February 2026
    M T W T F S S
     1
    2345678
    9101112131415
    16171819202122
    232425262728  

    Hey Everyone. I'm thinkting of building a reading tracker to help myself and other stay consistent with reading i want it to be opinionated, sociable and gamified… think of Letterboxd but for books and i need your help to brainstorm ideas and validate my hypothesis xD

    Disclaimer: I'm not trying to make money, i'm a product manager and i wanted to build smt for my portfolio but i want to build smt meaningful that i can resonate with and personally enjoy using.

    Here is a break down of what i'm building

    Tracking app: similar to Goodreads or whatever app you are using this one is simple. On top of which you have more gemified and sociable experience.

    A. Gamification: it actively enforces the small progress you are making and the reading habit:

    1. Progress: Bar showing completed vs. remaining pages for each book.
    2. Badges: similar to reddit badges that displays next to your name. You collect them by reading ex. Top 1% reader.
    3. "Wrapped" Reports: Monthly and Yearly recap graphics designed for Instagram/social sharing.
    4. Notifications: Gentle daily reminders to pick up your current book.

    B. Sociable: it promots social activities like reading together, creating shared reading lists or easily sharing your profile, status report, or the book you are currently reading to social media stories:

    1. Shareable Profile: Displays "Top 4" books, recent reads, current status, badges, and shelves.
    2. The "Read Along": ​Checkpoint System: Discussion threads locked to specific chapters (e.g., you can't see the Chapter 10 discussion until you finish Chapter 10). 
    3. Margin Emojis "for Read Along": Allow users to double-tap a paragraph to leave a reaction emoji (😂, 😭, 😱, 😡).
    4. Rants "for Read Along": At the end of a "Checkpoint" (e.g., Chapter 10), allow users to leave a 30-second "Voice Rant."
    5. Quote Cards: Highlight text to instantly generate an aesthetic image of the quote + book cover.

    C. Opinionated: It promots actually sharing your thoughts and this part is heavily inspired by Letterboxd:

    1. Review Logs: similar to letterboxd one that promots writing your opinion not just giving a star review. These reviews include:
      1. Diary Entry: Log when and where a book was read.
      2. ​Spoiler Curtains: Ability to blur out specific paragraphs in a review to prevent spoilers.
      3. Public/Private Toggle: Choose who sees your logs.
    2. Custom Shelves: Create collections (e.g., "To Read," "Favorites") with custom names, cover and descriptions and make it public or private. 

    It will require a hella work so i would really appreciate your help validating this hypothesis before i proceed.

    If you have any ideas feel free to drop it xD

    by Toxic-MG

    Leave A Reply