Note: this project was completed in Spanish as part of a Coderhouse course. UI refresh and English translation in progress.
The origin:
Between 2017 and 2022 I ran WAIBOX, the first book subscription box businesses in Argentina. As part of the brand, I wrote a blog, and one post about where to donate books in Buenos Aires became unexpectedly popular. Over time it accumulated hundreds of visits and comments from people asking for more information. Nobody had mapped this out. The information existed but was scattered and inaccessible.
When I started studying UX/UI Design in 2021, I had a real problem to solve, and a real dataset to prove it existed.
When I started studying UX/UI Design in 2021, I had a real problem to solve, and a real dataset to prove it existed.
The brief:
Design a mobile app for the bookish community that solves the book donation discovery problem at its core, while building a broader platform where readers can connect, review books, and engage with bookish culture — starting from a real, validated need.
The process:
I followed a full UX process from research to high-fidelity prototype. Starting with benchmarking analysis of existing platforms — Goodreads, Wattpad, and Alibrate — I identified key gaps at the time of research (2021): none offered a book donation map, Goodreads and Wattpad were English-only creating barriers for Spanish-speaking readers, none allowed in-app purchases, Wattpad had no content quality control, and both Goodreads and Wattpad had outdated or limited mobile interfaces. Note: some of these gaps have since been addressed as these platforms have evolved. I defined two user archetypes, built a sitemap, created low-fidelity sketches by hand, progressed to mid-fidelity digital wireframes, designed the UI kit, and built the final high-fidelity screens with a complete interactive prototype in Figma.
Key features designed:
The core differentiator was an interactive map showing book donation points — a direct response to the real need identified through organic search data. Beyond that, the app included a book review and rating system, a personal reading library tracker, a community section with book clubs and literary workshops, an events section for online and in-person activities, and an integrated shop for purchasing books and subscription boxes.
What I learned:
This was my first end-to-end UX project and it shaped how I approach product design. The most important lesson: starting from a real, observed problem — not a hypothetical brief — changes every decision downstream. The donation map feature wasn't a nice-to-have, it was the reason the app existed.
