Rebel Reads

Rebel Reads

Self-Initiated Conceptual Project

Self-Initiated Conceptual Project

Responsive Website

Responsive Website

Project Overview

Project Overview

Rebel Reads is a mobile-first responsive e-commerce platform transforming book shopping from transactional browsing into mission-driven discovery and community engagement. When socially conscious readers struggle to discover activist literature across fragmented recommendations—navigating between Goodreads reviews, bookstore staff picks, and social media threads—I saw an opportunity to create a platform that makes values-aligned book discovery effortless.

Through cause-based collections, integrated author events with one-tap RSVP, and transparent donation allocation (15% to partner organizations), Rebel Reads connects readers with books that align with their values while building community around social justice literature.

Role

Solo UX/UI Designer

Tools

Figma, FigJam, Claude

Skills Demonstrated

  • User Research & Synthesis

  • Strategic Problem Framing

  • Information Architecture

  • Responsive Interaction Design

  • Visual Design & Brand Systems

  • Accessibility & Inclusive Design

  • Content Strategy

The Challenge

The Challenge

Socially conscious readers who want to support activist literature and underrepresented voices face fragmented discovery across disconnected platforms—Goodreads for reviews, Instagram for recommendations, independent bookstore websites for purchasing. Despite spending 30+ minutes researching a single book across multiple sources, they still struggle to answer: "Does this book align with my values? Will my purchase support the causes I care about?"

Traditional bookstores organize by genre (Fiction, Non-Fiction, History) or bestseller status—categories that hide social justice literature among mainstream titles. Readers interested in abolition literature search "Criminal Justice" finding mostly police procedurals. Those seeking Indigenous voices navigate vague "Cultural Studies" sections. There's no curated pathway connecting readers with books addressing specific social movements.

Readers piece together their experience: discover book on Instagram, research on Goodreads, check event on Eventbrite, purchase from independent bookstore, join book club through separate meetup group. The friction costs time and reduces engagement.

Socially conscious readers who want to support activist literature and underrepresented voices face fragmented discovery across disconnected platforms—Goodreads for reviews, Instagram for recommendations, independent bookstore websites for purchasing. Despite spending 30+ minutes researching a single book across multiple sources, they still struggle to answer: "Does this book align with my values? Will my purchase support the causes I care about?"

Traditional bookstores organize by genre (Fiction, Non-Fiction, History) or bestseller status—categories that hide social justice literature among mainstream titles. Readers interested in abolition literature search "Criminal Justice" finding mostly police procedurals. Those seeking Indigenous voices navigate vague "Cultural Studies" sections. There's no curated pathway connecting readers with books addressing specific social movements.

Readers piece together their experience: discover book on Instagram, research on Goodreads, check event on Eventbrite, purchase from independent bookstore, join book club through separate meetup group. The friction costs time and reduces engagement.

The Solution

The Solution

I designed Rebel Reads as a mobile-first responsive platform that integrates book discovery, community engagement, and transparent impact into one cohesive experience. The solution introduces four core innovations:

Cause-Based Collections: This approach helps readers discover literature aligned with their values without knowing specific titles or authors.

Editorial "Why This Matters" Context: Every product page includes editorial content explaining the book's significance to social justice movements. Not just publisher descriptions, thoughtful curation answering: Why is this important now? What movements does this advance? Who should read this and why?

Transparent Donation Allocation: 15% of every purchase goes directly to partner organizations working in related cause areas. This transparency makes impact tangible. Purchasing isn't just acquiring a book, it's contributing to movements.

I designed Rebel Reads as a mobile-first responsive platform that integrates book discovery, community engagement, and transparent impact into one cohesive experience. The solution introduces four core innovations:

Cause-Based Collections: This approach helps readers discover literature aligned with their values without knowing specific titles or authors.

Editorial "Why This Matters" Context: Every product page includes editorial content explaining the book's significance to social justice movements. Not just publisher descriptions, thoughtful curation answering: Why is this important now? What movements does this advance? Who should read this and why?

Transparent Donation Allocation: 15% of every purchase goes directly to partner organizations working in related cause areas. This transparency makes impact tangible. Purchasing isn't just acquiring a book, it's contributing to movements.

Competitive Landscape

Strategic Takeaways:

1. Independent Bookstores Have Mission, Not Platform
Local bookstores like Powell's and The Strand offer values-aligned curation and community events, but their websites provide generic e-commerce experiences. The mission lives in physical stores, not digital platforms. Opportunity:
bring independent bookstore curation and community to online experience.

2. Bookshop.org Supports Independents Without Differentiation
Bookshop.org's business model (profit-sharing with independent bookstores) appeals to values-conscious readers, but the UX is indistinguishable from Amazon—generic search, bestseller lists, algorithmic recommendations. Users choose it for ethics, not experience. Opportunity: combine ethical model with compelling UX.

3. Goodreads Has Community Without Commerce
Goodreads successfully builds community (reviews, lists, discussions, reading challenges) but separates it from purchasing—users research on Goodreads, buy elsewhere. Integration gap creates friction. Opportunity: unify community and commerce into seamless experience.

4. Amazon Dominates on Convenience, Alienates on Values
Amazon's selection, pricing, and convenience are unmatched, but labor practices and market monopolization drive socially conscious readers toward alternatives. 58% of surveyed users actively avoid Amazon despite convenience. Opportunity:
compete on values and community, not price and speed.

The Opportunity: Create the first platform purpose-built for socially conscious readers—combining independent bookstore mission and curation with digital-native community features, transparent impact, and seamless experience from discovery through engagement.

1. Independent Bookstores Have Mission, Not Platform
Local bookstores like Powell's and The Strand offer values-aligned curation and community events, but their websites provide generic e-commerce experiences. The mission lives in physical stores, not digital platforms. Opportunity:
bring independent bookstore curation and community to online experience.

2. Bookshop.org Supports Independents Without Differentiation
Bookshop.org's business model (profit-sharing with independent bookstores) appeals to values-conscious readers, but the UX is indistinguishable from Amazon—generic search, bestseller lists, algorithmic recommendations. Users choose it for ethics, not experience. Opportunity: combine ethical model with compelling UX.

3. Goodreads Has Community Without Commerce
Goodreads successfully builds community (reviews, lists, discussions, reading challenges) but separates it from purchasing—users research on Goodreads, buy elsewhere. Integration gap creates friction. Opportunity: unify community and commerce into seamless experience.

4. Amazon Dominates on Convenience, Alienates on Values
Amazon's selection, pricing, and convenience are unmatched, but labor practices and market monopolization drive socially conscious readers toward alternatives. 58% of surveyed users actively avoid Amazon despite convenience. Opportunity:
compete on values and community, not price and speed.

The Opportunity: Create the first platform purpose-built for socially conscious readers—combining independent bookstore mission and curation with digital-native community features, transparent impact, and seamless experience from discovery through engagement.

Problem Statement

Problem Statement

Socially conscious readers who want to support activist literature and underrepresented voices are experiencing fragmented book discovery, lack of community connection, and opaque purchasing impact that prevents them from finding values-aligned books and engaging meaningfully with social justice literature.

Spending 30+ minutes researching a single book across disconnected platforms (Goodreads reviews, Instagram recommendations, bookstore websites) only to still question: "Does this align with my values? Will my purchase support causes I care about?"

Information Architecture

I structured Rebel Reads around the reader journey: discovery through causes they care about → evaluation with editorial context → purchasing with transparent impact → engagement through integrated community. The IA needed to work responsively, optimizing for mobile discovery and desktop research.

Traditional bookstores organize by genre (Fiction, Non-Fiction, History). This works for browsing physical spaces but fails online for mission-driven discovery. Someone interested in environmental justice must search "Science" or "Politics" or "Nature" finding mostly mainstream climate books, not activist literature centering marginalized voices.

Aligns with how socially conscious readers think ("I care about abolition—show me everything") rather than forcing them to translate interests into traditional categories.

I structured Rebel Reads around the reader journey: discovery through causes they care about → evaluation with editorial context → purchasing with transparent impact → engagement through integrated community. The IA needed to work responsively, optimizing for mobile discovery and desktop research.

Traditional bookstores organize by genre (Fiction, Non-Fiction, History). This works for browsing physical spaces but fails online for mission-driven discovery. Someone interested in environmental justice must search "Science" or "Politics" or "Nature" finding mostly mainstream climate books, not activist literature centering marginalized voices.

Aligns with how socially conscious readers think ("I care about abolition—show me everything") rather than forcing them to translate interests into traditional categories.

Visual Design System

Rebel Reads needed to feel editorially bold—celebrating activist literature and underrepresented voices—while maintaining clarity, accessibility, and usability. The design balances expressive brand identity with functional e-commerce requirements.

Design Challenge: Create visual language that feels intellectually rigorous (appealing to educated progressive readers) without feeling academic or inaccessible. Celebrate activism without appearing militant. Look contemporary without trendy minimalism that ignores the weight of social justice topics.

Unlike image-driven e-commerce (fashion, home goods), book retail centers on typography—titles, authors, descriptions, editorial content. Rebel Reads leans into this through type-forward layouts that celebrate language.

Wireframe Evolution

High Fidelity Designs

Responsive homepage design featuring cause-based collections with editorial introductions immediately establishing mission and values. Staff picks and new releases create browsing variety. Design communicates: this is a curated bookstore with clear values, not generic e-commerce.

Product detail page with "Why This Matters" editorial context explaining book's significance to abolition movement. Author background, movement connections, and transparent donation information (15% to partner organizations) visible above fold. Related events ("Author Reading: April 15") integrated directly into product page with one-tap RSVP. Design transforms transaction into community engagement.

What I Learned

What I Learned

Learning 1: Mission-Driven Commerce Requires Integration, Not Addition

When I started designing Rebel Reads, I thought about social impact as something to add to standard e-commerce—"build a bookstore, then add donation feature and community tools." But through the design process, I learned that mission-driven
platforms succeed when values integrate into every interaction, not just tacked onto checkout.

This taught me that values-alignment isn't a feature, it's the organizing principle shaping every design decision. When mission infuses the complete experience, it feels authentic rather than performative. Users trust that the platform truly
cares about social justice, not just marketing to socially conscious consumers.

Learning 2: Editorial Voice Accelerates E-Commerce Decisions

Initially, I viewed "Why This Matters" editorial content as nice-to-have enrichment, users could read it if interested, but the primary experience was browsing and purchasing. But editorial context actually accelerates purchasing decisions by reducing evaluation uncertainty.

When users browse generic e-commerce (Amazon, Bookshop.org), they face decision paralysis: "Is this the right book on abolition? Should I read this before or after 'The New Jim Crow'? Does this center Black voices or interpret from
outside?" Publisher descriptions answer what the book is about, not why it matters or where it fits in broader conversations.

Learning 3: Cause-Based Organization Requires Expertise, Not Algorithms

Initially, I considered algorithmic approaches to cause-based collections, "Books tagged with 'abolition' go in Abolition collection." But this creates false equivalence: Angela Davis's foundational theory appears alongside prison guard memoirs because both mention "abolition."

The realization: cause-based curation requires human expertise and editorial judgment that algorithms can't replicate. Which voices center marginalized perspectives versus interpret from outside? Which books provide foundational
understanding versus assumed prior knowledge? What reading order helps beginners
navigate complex movements?

This taught me that mission-driven platforms need editorial teams, not just better tagging systems. The value proposition isn't "we categorize books differently", it's "we provide expert curation from movement-aligned perspectives." That requires humans who understand social justice literature deeply, not algorithms processing keywords.

Learning 5: Responsive Design Should Optimize for Context, Not Just Screen Size

When designing responsive breakpoints, I initially focused on layout—"three columns on desktop, one column on mobile." But through designing complete flows across devices, I learned that responsive design should optimize for different user contexts and behaviors, not just different screen sizes.

Mobile users browse during commute or downtime—quick discovery, saving to wishlist, impulse purchases based on recommendations. Desktop users research reading lists, compare multiple books, read comprehensive reviews and editorial
content. These aren't the same user at different screen sizes—they're different use cases requiring different optimizations.

Learning 1: Mission-Driven Commerce Requires Integration, Not Addition

When I started designing Rebel Reads, I thought about social impact as something to add to standard e-commerce—"build a bookstore, then add donation feature and community tools." But through the design process, I learned that mission-driven
platforms succeed when values integrate into every interaction, not just tacked onto checkout.

This taught me that values-alignment isn't a feature, it's the organizing principle shaping every design decision. When mission infuses the complete experience, it feels authentic rather than performative. Users trust that the platform truly
cares about social justice, not just marketing to socially conscious consumers.

Learning 2: Editorial Voice Accelerates E-Commerce Decisions

Initially, I viewed "Why This Matters" editorial content as nice-to-have enrichment, users could read it if interested, but the primary experience was browsing and purchasing. But editorial context actually accelerates purchasing decisions by reducing evaluation uncertainty.

When users browse generic e-commerce (Amazon, Bookshop.org), they face decision paralysis: "Is this the right book on abolition? Should I read this before or after 'The New Jim Crow'? Does this center Black voices or interpret from
outside?" Publisher descriptions answer what the book is about, not why it matters or where it fits in broader conversations.

Learning 3: Cause-Based Organization Requires Expertise, Not Algorithms

Initially, I considered algorithmic approaches to cause-based collections, "Books tagged with 'abolition' go in Abolition collection." But this creates false equivalence: Angela Davis's foundational theory appears alongside prison guard memoirs because both mention "abolition."

The realization: cause-based curation requires human expertise and editorial judgment that algorithms can't replicate. Which voices center marginalized perspectives versus interpret from outside? Which books provide foundational
understanding versus assumed prior knowledge? What reading order helps beginners
navigate complex movements?

This taught me that mission-driven platforms need editorial teams, not just better tagging systems. The value proposition isn't "we categorize books differently", it's "we provide expert curation from movement-aligned perspectives." That requires humans who understand social justice literature deeply, not algorithms processing keywords.

Learning 5: Responsive Design Should Optimize for Context, Not Just Screen Size

When designing responsive breakpoints, I initially focused on layout—"three columns on desktop, one column on mobile." But through designing complete flows across devices, I learned that responsive design should optimize for different user contexts and behaviors, not just different screen sizes.

Mobile users browse during commute or downtime—quick discovery, saving to wishlist, impulse purchases based on recommendations. Desktop users research reading lists, compare multiple books, read comprehensive reviews and editorial
content. These aren't the same user at different screen sizes—they're different use cases requiring different optimizations.

Available for new opportunities

Available for new opportunities

Available for new opportunities

Thanks for reading

If this case study resonates with how you think about design: research-driven, user-centered, and focused on real impact. I'd love to talk about opportunities with your team.

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