Manga App Concept
Sarassola
Manga+, Gamified Manga Reading App
Introduction
Gamification as a community engine for manga readers.
Born from a thesis, Manga+ explores how game mechanics can turn solitary reading into a social, motivating experience for a niche that loves collecting, identity, and play. Role: UX/UI, research, MVP scope, and gamification system over a 5-month build.
Project Goals
From passive reading to participatory culture.
Tackle a fragmented ecosystem where most apps are pure readers with thin social layers. The objective: design a platform that sustains motivation, encourages discovery, and nurtures belonging through playful systems and personalization.
Key objectives:
Promote active, social consumption.
Increase retention via playful motivation loops.
Tie customization to earned achievements.
Enable community formation through social features.
Benchmarking & Research
Studying the landscape to spot the gaps.
Benchmarked Manga Plus, Manga Dogs, Crunchyroll Manga, Manga Geek, and InManga across interaction, social, content, design, and accessibility. Findings: scarce social features, low profile personalization, little focus on ongoing motivation, and no structured gamification—prime space for differentiation.
Users & Profiles
Designing for player types, not just “readers.”
Personas grounded in Bartle & Marczewski models: Achievers, Explorers, Socializers, Killers—mapped to mechanics (progress, discovery, interaction, competition). Target: 16–35, deep Japan-culture affinity, identity expression, and immersive digital habits.
Value Proposition
Read, play, belong.
A manga app that blends an optimized reader (dark mode, layout/accessibility controls) with gamified actions (read, comment, recommend), avatar customization, public bookshelf décor, and community events with weekly leaderboards.
Implemented mechanics:
Points for key actions (reading, forums, gifting).
Missions tailored to player types.
Unlockable content, badges, honorifics.
Time-boxed challenges and rankings.
Avatar accessories reflecting progress across profile and bookshelf.
UX/UI Design
Clarity first, with manga-native aesthetics.
Focus on accessibility (dark mode, font sizes, contrast), crisp hierarchy, and guided, progressive onboarding to ease newcomers into social and gamified features without overwhelm. sarassola.com
Design System
Tokens + components to ship features fast.
Reader primitives (typography scales for long-form, spacing/rhythm for panels), interaction patterns (missions, badges, leaderboards), and customization modules (avatar, bookshelf objects) designed as composable parts for future events/licensing expansions.
Results
Motivation loops that sustain the community.
Retention lifts through sustained motivation; organic growth seeded by social dynamics; clear runway to expand with events, licensing, and themed missions. The project demonstrates how UX + gamification transforms isolated reading into a community ecosystem.
Role: UX/UI Design, Research, MVP Definition, Gamification System Design — Duration: 5 months — Tools: Figma, Miro, Google Forms, Illustrator.
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Posted Oct 24, 2025
Manga+ turns solitary reading into a game: earn points, customize avatars, join events, and discover series—read, play, belong.
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