Bam!
Igniting reader engagement and creator support for webcomics.
taddy.org | freelance | june - sept 2022
Duration
4 months (June - Sept 2022)
Role
Sole Product Designer
Teammates
Developer
Tools
Figma, Whimsical
Overview
Bam! is an app dedicated towards providing webcomics and allowing readers to explore new series and authors. The start-up owner contacted me asking if I was available for freelance work which I took on, and navigated this project completely on my own with another developer. The app is currently released on the iOS App Store and Android Play Store.
Setting Expectations
Performing stakeholder management.
The client had already developed a pre-existing platform, called Taddy, which was a platform for comic creators to self publish and promote their digital comics. However, this was only the back-end portion for creators to upload their work, and they needed a consumer-facing platform for readers. Since many webcomic reading apps exist already, I sought to find better clarification on product demand. As a preface, design expectations were to be designed for dark-mode as indicated by the stakeholder.
Discovery
Webcomics are a two-sided story.
During our discussion, I learned that there are 2 interconnected sides that makes the industry operate.
  • Creators need a platform to host their comics. The app Taddy which already pre-existed, allows creators to upload their published comics and receive commission based off of their work.
  • Readers need a platform to consume comics, which gives them the option to follow their favourite creators and support their work. The concept of “Bam!” is equivalent to favoriting a series.
Connection Between Comic Creators and Readers
Contributions
Working on this project as the sole designer with a developer for the project, I was in charge of this project entirely on my own. This meant from the branding, scoping, research, and the final prototype design were done by myself.
Audit
Understanding the different types of comic apps.
As someone who was unfamiliar with the comic industry, I conducted an audit to understand differences between the types of comic apps available in the market today. This helped me understand the context in which I’d be designing for by understanding the industry and product I’d be working with.
Problem
A webcomic app needs to do more than just provide comics to readers.
From discussions with both comic creators and readers, we recognized that there were 2 major problems with the current available webcomic platforms:
1. Comic Creators don’t have a platform to properly own their own distribution channel.
2. Comic Readers are subscribed to the comic series rather than the creator and feel a lack connection.
Goal
Create a platform to allow readers to interact with creators and be able to efficiently read interested comics.
Target Users
Primary User – Comic Reader
“I want to be able to easily read my subscribed series and interact with creators”
Secondary User – Comic Creator
“I want to have a place to publish comics and gain publicity and own more of my work.”
Solving this Problem
Research
Further auditing and user feedback created more direction on what features target users preferred.
Comic Reader
1. Having a diverse selection to discover new series improves engagement
2. Binge-reading comics is common, mitigating the paywalls for completed series helps support this preference of reading
3. Being able to interact with other readers and creators is important
4. Readers want to see newly released episodes for their subscribed series
Comic Creator
1. Visibility and exposure for smaller creators and independent series is important for creators to gain a following
2. Creators want a platform where readers can build a following and have the potential to promote and monetize their comics.
Competitive Analysis
To differentiate our solution from similar apps that already exist, I conducted competitive analysis to better understand how we can create solutions for the app that have a unique value proposition.
Webtoons
Tapas
Pros
  • Easy interface and functions well
  • Bigger audience, offers better chances for visibility
  • Less invasive ads
  • Finding independent creator series is much easier
Pros
  • Comment section provides real feedback and discussion
  • Better tools for interacting with audience
  • Creators get notified for comments, followers, etc.
  • Much easier to gain revenue because of donations
Cons
  • Creators have no control over their comment section and they never receive notifications for new comments/likes/subscriptions
  • Doesn’t save progress when viewing a webtoon
Cons
  • Hard to navigate and poor UI
  • Comics aren’t updated regularly and there is a lack of selection
  • Paywalls to read comics
Past Iterations
Before getting to the final solution, this was the first iteration of what the high-fidelity design could look like after only internal feedback before testing with users directly.
Testing
During validation to see if our designs solved our target users’ needs, I conducted 5 moderated remote usability tests using contextual inquiry by asking users to complete tasks while I observed thoughts and actions. Testing exposed solution gaps that were previously missed (some examples shown).
Before
After
Changes Before & After Testing
First iteration included 3 CTAs but was confusing for users upon testing.
Second iteration eliminated other options, but the plus symbol was still ambiguous.
Button is revealed after clicking into comic card, following user behaviour to read synopsis before subscribing.
Card Iterations Based on Feedback
Final Solution
01 Improving the Content Consumption Experience
Gathering insights from the competitive analysis and user research that was conducted, it was a priority to ensure that my solution was satisfying what current webcomic applications were missing to incentivize user migration to a completely new platform. This meant prioritizing user subscriptions, ensuring seamless transition between episodes, and creating more interaction with other readers.
Prioritizing user subscriptions and recommendations based on reading
Users can automatically pull up to read the next episode which eliminates extra clicks
Users are able to see new releases on their subscribed series
02 Enhancing Discoverability
Comic readers indicated the preference with having more clear search functions and being able to sort comics in a more organized way. This is because there are numerous different types of comics available that can be overwhelming for users. By establishing clear tags and search capabilities, this allows users to understand quickly what type of comic this is and easily find it for future reference.
Users have the ability to sort by genres when searching or exploring for a comic
Search result can be further filtered for ease of finding
Each comic series is labeled with genre labels and reviews to help assist with navigation
03 Giving a Platform for Independent Creators
A consideration was not only addressing readers’ experiences but also adapting to creators, as a significant number of independent artists want the opportunity to gain recognition on their series. By providing these features, readers can follow the creator and keep updated with their announcements, which brings more support and recognition for creators who might not otherwise gain a following.
Featured section solely for independent creators for additional exposure
Readers can follow their favourite creators and support them on additional platforms
Readers and comic creators can interact in comment sections
Next Steps
01 Let’s Analyze Metrics
Because of time constraints, limited usability testing and quantitative metrics were analyzed to assess the success of the design. Going back and incorporating qualitative feedback (App Store reviews) and analyzing quantitative key metrics after release would be beneficial for future success of the product.
02 Pushing Back for More
After the design had shipped, there were some noticeable changes that were made by the stakeholder and developer that I did not know about. Pushing back for users on key features and ideas that I believe would be beneficial could positively impact the overall experience.
Takeaways
01 There’s Many Sides to a Story
This project taught me significantly on storytelling and knowing the best way to present information to an audience. This case study you have just read only shows one storyline, however, I have learned that there are many different ways to reframe this story given the same context and project.
02 Talking and Taking Direction
Throughout this project, I was in charge of mostly of the design choices (choosing to conduct research, testing, etc.) This allowed me to learn a lot about how to lead a project as well as continuously discuss my design choices with the developer. This also allowed me to understand better technical constraints and how to collaborate cross-functionally.
MORE WORK
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