Fable

Applying user experience principles to assess the quality of interaction design for a digital product.

ROLE UX Researcher
CONTRIBUTION Research, Presentation
DURATION ~4 hours in total
PLATFORM Presentation
TEAM SAIT Individual Assignment
TOOLS
Canva
SUMMARY

My task for this assignment was to analyze the performance of components and score the quality of interactions for a digital product. The purpose of this assignment was to enhance our understanding of how bad design interactions can lead to negative user experiences.

Introduction

I chose to study the mobile application Fable for this assignment. Fable is described as “the modern app for every reader”, allowing users to track books they're reading, find new ones, and join virtual book clubs with other Fable users.

I chose this app because:

  • I enjoy using this app on a daily basis
  • I couldn't immediately think of any glaring issues to address
  • I knew that this app was available on both Android and iOS operating systems
The introduction slide for my Fable presentation

Scoring Criteria

My scoring criteria included five categories, and each category was rated out of 5, with 5 being the best score possible in that category.

  • Words - Are labels present and intuitive? Is microcopy clear?
  • Visuals - Colour choices, contrast, iconography, images.
  • Objects & Space - Does the feature function as expected on a mobile device, with a mouse, or using keyboard inputs?
  • Time - Animation timing, loading screens, wait time.
  • Behavior - Does the component or interaction behave as expected?

Key Learnings

  • Learned to critically evaluate an app I use regularly by intentionally seeking out usability issues
  • Strengthened my ability to identify targeted problems and propose actionable design improvements
  • Practiced separating personal familiarity from objective UX analysis

This assignment challenged me to analyze an app I use daily and genuinely enjoy, which pushed me to shift from a user mindset to a critical UX perspective. Digging deeper to uncover specific issues and proposing actionable improvements was both challenging and rewarding. Receiving an A+ (68/70) reinforced my confidence in my ability to thoughtfully evaluate and improve existing products. View the entirety of the analysis presentation in the gallery below.

Fable project cover image