Reada


Reada is an AI-powered reading platform that allows users to personalize their reading space based on their habits, goals, and interests. It is designed to engage users and support in building reading habits in today’s fast-paced world by empowering individuals to shape their own unique journey.

Tools:

Figma, v0 Ai,

Adobe Illustrator, InDesign,

Adobe Photoshop

Category:

Product Design

UX/ UI Design

Design Strategy

01

Understanding the Problem

02

Secondary research has helped in understanding evolving reading needs and its effects of our development.

Reading has seen a steep decline in recent decades, with nearly a 50% drop this century. 89% of respondents believe social media has negatively influenced people’s reading habits, further accelerating this downward trend.

Decline in reading due to social media

Regular reading strengthens brain connectivity, improves memory, and builds critical thinking and analytical abilities. The decline in reading directly limits these essential aspects of cognitive development.

Impact on Cognitive Development

03

Today’s distraction-heavy world of quick consumption is leading to shorter attention spans. It has also affected how we communicate, learn and connect with people.

Weak Communication & Attention Span

Research Question

How might we design to encouraging people to build a sustainable reading habit

Ecosystem Map

Primary Research

Conducted user interviews, personas and journey maps to get direct insights into pain points and experience of the users.

Conducted user interviews, personas and journey maps to get direct insights into pain points and experience of the users.

95%

people shifted to social media from reading

Amazon Kindle offers a vast digital library that syncs across multiple devices.

However, it falls short in offering features that engage users in today’s fast-paced digital environment. Additionally, it lacks tools or strategies to actively support and nurture consistent reading habits.

An ecosystem map that visualizes the interconnected elements that influence users' reading habits highlighting key aspects that shape the reading journey and experiences.

Findings

87%

preferred different type of reading methods

78%

people lacked the time and energy to read a book

Libby provides e-books and audio books to rent for free.

However, access is limited to the offerings of individual libraries, often leading to long wait times. Not all titles are available digitally, which can restrict accessibility.

Kobo offers a wide range of e-books and audiobooks, similar to Kindle.

However, it lacks personalization features, user engagement, and tools to retain users. It doesn’t fully address the evolving needs of modern readers.

Problem Focus

Opportunities

Create a personalized space and experience.

Offer short, quick reads that fit into daily routines.

Design an immersive and experiential experience

Enabling users to set daily goals, track their progress, and stay motivated.

Hard to build a consistent reading habit

Need for engaging content

75%

felt reading to be a very slow paced activity

Limited of time and energy to commit to long reading

Highly diverse reading preferences

Pain Point Mapping

Conducted user interviews, personas and journey maps to get direct insights into pain points and experience of the users.

Competitive Analysis

Design Concept

THE WHAT

THE HOW

Personalisation

Reading is an inherently personal experience. From interviews and research, it's clear that individuals engage with reading in unique ways, each with their own preferences, routines, and motivations.


AI integration

Using AI to craft a personalized reading environment that adapts to each user’s goals, habits, and needs. This tailored approach not only supports users in building reading habits but also empowers them to shape their reading journey.

Design Process

Low to High fidelity Prototype

Figma Prototyping

AI Explorations - v0 ai

Final Design

Information Architecture

Style Guide

Personalization

The AI-powered quiz tailors a reading space based on your goals and preferences, empowering the user to create a journey that’s uniquely theirs.

Achieve your goal

Quick Reads

Ideation

Customized Library

Immersive Reading

The low-fidelity prototype established the foundational visual structure and design context of the product. As the design language evolved into higher fidelity, key details such as imagery, spacing, typography, and information hierarchy were refined to enhance experience and usability.

The app helps users set small, achievable goals to build a consistent and lasting reading habit. It features a simplified landing page that highlights the daily goal and the book in progress, reducing clutter and avoiding information overload.

Sketched concepts and user flows to explore and define the user experience.

This feature offers flexibility by letting users enjoy shorter reads without the pressure of finishing a full book. It supports consistency through small-sized content that fits into even the busiest schedules and is perfect for when you only have a few minutes to spare.

An AI-curated library catered to the user’s interests that helps reduce overwhelm from too many choices. By offering focused suggestions, it keeps users engaged and motivated without the burden of endless scrolling.

This feature adds an interactive layer using visuals, sound, and motion to engage users who avoid text-heavy content. It makes reading feel more dynamic, enjoyable, and accessible, especially for those who prefer a sensory or immersive experience.

Design Goal

Reflections

Why is this important?

Takeaways

Reading plays an important role in our life. It is what has driven humans forward, increased literally all around the world, build focus and patience. Today’s fast paced world is living and breathing on social media and content overload. It is alarming that the content that we are consuming is at such a surface level.

This project is aims to bring back reading habits by understanding current needs and user behaviors and offering solutions that would engage and empower the users to build their reading journey.

One size doesn’t always fit all

User interviews played a crucial role in the research process. Reading habits vary widely from person to person, influenced by factors like personal interests, literacy levels, and daily routines. This highlighted the importance of moving beyond personal bias and engaging directly with users to deeply understand their unique challenges, motivations, and needs.

Experience Sells

A concept can’t be communicated through words alone. While verbal explanations are useful, they often fall short in conveying the bigger picture, especially in design. Visuals, prototypes, and interactive elements were essential tools for bringing the abstract concepts to life. It help in understanding better, spark feedback, and allow the users to experience the idea rather than just hear about it.

References:

1. janine. 2024. “Impact of Digital Media on Children’s Reading Habits.” Tutor Doctor (blog). May 10, 2024.
https://tutordoctor.com.au/blog/impact-of-digital-media-on-childrens-reading-habits/.

2. Perrin, Risa Gelles-Watnick and Andrew. 2021. “Who Doesn’t Read Books in America?” Pew Research Center (blog). September 21, 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/09/21/who-doesnt-read-books-in-america/.

3. “The End of Reading - The Ringer.” n.d. Accessed June 25, 2025. https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/plain-english-with-derek-thompson/2025/02/28/the-end-of-reading.

4. National Literacy Trust (UK)

5. Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain*

6.: Maryanne Wolf, "Reader, Come Home" (2018)