Spotlight on… Part 3: Fable
Spotlight on… is a series to shine a light on all things design, with a focus on great UX and products that aim to make our lives easier.
I honestly came here this time, to write a scathing review of a product I use everyday, even though I promised myself I wouldn’t write bad reviews, so I stopped, took a breather, and decided that this product is something everyone already knows is AWFUL, what is my moaning review going to do to change it or educate anyone? Nothing. So, I’ve turned it on it’s head and used this opportunity to find myself an alternative, and write positively. Good reads, you’re off the hook and deleted from my phone, today I’m focusing on Fable, and the many ways they harness emotional design to engage their user base.
I want to start by highlighting my experience before even downloading Fable. I‘ve’ wanted to find an alternative to Goodreads since I started to get back into reading last year and I downloaded it, only to find it was essentially a website contorted to fit an app, and felt like it hadn’t been updated since I was last on it as a teenager.
Now I’m a sucker for not downloading apps that have minimal downloads, which is crazy, because I expect people to do just this with the very app I work on everyday! (HealthyYou for anyone that wants to download, have a nosey and maybe improve your health in the process 👀) But all the apps I was scrolling through with lots of reviews and downloads looked pretty unappealing at a glance, and as a visual person, I want something that looks nice as much as it works well. About half way through scrolling I found it, like a shining beacon in stormy sea of bad UI and aggressive copy, I felt like I was being beckoned to a spot on a comfy sofa under a warm blanket from the preview images. I didn’t even bother reading the reviews, I immediately hit download and this little nugget of emotional design is a testament to the designer that complied the app store image composition, as well as the illustrator (Lucas Wakamatsu) that created the welcoming visuals.
Let’s look at how the set up flow impacted my emotions and how this led to a quick buy in:
Now that I’m in, what do I want?
As a target user for this app, my needs are quite simple:
- Track the books I’m reading and want to read
- Rate and review books
- Find other reviews and users to base my reading choices off
But we all know, a great app doesn’t just focus on what the user needs, or even what a user wants, it chooses to deliver all that AND what the user didn’t even realise they wanted in a pretty package, and this is exactly what Fable does.
Lets take a look at some comparison screens, side-by-side, of Fable and Goodreads.
Goodreads is functional but discovery is it’s main problem, it feels bloated and hard to navigate. Fable feels lighter, using negative space in their UI to reduce the danger of users having cognitive overload.
My top 5 features:
- The Reading Stats
Easily the most requested feature from users of Good reads. Fable have managed to elevate the post-reading experience by giving you a stats page, which is ever-changing on your reading habits and appeals to those of us that love a good horoscope, as you feel ‘seen’ by it’s top level description of you and your reading habits. - Book Clubs
I must admit, I’ve not used the club feature on another reading app, its never appealed to me, so it surprised me that, within the first week of download, I’d joined a book club, am reading this months book and interacting with the other members. How did they do it? Well, It’s simple, I asked and the app listened and responded. I received a push notification to let me know one of the books I added to my TBR ( to be read) during onboarding, was about to be read in a book club and asked if I wanted to join. This gave me a sense of belonging and being wanted, like receiving a party invite when we were children, and I thought why not try it out. The discussion sections are broken out by chapter, so there’s no room for the anxiety of spoilers in the club. - Easy to find reviews and notifications
Sounds like a simple one but when you’re starved of a basic feature for a while, it feels like gold when you get it. I can easily find my reviews on Fable, and I ACTUALLY GET NOTIFIED if someone interacts with it, and it’s a really lovely feeling to get reactions and comments on your reviews, rather than it feeling like you’re shouting into the ether. Small, emotional moments like this just grow those connections to the app. - Reading streak
Not only does this give you something to aim for and habit track as a user, it’s a clever way for the business to ensure you keep coming back everyday to log that you’ve read, which by the way, is a one tap action. - Scout! Your AI reading assistant
This adorable little bird is still in Beta, he aims to help you find something to read or watch based on what you ask. My friend and I were messaging about this little fello, and how, even when he gets it wrong, you’re sympathetic, instead of frustrated — he’s doing the best he can, he’s still learning! More emotional design that turns your negative experiences into less of an ‘OH COME ON’ to an ‘Oh well, next time!’
Oh did I mention this app can also do everything above for TV shows too? So if reading isn’t your thing, or they both are, then you’re in luck! A great example of giving users something they maybe didn’t even realise they wanted in the same app.
Final words
There’s no doubt about it, this is a rave review. My only wish is for Fable and Amazons kindle to sync up so we can all take part in the community reading aspect, but since we all know Amazon doesn’t like to share, this seems unlikely! Lastly, I'd like to say thank you to everyone at Fable for making my book app dreams come true! ✨ Let me know what you think, have you used Fable or Goodreads? What have I missed? And how could either app push to be better?
