Overview
Manga is a staple of Japanese popular culture and is well-anchored in Japanese society. Manga readers are very particular and specific when it comes to their reading and consuming habits. My goal was to understand the users and offer them an alternative way to consume manga.
About the Project
When it comes to manga, our one-size-fits-all all approach wasn't going to work. My goal was to redesign the detail page in such a way that it captures our user's needs and consuming habits. In a way, I was trying to recreate the user's experience of reading a physical book here.
Manga detail page (old version)
At first glance, it looks like it serves the purpose. It contains all the required information (book metadata, details, reviews, cross-promoting content etc).
Business problems
high user abandonment
User's weren't entirely convinced with the manga detailed page and it wasn't resulting in conversion.
inability to cross sell more
Having trouble cross selling similar content to our user base, even though it was based on solid analytics.
Stagnant revenue
One of the main goals was to increase and retain revenue in the manga, anime and comic readers segment
User research
To understand the problems and the user needs further, in-depth user research was undertaken in Japan to understand users better. My goal was to understand the user habits, what drives them to consume manga, how important is the manga culture in Japan, and their reading habits.
Lack of delight
"It's kind of a sterile page, isn't it?"
Missing essential book details
"Wait, what kind of manga is it? Hopefully, not Shonen!"
Not easy to view samples
"How do I get back?"
Social proof visibility issue
"Ummm, where are the reviews?"
Price discounts & savings
"I might be more tempted if it's on sale"
Other recommended books
"I love this author! I want to read more of the same stuff"
Manga research in Japan
How the issues were addressed
Easy sample viewing
Author's name as a link
Bundle above the fold
Similar books listed higher
About the book below the fold
Cross-selling more prominently
Ratings anchored to the bottom