Comicwala
A detailed analysis on reinventing the comic-reading experience
Goal: To identify the key issues faced by the comic-reading fraternity and solve them.
Role: User Experience Designer​​​​​​​
Initial Research
- Eight people were interviewed to obtain an idea of what were the shortcomings of similar existing products. The interviewees were selected based on their interest in comics, mangas, and/ or animes.
- Online blogs and forums from sources like Quora were read and studied to have a strong understanding of the target users and their needs.
- It was found that comics were not easily accessible and the few digital platforms that sold them had only a very limited collection.
- The readers who preferred reading comics online were also left with frustration due to the difficulty in finding preferred comics. They had to surf through the internet for hours to find the comics only to be left with annoying ads and purchase prompts.
- Platforms like ComiXology, Midtown comics have a great collection but they are only available in selected regions such as the USA. It is to be noted that these products have outdated designs which make it clear that this area calls for serious development.
User Personas
Four personas were created based on the initial study and interviews.
Challenge
Upon analyzing the initial research and personas, the challenge was defined.
It was understood that to engage the users, a digital store alone wouldn’t suffice but a provision to read the comics with ease, uninterrupted was much necessary.
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Challenge statement: Designing a flawless experience that would allow users to purchase comics based on their interests as well as accomodating a subscription model that would allow them to read all the comics digitally on their gadgets.
Solution
Comicwala is an application that allows users to effectively browse and purchase comics/ mangas. The readzone lets them enjoy an unlimited digital reading experience with a readzone subscription.
Taskflow
A key taskflow was mapped keeping the challenge statement in mind.
Ideation & Wireframe Sketches
After a lot of iterations, the core wireframe sketches were concluded.
Moodboard
A moodboard was made using the following keywords in mind.
Comics - Mangas - Fantasy - Illustrations - Japanese - Modern - Anime - Emotions
Apps that operate in a similar domain were also looked at. Visual Elements that aligned with my initial goals and aesthetics were added to the moodboard.
Colours
The colour palette was chosen in a manner to induce a modern and minimal touch to the interface. Apart from that, it was made sure that a subtle usage of the brand colour was visible across the interface to reinforce the brand identity in the user’s mind.
The dark colours were explored to minimize the eye strain among the users given they are readers.
Typography
​The font inter was used because of its impeccable readability even at small sizes, whilst giving a premium feel. A font library that is to be used across the product was created accordingly.
UI Design
Home
Home screens were designed first. It enabled the users to browse through and purchase comics and mangas of their choice.
Readzone Screens
The comicwala Readzone allows the user to enjoy unlimited digital reading to the users. Apart from that it allows downloading comics and mangas too. This facility is provided upon subscribing to the readzone.
Comic reading screens
A set of simple interactions are provided for an effortless reading experience. Easy episode navigation, brightness control, progress bar to easily slide through an episode, etc, are the core features.
Interactive Prototype
The final prototype included a high-fidelity mock-up of the Comicwala app, created in Figma.