Taaghche Redesign — Solving the Unfinished Books Problem
Research Mentor & Co-Researcher · Social UX · Gamification · Mobile App Redesign
5
Apps Analyzed
5
Team Size
3
New Social Features
4
Root Causes Identified
Overview
Taaghche faced a critical drop-off problem: users abandoned books mid-read. Research question: how can social and motivational UX transform solitary digital reading into a persistent, community-driven experience?
Challenge
Four root causes identified: no structured reading plan, no social interaction or sense of companionship, no external motivation or reward system, and difficulty returning to abandoned books. The existing comments section was ineffective and the app offered no sense of belonging to a reading community.
Impact & Results
UX: Reading transformed from a solitary activity into a collective journey. Book Club with three tabs (Challenges, Study Room, Co-Reading) embedded motivation and social accountability into the core experience — users now have a reason to return beyond the book itself. UI: Brand visual identity preserved while adding an interactive language: progress bars, challenge cards, and achievement badges made progress tangible. Restructured navigation simplified access to core features and increased coherence across screens. Result: Taaghche didn't just become more beautiful — it became more human.
Approach & Methodology
Design Thinking: (1) Empathy — deep user interviews surfacing loneliness and lack of progress feedback as core pain points; (2) Define — correlation diagram revealing users return when they feel personal progress or social interaction; (3) Competitive analysis of 5 apps (Kobo, Goodreads, Audible, Bookmate, Fidibo) — Goodreads highest social engagement but weakest UX; (4) Ideation — brainstorming and mind mapping; (5) 3 personas + user scenarios; (6) Task flows, site map, wireframes; (7) Visual identity and bottom navigation redesign.
Key Takeaways
Reading persists when it is seen. Social visibility is the primary motivational mechanism in digital reading — reframing the design problem from 'how do we make the app stickier' to 'how do we make progress meaningful to others.' Gamification works only when the social layer is genuine, not performative. Good design does not end with a more beautiful product: it ends with changed user behavior. This project proved that loneliness is a product problem, and belonging is a design solution.
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