Personal Project
How might we help readers stay inspired and
motivated through their reading journey?
Context
Bridging the Gap Between Wanting to Read and Making It Happen
Each year, "read more" consistently tops my list of New Year's resolutions, but maintaining the habit proves difficult. Through conversations with friends and potential users, I discovered that many face similar challenges—whether it’s finding time, staying motivated, or simply remembering to pick up a book, building a consistent reading habit amidst life’s busy schedule is not always easy. This shared struggle inspired this project, which aims to transform reading into a more fun, engaging, and community-driven experience.
Problem
How might we create an engaging experience that helps people read more frequently?
Many individuals want to read more often, but they struggle to make it a regular habit. The challenge largely lies in balancing reading with busy schedules, staying motivated, and remembering to prioritise it amid other distractions.
Solution
Solution Title Here.
Text Here about the Solution.
Research
To explore the problem space, I began analysing online research articles and observing discussion threads in user forums. This revealed a significant decline in reading habits over recent decades, despite many expressing a desire to read more and even enjoy the process of doing so. For example, a study in 2021 found that 23% of American adults admitted they hadn't read a single book in the past year, highlighting a notable decrease compared to previous generations (Pew, 2021).
[CHANGE QUOTE TO VISUAL] A common theme emerged in analysing online forums:
"One of my goals for this year is to do more reading. Prior to this year, I'd read 1-2 books a year. I just feel like I never have time or I can't get 'into' the book if I have just a quick minute" - Anonymous (2024)
To ensure this problem space remained relevant and to gather firsthand insights, I conducted a survey with over 20 responses, exploring people's relationships with reading, their attitudes toward it, and their existing habits. Some of the questions I asked were:
Insert questions
Using the insights gathered from conducing user research, I carried out thematic analysis through affinity mapping, which highlighted subscription management as a key problem area for millennials.
Part 1
Users often don't realise the challenges and frustrations they face with their subscriptions until they think/talk about them. This lack of awareness leads to unconscious spending, driven either by the sheer number of subscriptions (complexity) or the rising costs (financial security concerns).
These triggers give rise to several key problems:
There is an unmet need (rather than a pain point) in that users don’t realise the headaches around subscriptions.
Part 2
Subscription Management
Users find it challenging to manage the number of subscriptions they have, often relying on multiple disconnected tools, which results in forgetfulness, avoidable costs, and a lack of effective organisation.
Subscription Value
Users often have difficulty determining whether their subscriptions are delivering enough value to justify the cost, making it hard to decide if they should keep or cancel them.
Negotiation / Cancellation
Users are aware they could save money by negotiating or canceling subscriptions, but they find the process—whether online or by phone—deliberately complex and tedious to navigate.
Thematic Analysis Through Affinity Mapping
With the rising popularity of subscription-based services —from streaming platforms and SaaS products to recurring deliveries of goods— the TD Innovation Lab set out to investigate whether subscription management presented a valuable opportunity for exploration.
Product Ideation & Solutioning: Facilitating Design Thinking Workshops
To foster ideation, I led design thinking workshops in front of Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers, which led to redefining the problem statement and developing a prioritisation matrix for 14 key features. Of those, 3 contributed to new patents, strengthening TD's IP portfolio, and 7 design concepts emerged as potential solutions.
Re-defining the Problem Statement
The original problem statement was created at the start of the project.
By refining it to focus on unconscious spending instead of cash flow management, we were able to better target the root cause of subscription-related financial decisions.
Snippets of the Design Thinking Workshop
The Solution
Building on the features we ideated as a team, I contributed to designing 6 design concepts that formed the foundation of our MVP. These were refined through 10 rounds of user testing and iteration. Below, I showcase 3 of these design concepts—feel free to reach out using my contact details to learn more.
Addressing Problem 1 (Subscription Management) through Awareness: The Overview provides an all-in-one view of subscriptions (a view of total monthly spend, all active and inactive subscriptions, and payment methods, benefits, and subscription-associated payments), simplifying the management process and eliminating the need for multiple tools.
Example use case: A user managing subscriptions across multiple payment cards can easily see their total monthly subscription spend and swipe through each card to view the subscriptions linked to it, offering a seamless way to stay on top of their finances.
Addressing Problem 2 (Subscription Value) through Decision-Making: The Visualiser enables users to view their subscription spending and usage from different perspectives (by category, price over time, and usage over time), aiding in better decision-making regarding the value of their subscriptions.
Example use case: A user managing multiple subscriptions may notice that their usage of a particular service has decreased over the past few weeks. This insight helps inform their decision-making, allowing them to quickly assess whether it's worth keeping or canceling the subscription.
Addressing Problem 3 (Negotiation / Cancellation) Through Action: The Negotiator addresses the challenge of difficult negotiation and cancellation processes by allowing users to easily access their subscription details. It suggests more cost-effective plan options and enables quick modifications, pauses, or cancellations.
Example use case: A user who realizes their subscription costs are higher than expected can explore more affordable plans, find better deals, or cancel unwanted services. Additionally, if they foresee a period of inactivity, they can pause specific subscriptions for a set time, giving them greater control over their spending and usage.
Reflection
During my time at TD, I once again recognised the crucial role design thinking plays in crafting innovative and effective user experiences. From conducting background research and engaging directly with users to collaborating with a cross-functional team, I gained valuable insights into how this process fosters well-rounded, user-centric solutions that not only improve customer satisfaction and loyalty but also contribute significantly to overall business success.
This project is still in progress, and I’m excited to see where it leads upon launch 🚀
Thank you so much to the TD team for providing me with the most welcoming and supportive environment to learn and grow!
