Kindle App Redesign
ROLE
UI/UX Designer
DURATION
Spring 2026
PROJECT SCOPE
UX/UI redesign of the Kindle mobile app
TOOLS
Figma
OVERVIEW
Kindle is one of the most widely used reading apps in the world — but for avid readers, it creates as much friction as it removes. Libraries get cluttered, saved books get lost, and reading challenges are buried so deep most users don't know they exist. This project reimagines Kindle as an app that understands readers, not just users.
OBJECTIVES
Modernize Kindle's interface to better serve readers who manage large libraries, plan their reading intentionally, and want a more motivating and personal experience.
Replace the list-based library with a visual, board-based organization system
Create a dedicated, rankable To Be Read space so books don't get lost
Move reading challenges and streaks to the forefront as a primary feature
Rebuild discovery as a Pinterest-style browsable grid with one-tap saving
Add lightweight tracking — ratings, reviews, notes — inspired by Goodreads and Fable
DELIVERABLES
Redesigned Home screen — Currently Reading, Next Up, and Challenge Progress
Discover screen — Pinterest-style scrollable grid with category tabs
Boards screen — visual board overview and individual board detail view
To Be Read (TBR) screen — ranked reading queue with drag-to-reorder
Challenges screen — streak tracker, yearly/weekly goals, and badge rewards
Reader Profile screen — reading stats, genre breakdown, and identity card
OUTCOME
The redesigned Kindle experience transforms the app from a reading tool into a full reading lifestyle platform. Each screen works as part of a cohesive system — solving the organization, memory, motivation, and discovery problems identified in research. Most importantly, the redesign treats readers as people with real taste and reading identities, not just users with a library of files.
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DEFINE
Mapped the gap between what Kindle currently offers and what readers
actually need. -
IDEATE
Explored three organizational models before landing on boards as the most intuitive solution.
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PROTOTYPE
Built six key screens in Figma: Home, Discover, Boards, To Be Read, Challenges, and Profile.
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TEST
Pressure-tested layouts against real user complaints from interviews, verifying that each design decision addressed a specific frustration.
Research
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
I audited four platforms to understand what already existed and where the gaps were.
Kindle
Strong reading experience, but library organization is cluttered and not visual
Collections don't sync reliably and are difficult to manage at scale
Recommendations are buried beneath promotional content
Goodreads
Strong tracking depth: want-to-read, currently reading, finished, ratings, reviews
Key insight: keep the tracking features, but make them far more visually accessible
Board system gives users an intuitive mental model for visual categorization
Key insight: users already understand boards — applying this to books removes friction instantly
Fable
Best-in-class reading streaks with a prominent home screen widget that builds daily habits
Key insight: visible progress is a powerful motivator — it belongs front and center, not buried
USER RESEARCH
I interviewed three readers across different habits — casual, steady, and avid — using a structured question set focused on organization, motivation, discovery, and tracking
Key Findings
Every participant had lost track of a saved book — they relied on notes apps or memory instead of Kindle
Visual organization consistently resonated across all three users
Reading streaks and yearly goals were cited as meaningful motivators even for less frequent readers
Users actively using multiple apps (Fable + Goodreads + notes) are doing extra work that Kindle should be handling
“Having it like a Pinterest board would be fun and interactive.
More organized, and easily accessible.”
Feature Design
THE PROBLEM
Organization
No visual or intuitive way to sort a growing library.
Memory
Saved books disappear or get lost because there's no prominent TBR space.
Motivation
Reading challenges exist but are so hidden they barely register.
Discovery
Recommendations are buried and hard to act on quickly.
THE SOLUTION
Boards
Pinterest-style visual boards for organizing books by mood, genre, or any custom category.
To Be Read (TBR)
A dedicated, rankable reading queue — drag to reorder, tag by mood, never lose a saved title.
Reading Tracking
Star ratings, short reviews, personal notes, and status tags: Want to Read / Reading / Finished.
Challenges & Streaks
Reading goals, streaks, and milestone badges moved to the home screen as a primary motivator.
Discover (Pinterest Grid)
Category-based scrollable grid with one-tap save to any board or TBR list.
Reader Profile
Personalized reading stats, favorite genres, and an identity card that reflects your taste.
Reflection
This project pushed me to think about UX as storytelling — every screen is a moment in a reader's relationship with their books. The research phase was the most grounding part: hearing real users describe the workarounds they'd built around Kindle's limitations made the design direction clear. Given more time, I'd move into usability testing with interactive prototypes and explore the social layer further with shared boards, book clubs, friend activity. There's a lot more of this story left to tell.