Readio

Problem

Print meets mobile: bridging the analog-digital lifestyle gap

The advent of digital content has streamlined access for most information, yet users encounter difficulty in consuming traditionally printed materials in a digital, on-the-go manner. This challenge is particularly evident in scenarios involving already purchased physical books or printed documents. Users face a gap in seamlessly converting such printed media into a format that accommodates their mobile lifestyle. Readio was designed to solve this problem.

Approach

Designing with assumptions & a Lean UX mindset

This project was completed as a part of my Interaction Design II course during my senior year at KSU. Our team adapted elements of the Lean UX approach to fit with the time constraints of our course timeline. We started off with a set of assumptions about our domain space, the design field, in order to quickly validate and test during a series of two 3-week sprint cycles.

Jeoff Gothelf’s & Josh Seiden’s Lean UX Canvas

In completing our Lean UX Canvas, our team collaboratively:

Formulated a Problem Statement to guide our process.
Developed metrics for measuring the impact and success of our business outcomes.
Crafted Proto-Personas based on user assumptions.
Identified attractive outcomes for users and associated benefits.
Brainstormed solutions aligning with business goals and Proto-Personas.

Constructed hypothesis statements, mapping outcomes, Proto-Personas, and features.
Prioritized these elements using a matrix based on risk and perceived value.
Identified and prioritized the riskiest assumptions.
Established design experiments (MVPs) to test each hypothesis in order of importance.

Kicking off

Sprint one - our initial assumptions

Our team kicked off the process by laying out all our assumptions we had about our problem space. We held a meeting with the team where we had open discussions about any questions we had about the problem space and any clear assumptions we had about the domain.

Our team started with the foundational assumption that our users would consist of individuals engaged in reading printed materials, such as students or legal professionals. We hypothesized that they needed a tool encompassing both text scan-to-voice and text-to-speech features. To validate these assumptions, we set out to conduct tests using a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Building our first test

As a team, we initiated our first collaborative test focused on MVP (A). We specifically evaluated users' reactions to paywalls and premium features. Using low-fidelity Figma prototypes,we simulated a user journey from the Library of Contents to the Player. A pop-up paywall appeared during speech speed adjustment, offering users the choice to subscribe or unlock the feature through our reward system. This early test aimed to optimize our time and efforts wisely.

Mapping our findings

As a team, we gathered valuable data in interviews exploring information consumption, reading habits, and subscription services. To distill actionable insights, we used Affinity Maps — crafted from interview notes, organized into clusters by information affinity. This method proved instrumental, synthesizing user research data, revealing patterns, and deepening our understanding of observations.

Major insights we gathered

01. Users expressed dissatisfaction with locking basic features behind a subscription, and the point-based reward system was seen as an unnecessary complication for them.
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02. Two out of three users showed interest in a feature that would allow them to save translated content as a new file.
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03. Insights revealed that language learning and translation services were not users' primary needs but were sought sporadically. This prompted our team to pivot, repositioning translation and speech voice features as auxiliary components of our product.

Revisiting the Lean UX canvas

Sprint two - Revalidating our assumptions

At the start of Sprint 2, armed with user insights and a thorough understanding of validated and nullified assumptions, our team revisited the Lean UX Canvas. With this enriched perspective, we adjusted our product, modifying Proto-Personas based on research insights, and nullified the concepts of the reward system and voice command app control.

Shifting gears and our new approach

High value, high effort mvp building

As our project deadline approached, our team opted to construct a more fully-functional MVP, incorporating new features for user testing based on previous insights. We believed it was worthwhile to validate assumptions we identified as having higher value for our users. During this phase, our screens transitioned to mid-fidelity, providing users with a more comprehensive understanding of our product's functionality.

Further validation

Bringing Readio to life and usability testing

After collaboratively prototyping our initial version of Readio, we presented it to our interview participants along with a set of tasks, asking them to create a new file through text input. Subsequently, users were guided to open the newly created file in the player and modify the speech voice using the Voice Library.

Insights and Design Improvements:
We noticed some participants were uncertain about where to find the speech voice change option, located within either the stacked dots or hamburger menu. In response to this feedback, we replaced the hamburger menu icon with one that clearly signifies system settings.

The end result

Building the prototype and putting it all together

Click here to experience the interactive prototype

Bringing style to Readio

To facilitate the transition from mid-fidelity to high-fidelity, we developed a style guide incorporating type scales and a color palette. Using Figma's Styles, we seamlessly integrated this guide into our Design System. The team collaborated on crafting components, ensuring a unified and cohesive appearance for the user interface.

The end result

Becoming a UI Wiz

This project challenged me to work within a design system and build my own design system for our product that my team and I could use to create consistency within our product and promote a more efficient workflow while building our prototype.

The key is in the little details and pixel-perfect screens are major. I was able to ensure the quality of each screen across multiple iterations.

I've learned that plans can change, and certain aspects of the application we anticipate being successful may not pan out. Maintaining flexibility and an open-minded approach is crucial for achieving greater success and fostering effective communication.

Thanks to the team that made it happen!