfaced two distinct reader types. Engaged Readers with clear preferences who rely on summaries and reviews before choosing a book. And Casual Readers who follow popular trends and read what others around them are reading.
I chose to focus on the Casual Reader. They represented the majority of interview participants and the highest drop-off risk, making them the most important segment to design for.
Hypotheses
- H1
A social reading feature called Read Along will increase engagement among Casual Readers by letting them read with friends globally, track each other's progress, and earn points together. Seeing a friend's progress creates a pull to open the app that passive content alone cannot.
- H2
Offering multiple ways to earn points will keep users engaged longer. Reading, quizzes, referrals, reading to visually impaired individuals, and donating physical books each tap into different motivations, making the program feel personal rather than transactional.
Ideate
Concept Model
I used concept modeling to map how the reward system would interconnect across reading behaviors, social features, and redemption pathways. Multiple iterations were made before landing on a structure that felt coherent and scalable.
Lo-Fi Wireframes
Early ideas and flows were explored through paper sketches to test structure before committing to screens.
Design
My Points Screen
A central hub showing total points earned, performance milestones, and a breakdown of earning activity.
- Points overview card with a summary of lifetime earnings, redeemed points, and a quick link to claim rewards
- Performance tracking covering total reading time and audio summaries consumed, both tied to milestone rewards
- Earn points section covering all available earning methods
Ways to Earn
Read Along
Invite friends to read the same book, track each other's progress in real time, leave notes at chapters, set deadlines, and earn points for staying ahead.
Play Quiz
Compete with friends on books you have read and earn points for winning.
Refer
Earn points by bringing new users to Bookify.
Read to the Visually Impaired
Find a nearby NGO and read aloud from Bookify. Users appear on a public leaderboard, making it a social recognition moment as much as a giving one.
Donate Physical Books
Find nearby NGOs to donate books and earn points in return.
Read Along Screen
The flagship social feature. Users can invite friends via a shareable code, track real-time reading progress, receive nudges when a friend moves ahead, and leave notes at any chapter. A deadline feature keeps the group accountable and motivated.
Rewards Screen
Users can redeem points across books, apparel, food, and entertainment. Redemption is not locked to Bookify content, which was a key ask from research. Large offer cards with product imagery and strong copy make the experience feel closer to a shopping app than a typical loyalty screen.
Help Screen
A control center style overlay explaining how to earn points, the value of points, and how to claim rewards. Accessible via a persistent icon on the rewards screen.
Offer Screen
Full offer detail including terms, points required, expiry, and a one-tap claim action.
Points Earned Screen
A confirmation screen shown after earning points through any activity, reinforcing the reward loop and encouraging repeat behavior.
Test
Validation
I conducted usability testing with ten users matching the target profile. They interacted with a clickable prototype covering the Read Along feature and the points earning flow.
✅ What worked well:
The social dimension of Read Along resonated strongly. Users found it genuinely motivating, not gimmicky. The breadth of redemption options, especially outside of books, was called out as a key differentiator.
🚧 What needed refinement:
Navigation within the rewards section needed clearer signposting. Instructions on how points are earned and what they are worth needed to be more visible earlier in the experience.
Outcomes and Reflection
The reward program addressed the core problem: casual readers have no structural reason to return. By tying points to social behavior, personal milestones, and community contribution, Bookify created multiple return triggers that existing competitors had not explored.
- 1
What I would do differently: the Read Along feature deserved its own design sprint. It tested as the strongest concept but was designed in parallel with everything else. Given its impact on retention potential, it warranted deeper exploration of edge cases, notification design, and group dynamics.
- 2
A future iteration should also explore how the leaderboard and community features could surface more prominently, since social proof was one of the strongest motivators uncovered in research.