PocketBook Reader is a free mobile app for reading all formats (books, magazines, textbooks, comic books, etc.) and listening to audiobooks! The application supports 26 book and audio formats, including mobi, epub, fb2, cbz, cbr. Read without ads and with total comfort!
Company
PocketBook
Product
Mobile Application
Year
2021
Role
Senior UI/UX Designer
The app’s outdated interface, inconsistent visuals, and fragmented user flows created friction in the user experience. Navigating between screens felt disjointed, and the lack of UI uniformity often led to user confusion and reduced engagement.
To elevate the product experience, I redesigned the app’s user interface and optimized the overall UX. My focus was on creating a clean, modern design aligned with current design standards, while ensuring visual and functional consistency across all screens. This resulted in a more intuitive, seamless experience that enhanced user familiarity and usability across the platform.
User Problems
No quick access to search and another layouts
Icons and texts are too thin
Colors are not contrast enough
Business Problems
Didn`t retain users
Didn`t make a profit
Old Design
New Design
I conducted video interviews with business analysts, decision-makers, platform users, external designers, and internal stakeholders to uncover usability challenges.
To guide the conversations, a focused interview outline was developed, targeting navigation struggles, data interpretation, and overall user experience. Open-ended questions encouraged participants to share detailed insights into their daily interactions with the platform and the difficulties they faced.
Live screen-sharing sessions were also observed, revealing exactly where users encountered frustrations and providing critical input for the redesign.
Old Design
Sofia
Interviewer #1
"The app's homepage is cluttered and confusing. It's overwhelming to find new books I want to buy. A cleaner and more organized main page would greatly enhance my experience. Looking forward to a improvements that simplifies navigation!"
Michael
Interviewer #2
"I really enjoy using PocketBook for my reading, but I'm concerned about losing my annotations and reading progress. It would be great if the app could provide a reliable backup feature to ensure that my valuable notes and progress are always saved."
David
Interviewer #3
"No where at all so I see a list of books to choose from....I tried the search... got nothing at all. I see no where to choose a book or a genre. If you're going to have an app where people are supposed to be able to choose a book to read
It didn’t clearly explain the product’s value. Many users felt lost or unsure where to go next.
Navigation Pain Points:
Difficult to interact with the app effectively. Inconvenience finding books and getting accurate recommendations.
Customisation Pain Points:
Limitations in settings and customisation. The need for easy to find settings and a dark mode.
Trust Pain Points:
Lack of confidence in the app's stability and fear of losing their reading progress and annotations.
To better understand user needs, I created detailed personas using interviews, surveys, and behavioral data. The primary persona is a knowledge-focused professional who values annotations, bookmarks, and progress tracking in a distraction-free environment.
A secondary persona is a casual reader who expects smooth navigation and quick search during occasional purchases. These personas guided my feature priorities and ensured the redesign addressed real user pain points.
Anastasia is a passionate book enthusiast who loves exploring different genres and authors. She enjoys reading during her daily commute and in free time.
Anastasia prefers using reading applications on her phone due to their convenience and portability. She values having a vast library of books on her phone.
"It disappoints me when a reading application has a limited selection of books, especially in specific genres I love."
"I fear to lose my annotations and reading progress cause the app doesn't have reliable backup and synchronisation options."
Christopher is a casual reader who enjoys reading during his lunch breaks and before going to bed.He primarily reads fiction and non-fiction books for leisure and personal development. Christopher prefers using reading applications on his phone as it allows him to carry multiple books conveniently.
"I get frustrated when the app's recommendation system doesn't align with my reading preferences, resulting in irrelevant book suggestions."
"I fear that the app may not respect my privacy and personal data and concerned about how my reading preferences are being used or shared."
Based on interviews and surveys I have chosen 4 most used mobile banking apps and analysed them, compared their features, interaction, accessability, visual design, brand identity.
User Interviews:
Understanding User Pain Points
I conducted video interviews with business analysts, decision-makers, platform users, outside designers, and internal stakeholders to identify usability challenges.
I prepared a focused interview guide covering navigation struggles, data interpretation, and overall user experience. By asking open-ended questions, I gained insight into how users interacted with the platform daily and where they faced difficulties.
I also observed live screen-sharing sessions, which helped me see exactly where users got stuck or frustrated, providing key insights for the redesign.
The insights I got from interviews led me up to personas, which helped to empathize with users
After identifying key pain points in the reading experience, I created digital wireframes to explore design improvements focused on navigation, accessibility, and customization.
A clickable prototype was then built to test core user flows and validate the updated structure. This user-centered approach helped guide the next design iterations with real feedback.
The book card was redesigned to solve key visibility and layout issues that made browsing harder. A larger cover, cleaner spacing, and clearer hierarchy help users recognize titles instantly and grasp essential details at a glance.
Typography, colors, and button placement were refined to create a more balanced, readable layout. With information reorganized and actions emphasized, users can review book details and make purchase decisions faster and with more confidence.
Improvements
New book cover desing
Refined typography and colors
Updated button layouts
Restructured book information
User Problems
Book cover is small
Poor space management
Text is barely visible
Across all screen sizes, the interface adapts intelligently to maintain clarity, balance, and readability. With seamless device-to-device transitions, users can start reading on mobile and continue on tablet or desktop without losing their place or breaking visual consistency.
Each breakpoint was carefully designed so that typography, controls, and interactive elements scale naturally, keeping navigation effortless and the layout uncluttered. Whether on a compact phone or a large monitor, the experience remains cohesive and comfortable.
Device Detection
Difficult to interact with the app effectively. Inconvenience finding books and getting accurate recommendations.
Content Prioritization
Lack of confidence in the app's stability and fear of losing their reading progress and annotations.
The core journey was refined to make searching and purchasing a book feel effortless. A clear structure, consistent navigation patterns, and well-timed cues guide users from the bookstore to checkout without friction.
Book Store
Categories
Category Page
Book Page
Download
I introduced a clear, accessible layout for book metadata and bookmarking, helping users quickly navigate and resume reading. The comments section now supports inline previews and color-coded highlights for better context and visual clarity.
Customisation tools were grouped logically to ensure distraction-free reading, while the voiceover settings allow seamless switching between languages and fine-tuning playback for accessibility.
Improved navigation and a more coherent purchase flow contributed to a 32% rise in monthly active users, making it easier for readers to discover and return to new titles. A clearer reading environment with intuitive tools also led to a 65% increase in user retention, keeping people engaged across longer sessions and repeated visits.
Ratings on the App Store and Google Play grew by 27%, reflecting higher satisfaction with usability, accessibility, and overall product quality during the first 60 days after launch.