Inklusive
An innovative way of bringing minority literature to the forefront
May 2024
Role: UX/UI Designer
Tools/Skills Used: Balsamiq, Interviews, Prototyping Canva, Branding, Affinity Mapping
Introduction
All my life, I’ve been a reader, following new releases and emerging authors throughout the years, and it has often been a pleasant surprise when I come across a new minority writer or a book featuring a BIPOC protagonist, or a cast of diverse characters, or including elements of another culture. I’ve only ever stumbled upon these discoveries by chance, so I wondered: Was there a way to intentionally find these books without going to Reddit for reliable recommendations?
Enter Inklusive, a comprehensive database that made minority books more accessible to readers.
Research
Learning to “Read” A Reader
The vision for Inklusive sparked my curiosity to connect with readers of all backgrounds and understand what obstacles, if any, they faced when looking for their next read. Whether they read fiction or nonfiction, I sat down with nine participants, of varying backgrounds, ages, and professions, to understand how important minority representation was for them, and if so, how successful they were in finding a book that reflected that.
In my conversations with these readers, I attempted to understand their point-of-view and the drive behind why they read. I soon realized how different each reader was in what interested them, how often they read, and what elements they prioritized when picking a book.
Understanding Readers: An Eye-opening Discovery
Problem Statement: Users need a way to spend less time searching for books that match their specific interests, since mainstream platforms don’t promote all books equally.
Solution
A More Intentional Book-searching Tool: Inklusive
At the core of their book-finding journey was an effort to sate a particular curiosity, to engage with an external expression of their passions.
For example, one reader had moved from literature to non-fiction science books in her young adult life out of her deep love for animals and wanted to understand the evolutionary science behind various species’ consciousness and behavior. Another reader had always gravitated toward fantasy and made it his to-go genre instead of wasting time trying out new things. His main priority was immersing himself in a new, fully fleshed-out world—an escapist’s dream.
Whether the reader looked for minority representation or not, one thing was clear:
At first, my vision for Inklusive was a resource to help minority readers find themselves reflected in written words. After understanding the needs of real readers, the app became a way to shorten the gap between “Hmm, I’m craving a book that has X and Y,” and “Wow, I found a book that has exactly those things, without waiting for it to land in my lap coincidentally!”
The ideation process conjured several key ways to make a user’s dream book more findable and accessible.
Curated homepage: In creating their account, users can define their preferences, from genre to setting, character ethnicity to sexuality, or even the content they want to avoid.
Minority-focused categorization: In the Explore feature, users can look for books by categorization system based on minority groups and identities, rather than genre.
Detailed book pages: Each book’s page offers not only a summary, but tags, content warnings, ratings, and other readers’ thoughts. Users can then choose their desired way of finding the book, whether they want to buy it on Amazon or get it from a nearby library.
Ideation
Wireframes
Digital Prototype
The initial prototype focused on the search aspect of the app. Users would start at their feed, but to find books with specific elements, they would go straight to the Explore tab.
Choosing a category would lead them to a page featuring a general offering of all books in that area. They can narrow their options down by selecting subcategory buttons or filtering by pre-set tags.
Clicking on a book takes users to the book details page. After reading the summary, ratings, and content information, they have a variety of options to obtain the book directly.
Post-User Testing
Second Iteration
After user testing, the app’s categorization and tagging features were refined to simplify the search process. Adding them would allow readers to switch between Subcategories and Tags, updating search results. Readers can also sort the books based on popularity, ratings, and release date.
What’s Next? Helping readers find their people
Final Words
Empowering minority readers and authors
With Inklusive, I aimed to take some of the best features of existing book-finding and -sharing sites—and minimize the features that didn’t apply to users’ needs. Many readers expressed their reliance on social recommendations, some even using Reddit to inspire their next read.
What’s in the cards for Inklusive is a social feature, like a forum or the ability to join groups and converse about books that impacted users. Alongside that, of course, is further testing to see if the unique categorization system is intuitive to users, and develop Inklusive that stands out from the crowd.
“I don’t usually think about minority representation when reading books, but I would be interested if I had more awareness of them,” says one reader.
“While I gravitate towards certain genres and relatable characters, it’s a plus if there’s diversity in the book,” another notes thoughtfully.
At the root of these sentiments is this: Looking for books about diverse characters, be they BIPOC or LGBTQ+ or disabled, isn’t a hard expectation, because next to the New York Times Best-sellers, they’re the exception. If only there was a way to promote them, and make them more available to minority users while allowing any reader to seamlessly find options that meet their “niche” desires—and Inklusive is the way.