Project Overview
The Concept
Novelume is a conceptual mobile app designed to redefine how readers access and engage with literature in the digital age. The platform offers a vast public domain library of fictional and non-fictional works, allowing users to explore, discover, and read without restriction. Novelume emphasizes personalization, enabling readers to tailor every aspect of their experience, from interface themes and typography to curated reading journeys and progress insights. The goal is to create an immersive, user-centered reading environment that bridges accessibility with aesthetic delight, transforming everyday reading into a deeply engaging, individual experience.
Project Statement
Many existing digital reading platforms prioritize content quantity over quality of experience, offering limited personalization and uninspired interfaces that fail to meet diverse reader needs. Users seeking an enriching reading experience, whether for study, research, or leisure, often struggle to find intuitive ways to organize, track, and enjoy their reading journeys in one cohesive space. Novelume addresses this gap by creating a seamless, user-centered environment that adapts to individual goals and habits. Through distinct hubs for learning and leisure reading, the app empowers users to switch between focused study and relaxed exploration, curating a reading experience that is both personalized and deeply engaging.
Design Challenge
How will we design a digital reading experience that caters equally to focused learners and casual readers, while fostering personalization, accessibility, and meaningful engagement? Novelume seeks to bridge the gap between functionality and pleasure by developing an interface that adapts to different reading moods and goals, whether users are engaging with educational material or enjoying recreational exploration.
Success Metrics
Users can easily switch between learning and leisure modes with clear visual distinction and intuitive navigation.
Personalization features (themes, typography, reading goals, and recommendations) enhance time spent reading and reduce cognitive fatigue.
The app fosters consistent engagement through curated reading journeys, progress tracking, and smart recommendations.
Accessibility and usability scores improve across key user segments (students, casual readers, and researchers).
Positive perception of Novelume as an enjoyable, inspiring, and reliable reading environment.
KPIs
User retention rate: Percentage of users returning to the app weekly and monthly.
Average reading session length: Indicates depth of engagement per user.
Personalization adoption rate: Percentage of users customizing their reading interface or preferences.
Switch rate between hubs: Frequency of transitions between Learning and Leisure Hubs to measure balance and usability.
Completion rate: Percentage of users finishing books or reading goals within a set time frame.
Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measures overall user satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the app.
Target Audience
Students and Researchers: Individuals seeking accessible academic resources, note-taking tools, and reading organization for study purposes within the Learning Hub.
Casual Readers: Users who enjoy exploring novels, poetry, and short stories for relaxation and entertainment in the Leisure Hub.
Lifelong Learners: Adults looking to expand their knowledge across subjects through a curated selection of public domain non-fiction works.
Educators and Tutors: Teachers or mentors using public domain literature as part of lesson planning or guided reading activities.
Minimalist Readers: Users who value focused, distraction-free reading experiences without ads or social features.
Accessibility-Focused Users: Readers who rely on adjustable fonts, audio narration, or dark mode for optimal reading comfort.
research and discovery
| Competitor | Target Market | Book Genre Focus | User Experience | App |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libby (by OverDrive) | Library patrons, budget-conscious readers, students | All genres (dependent on local library collections) | Simple, functional interface; borrowing system with waitlists; basic customization (fonts, backgrounds) | iOS, Android |
| Project Gutenberg | Classic literature enthusiasts, researchers, academic users | Classic literature, historical texts, public domain works | Minimal design; text-focused; outdated interface; limited mobile experience; no tracking or personalization | Web-based (no dedicated app) |
| Kindle (Amazon) | General readers, book buyers, device ecosystem users | All genres (commercial focus) | Polished, device-integrated experience; strong annotation and sync features; focused on paid content | iOS, Android, Kindle devices |
| Wattpad | Young adult readers, aspiring writers, fiction fans | Romance, fantasy, young adult fiction, user-generated content | Social-first platform; community engagement tools; reading lists and commenting features; ad-supported | iOS, Android, Web |
| Scribd | Subscription readers, audiobook listeners, professionals seeking diverse content | All genres plus magazines, articles, and academic papers | Curated recommendations; sleek design; combined eBooks, audiobooks, and articles; subscription paywall | iOS, Android, Web |
Reader Behaviour Research
At the core of every successful library app lies a genuine understanding of its users. For this open-source library, the first step is to explore the world of today’s readers and how they discover, access, and engage with content. The aim of this research is to move beyond assumptions and uncover real behaviors, needs, and motivations, creating a foundation for an intuitive and compelling user experience.
Primary Objective
To uncover the nuanced behaviors, motivations, and preferences that shape the modern digital reading experience, identifying key trends and habits that will inform a truly intuitive and user-centered app design.
"Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves." Steve Jobs
Research Questions
Motivation: What are the primary goals and motivations driving users to read digitally?
Discovery: How do users currently discover new books or content, and what factors are most influential in their decisions?
Contextual Habits: How do reading behaviors and session patterns differ when reading for leisure versus for academic or professional purposes?
Interaction: What are the most common in-app behaviors beyond simply turning pages
Essential Tools: Which features are considered essential, and in what context are they used most?
Pain Points & Gaps: What are the most significant frustrations users experience with current reading apps, and what unmet needs or desired functionalities are missing?
User Expectations: Do users of open-source software have different expectations regarding customization, data privacy, community involvement, or transparency in a library app?
Trends and Takeaways
These are the most critical, actionable insights that should serve as guiding principles for the project.
Design for Two Modes: "Study" and "Focus." The most prominent finding is the split between active and immersive reading. The app's core design should reflect this. Consider a "Study Mode" where tools like highlighting and note-taking are front and center, and a "Focus Mode" where the UI melts away, providing a clean, distraction-free reading pane for leisure.
Master the Fundamentals First. Before adding innovative features, the app must excel at the basics. This means:
Rock-solid reliability: Notes and reading position must sync perfectly.
Flawless typography: The reading experience must be beautiful and comfortable out of the box.
Intuitive organization: Users must be able to easily manage their library.
Lean into the "Classic Literature" Niche. This is the app's unique value proposition. Instead of just providing the text, the app should be the best possible experience for reading classics. This means directly addressing user-mentioned pain points and opportunities:
Solve poetry formatting issues, a key frustration for academic users.
Provide contextual helpers, such as character bios, historical notes, or glossaries for archaic language, a desire expressed by multiple user groups.
Showcase the book's history with original cover art or manuscript scans to appeal to aesthetically-focused readers.
Prioritize Customization and Control. Users want to make the experience their own. Research showed a desire to create custom shelves for organization, integrate with external productivity tools, and, most universally, control the text's appearance. Giving users robust control will be a key differentiator.
