TIMELINE
4 Weeks
AREA OF INTEREST
Digital Product Design
ROLE
Solo UX/UI Designer
PROJECT TYPE
Google UX Design Professional Certificate Project
Problem
Webtoon’s cluttered and ad-heavy homepage was frustrating users, burying the content they cared about most and disrupting their reading ritual.
Webtoons is one of the most popular digital reading platforms. But recent UI changes frustrated users who expected a simple, reliable experience. My goal was to identify pain points and design small but impactful improvements that restored usability, reduced friction, and aligned with user needs while still supporting Webtoons’ business goals of discovery and engagement.
Users found the new homepage cluttered and ad-heavy, making navigation frustrating. Key issues included:
These issues disrupted the core experience: picking up where you left off should be one tap, not a hunt through clutter.
A Smoother Path from Ad to Content
“Before visual design, I validated the layout with grayscale wireframes to ensure the new flow solved core usability issues.”
Bringing It All Together
The Problem (Before)
The Solution (After)
Research
85% of users reported frustrations with Webtoons’ cluttered homepage.
Without access to Webtoons’ internal metrics, I used resourceful methods to validate pain points.
Sentiment Analysis: Reviewed 42 comments from 5 Reddit threads in r/webtoons (past 6 months).
Anecdote AI+3Change.org+3line-webtoon.appstor.io+3
From Insights to Interaction
After identifying recurring pain points through sentiment analysis, I mapped the existing user journey to understand where friction occurred and how those frustrations influenced user behavior.
Competition
Industry Standards in Reading Apps
Without access to Webtoons’ internal metrics, I used resourceful methods to validate pain points.
Sentiment Analysis: Reviewed 42 comments from 5 Reddit threads in r/webtoons (past 6 months).
Anecdote AI+3Change.org+3line-webtoon.appstor.io+3
Competition Offer:
This confirmed that Webtoons’ redesign diverged from both user expectations and competitor standards.
User Interviews
Industry Standards in Reading Apps
Since I didn’t have direct access to Webtoons’ user base, I gathered insights by analyzing active community discussions on Reddit. I treated this as a proxy for user interviews, pulling direct quotes to capture emotion and context.
Research Questions
How easily can users find their ongoing series?
How do users feel about ads in the reading experience?
What frustrates users the most about the homepage navigation?
What frustrates users most about the current layout and typography?
Theme 1: Community Motivation
Continuity matters: Users want immediate access to ongoing series; hunting for them creates frustration.
Discovery vs. accessibility: Users enjoy discovering new content but not at the expense of the shows they already follow.
Ad tolerance is limited: Users tolerate ads when they feel valuable and transparent; intrusive placement reduces trust.
Theme 2: Performance/Interaction
Navigation & layout inconsistencies: Buried menus, confusing flows, and small typography slow users down and create cognitive load.
Navigation & layout inconsistencies: Buried menus, confusing flows, and small typography slow users down and create cognitive load.
Visual clarity improves satisfaction: Clear hierarchy, spacing, and legible text make it easier for users to browse and read.
Even small shifts drive measurable improvements:
These changes align user satisfaction with Webtoons’ business objectives: improved retention and re-engagement.
Even small shifts drive measurable improvements:
These changes align user satisfaction with Webtoons’ business objectives: improved retention and re-engagement.
What I’d do If we continued
To validate the redesign:
This project reinforced that UX impact often comes from invisible fixes. Users rarely celebrate typography or menu consistency, but they feel the ease when those details work.
Without company metrics, I learned to be resourceful synthesizing user complaints, running sentiment analysis, and comparing competitors. If I repeated this project, I’d define success metrics earlier (e.g., reduce resume time to one tap, increase daily retention by 10%).
Ultimately, this case study showed me the power of empathy-driven design: by listening to frustrated voices and making subtle, behind-the-scenes changes, I could restore trust in an app millions rely on daily.
