Webtoon

Webtoon is one of the most popular comic reading apps, but finding your next comic read is harder than it should be. This self-initiated project redesigns the experience to make discovery easier without overwhelming readers.

project

Personal

ROLE

UX Designer,
UX Researcher

Partners

Solo

timeline

July - August 2024
5 weeks

ROLE

UX Designer, UX Researcher

team

Solo

timeline

July - August 2024

🌿In a nutshell…

Problem:
Webtoon has a discoverability problem, where it is hard to navigate and find comics due to its overwhelming amount of choices

Impact:
I created an Explore section, a dedicated space to find comics by popularity, genres, and Webtoon Originals, reducing the number of comics shown at once by 30%.

Project description

Webtoon is one of the most popular comic reading apps, but the experience of finding something new to read is harder than it should be. The app surfaces hundreds of comics across multiple pages, with no single place to explore by genre, popularity, or mood. This self-initiated redesign focuses on two things: reducing the noise on existing pages, and creating a dedicated discovery path that doesn't exist in the current app.

Webtoon is one of the most popular comic reading apps, but the experience of finding something new to read is harder than it should be. The app surfaces hundreds of comics across multiple pages, with no single place to explore by genre, popularity, or mood. This self-initiated redesign focuses on two things: reducing the noise on existing pages, and creating a dedicated discovery path that doesn't exist in the current app.


How might we redesign Webtoon's interface so readers can easily discover their next comic — without feeling overwhelmed the moment they open the app?

Results

🍃
🍃

30% fewer comics surfaced at once, reducing decision fatigue across every page

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🍃

Consolidated 5 pages into 4, each with a clearer, distinct purpose for readers

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🍃

Built Explore from scratch, the first dedicated comic discovery space in the app

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🍃

Streamlined For You and My by keeping what users actually used and cutting what they didn't

Understanding the existing experience

These are the 5 pages in the original Webtoon app for context

These are the 5 pages in the original Webtoon app for context

For You

First page when user opens up app. Contains My Series, Ranking with trending webtoons, Webtoon Originals, Top Picks, and more sections (15 in total)

Originals

Webtoon originals separated by "Daily" (which day an original webtoon is updated) and by "Genres"

Canvas

Webtoon recommended series, Weekly HOT and trending webtoons based in genres. Has two sections, "Spotlight" and "Genres"

My

Contains series you have read, separated by "Recent", "Subscribed", "Downloads", "Unlocked", "Creators", "Comments" and "Super Like"

More

Has number of coins (purchasing money), Webtoon Shop, Search, Settings, etc.

User Research

To reach the most amount of Webtoon users, I posted my survey to 3 subreddits related to Webtoons: r/webtoons, r/WebtoonCanvas, r/webtoon and survey subreddits called r/SampleSize, r/SurveyExchange and r/takemysurvey.

The survey received 20 responses. This is a self-initiated project with a small sample — findings were directional.

To reach the most amount of Webtoon users, I posted my survey to 3 subreddits related to Webtoons: r/webtoons, r/WebtoonCanvas, r/webtoon and survey subreddits called r/SampleSize, r/SurveyExchange and r/takemysurvey.

The survey received 20 responses. This is a self-initiated project with a small sample — findings were directional.

0%believed discovery is harder than it should beRated finding new series as medium to difficult (3/5)
0%said there are too many comics at onceFound the number of series displayed overwhelming
0 pagesMost usage concentrates on "For You" and "My"This is where majority of user activity takes place
15 → 4Most sections in "For You" are ignoredOnly 4 are regularly used at the home page
Open-ended responses

Open-ended responses

  • "I feel there is way too much going on the For You page. I rarely use it because it's just overwhelming to look at."

  • "The Webtoon app is more polished than it used to be, but it definitely needs to be reorganized for clarity."

  • "I don't like being advertised generic romance comics every time I open the app."

0%believed discovery is harder than it should beRated finding new series as medium to difficult (3/5)
0%said there are too many comics at onceFound the number of series displayed overwhelming
0 pagesMost usage concentrates on "For You" and "My"This is where majority of user activity takes place
15 to 4Most sections in "For You" are ignoredOnly 4 are regularly used at the home page
Open-ended responses
  • "I feel there is way too much going on the For You page. I rarely use it because it's just overwhelming to look at."

  • "The Webtoon app is more polished than it used to be, but it definitely needs to be reorganized for clarity."

  • "I don't like being advertised generic romance comics every time I open the app."

Design Decisions

Based on the user data provided from the survey, I made the following choices to address the discoverability issue.

Based on the user data provided from the survey, I made the following choices to address the discoverability issue.

🌿Reducing the noise

🌿Reducing the noise

4 pages in menu bar

The original app had 5 pages. I condensed these into 4, which are For You, Explore, My, and Settings, so each page has a clearer, more distinct purpose.

Reduced number of sections in "My"

The original "My" had 7 tabs, most of which users never mentioned using. Based on survey data, I reduced this to 4, which are Recent, Subscribed, Download, and Comments

🌿Building a discovery space

🌿Building a discovery space

Explore Section

I created Explore as a dedicated discovery space, keeping it separate from For You so personalized recommendations stay uncluttered. Explore is split into Spotlight, Genres, and Originals, covering all three ways Webtoon surfaces comics in one consolidated place.

Lo-fi Wireframes

Final Designs

The centerpiece of the redesign is Explore — a dedicated discovery section that didn't exist in the original app 🌿

Explore: Spotlight

Explore: Spotlight

New WEBTOON Originals

New WEBTOON Originals

Preview

Preview

Spotlight

Spotlight

Genres

Genres

Originals

Originals

Search a comic, creator, or genre

Search a comic, creator, or genre

9:41

9:41

Fantasy

The Mushroom Girl

Fantasy

The Mushroom Girl

Romance

To Loved and Be Loved

Romance

To Loved and Be Loved

Sci-fi

Miracle Stimulator

Sci-fi

Miracle Stimulator

Drama

Selfish Romance

Drama

Selfish Romance

Weekly HOT

Weekly HOT

Pixie and Brutus

Comedy

Pixie and Brutus

Comedy

Boy Girlfriend

Romance

Boy Girlfriend

Romance

I Think I Like You

Slice of Life

I Think I Like You

Slice of Life

Crow Time

Comedy

Crow Time

Comedy

Spicy Mints

Slice of Life

Spicy Mints

Slice of Life

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

1

1

Romance

Romance

The Fish I Loved

300K

The Fish I Loved

300K

Operation True Love

80K

Operation True Love

80K

I Think I Like You

4.4M

I Think I Like You

4.4M

Your Letter

20.3M

Your Letter

20.3M

Boy-friend’s Rule

563K

Boy-friend’s Rule

563K

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

Slice of Life

Slice of Life

Bunny’s School Days

300K

Bunny’s School Days

300K

The Quickscribbes

80K

The Quickscribbes

80K

I Think I Like You

4.4M

I Think I Like You

4.4M

Nerd and Jock

20.3M

Nerd and Jock

20.3M

Spicy Mints

563K

Spicy Mints

563K

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

For You

For You

Explore

Explore

My

My

Settings

Settings

3 tabs to discover comics

3 tabs to discover comics

Spotlight, Genres and Originals are pulled from the app but more easier to filter out by.


Spotlight → trending and new

Genres → comics categorized by category such as romance, adventure, etc.

Originals → comics that were first created on the app

Spotlight, Genres and Originals are pulled from the app but more easier to filter out by.


Spotlight → trending and new

Genres → comics categorized by category such as romance, adventure, etc.

Originals → comics that were first created on the app

Search bar

Search bar

The original app does not have a search bar for users to find comics.


I added one as a way for a user to look up comics they are interested in reading.

The original app does not have a search bar for users to find comics.


I added one as a way for a user to look up comics they are interested in reading.

Comedy

Nerd and Jock

Comedy

Nerd and Jock

Drama

Purple Hyacinth

Drama

Purple Hyacinth

Fantasy

Cursed Prince...

Fantasy

Cursed Prince...

Romance

Castle Swimmer


Romance

Castle Swimmer


Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Title

Genre

Spotlight

Spotlight

Genres

Genres

Originals

Originals

Drama

Drama

Romance

Romance

Action

Action

Horror

Horror

Comedy

Comedy

This Wasn’t My Plan

250K

In a twist of fate, Ro-a finds herself thrown back a decade in time. This isn’t just a trip down memory lane. She’s faced with a younger, naive Sihyeon, the future superstar who would brut...

This Wasn’t My Plan

250K

In a twist of fate, Ro-a finds herself thrown back a decade in time. This isn’t just a trip down memory lane. She’s faced with a younger, naive Sihyeon, the future superstar who would brut...

Your Letter

6.3M

Sori is a special young girl - kind, caring and principled well beyond her years. Unfortunately, these are not the personality traits generally celebrated in middle school - especially Sori’s...

Your Letter

6.3M

Sori is a special young girl - kind, caring and principled well beyond her years. Unfortunately, these are not the personality traits generally celebrated in middle school - especially Sori’s...

Purple Hyacinth

140K

Her ability to detect lies has made her an outstanding officer of hte law - despite being haunted by her inability to save the ones she loved from a gruesome fate many years ago...

Purple Hyacinth

140K

Her ability to detect lies has made her an outstanding officer of hte law - despite being haunted by her inability to save the ones she loved from a gruesome fate many years ago...

Seasons of Blossom

10M

Oh, to be young and in love. Oh, to be wild and carefree. The springtime of life is intense, tumultuous, and at times, oh so confusing. Spring, summer, fall and winer - love blossoms...

Seasons of Blossom

10M

Oh, to be young and in love. Oh, to be wild and carefree. The springtime of life is intense, tumultuous, and at times, oh so confusing. Spring, summer, fall and winer - love blossoms...

Watermelon

82K

Orphaned at a young age, two stray cat siblings struggle through life to find their place in this world. Through a series of unfortunate circum...

Watermelon

82K

Orphaned at a young age, two stray cat siblings struggle through life to find their place in this world. Through a series of unfortunate circum...

388 items

388 items

Sort by: Interest

Sort by: Interest

ORIGINAL

ORIGINAL

ORIGINAL

ORIGINAL

| |

| |

END

END

NEW

NEW

NEW

NEW

Search a comic, creator, or genre

Search a comic, creator, or genre

9:41

9:41

For You

For You

Explore

Explore

My

My

Settings

Settings

Condense genres page

Condense genres page

Two genre layouts existed in the original app. The circular version showed genre names only — clicking into one locked you into that genre with no way to browse others. I chose tabs because they're more familiar to existing users and surface comic previews immediately, letting readers scan across genres without committing to one

Two genre layouts existed in the original app. The circular version showed genre names only — clicking into one locked you into that genre with no way to browse others. I chose tabs because they're more familiar to existing users and surface comic previews immediately, letting readers scan across genres without committing to one

Explore: Genres

Explore: Genres

Same layout for Originals

Same layout for Originals

The Originals layout lays the same, with an Original categorized under which day a new episode is released, but now more prominent to the user under the “Original” tab, rather than a user clicking into a comic to find out whether the comic is an Original or not.

The Originals layout lays the same, with an Original categorized under which day a new episode is released, but now more prominent to the user under the “Original” tab, rather than a user clicking into a comic to find out whether the comic is an Original or not.

Fantasy

Your Smile is a Trap

Fantasy

Your Smile is a Trap

Drama

unOrdinary

Drama

unOrdinary

Fantasy

Miracle Stimulator

Fantasy

Miracle Stimulator

Comedy

Pixie and Brutus

Comedy

Pixie and Brutus

Fantasy

The Mushroom Girl

Fantasy

The Mushroom Girl

Drama

Seasons of Blossom

Drama

Seasons of Blossom

UP

UP

Fantasy

Boy-friend’s Rule

Fantasy

Boy-friend’s Rule

Drama

To Loved or Be Loved

Drama

To Loved or Be Loved

Romance

I Think I Like You

Romance

I Think I Like You

MON

MON

TUE

TUE

WED

WED

THU

THU

FRI

FRI

SAT

SAT

SUN

SUN

Updated weekly

Updated weekly

Spotlight

Spotlight

Genres

Genres

Originals

Originals

Sort by: Popularity

Sort by: Popularity

Search a comic, creator, or genre

Search a comic, creator, or genre

For You

For You

Explore

Explore

My

My

Settings

Settings

9:41

9:41

Explore: Originals

Explore: Originals

Supporting changes on 'For You' to reduce homepage clutter + 'My' to reduce unnecessary tabs 🌿
Supporting changes on 'For You' to reduce homepage clutter + 'My' to reduce unnecessary tabs 🌿

Romance

Castle Swimmer


Romance

Castle Swimmer


Comedy

Nerd and Jock

Comedy

Nerd and Jock

Drama

Purple Hyacinth

Drama

Purple Hyacinth

Fantasy

Cursed Prince...

Fantasy

Cursed Prince...

UP

UP

UP

UP

Comedy

Vampire Family
99% match

Comedy

Vampire Family
99% match

Romance

The Fish I Loved

97% match

Romance

The Fish I Loved

97% match

Drama

Candid Hearts

96% match

Drama

Candid Hearts

96% match

Fantasy

Apothcary Prince

94% match

Fantasy

Apothcary Prince

94% match

UP

UP

Operation: Tru...

Operation: Tru...

Jackson’s Diary

Jackson’s Diary

unOrdinary

unOrdinary

Reloaded...

Reloaded...

1 episode unread

1 episode unread

Watch ads, Fast Pass

Watch ads, Fast Pass

Daily Pass

Daily Pass

You’ve caught up

You’ve caught up

Trending

Trending

Recommended to you

Recommended to you

My Series

My Series

For You

For You

Explore

Explore

My

My

Settings

Settings

9:41

9:41

Navigation from 5 pages to 4

Navigation from 5 pages to 4

The redesigned version contains a personalized For You, an Explore section for discoverability, the My to view comics a user has recently read and Settings.

The redesigned version contains a personalized For You, an Explore section for discoverability, the My to view comics a user has recently read and Settings.

3 sections kept

3 sections kept

“For You” is meant to be personalized, and these three sections were well liked by users. The rest of the sections were removed to reduce the endless scroll

“For You” is meant to be personalized, and these three sections were well liked by users. The rest of the sections were removed to reduce the endless scroll

For You

For You

Comedy

Nerd and Jock

Comedy

Nerd and Jock

Drama

Purple Hyacinth

Drama

Purple Hyacinth

Fantasy

Cursed Prince...

Fantasy

Cursed Prince...

Romance

Castle Swimmer


Romance

Castle Swimmer


Operation True Love

kkokkalee/Dledumb

Last read today

Operation True Love

kkokkalee/Dledumb

Last read today

Your Smile is a Trap

AENGO

Last read 3 days ago

Your Smile is a Trap

AENGO

Last read 3 days ago

Boy-friend’s Rule

Do yoon

Last read 8 days ago

Boy-friend’s Rule

Do yoon

Last read 8 days ago

unOrdinary

uruchan

Last read 15 days ago

unOrdinary

uruchan

Last read 15 days ago

Jackson’s Diary

Paola Batalla

Last read 1 day ago

Jackson’s Diary

Paola Batalla

Last read 1 day ago

25

25

Buy Coins

Buy Coins

Recent

Recent

Subscribed

Subscribed

Downloads

Downloads

Comments

Comments

My Series

My Series

c

c

#104

#104

#28

#28

#87

#87

#33

#33

#49

#49

15 series total

15 series total

8 unread series

8 unread series

9:41

9:41

For You

For You

Explore

Explore

My

My

Settings

Settings

Buying coins more prominent

Buying coins more prominent

Initially, the coin shop was tucked away in “More,” but many users said this was important for them.


This redesign shifts the coin shop to “My” instead, allowing easier access for the user to buy coins.

Initially, the coin shop was tucked away in “More,” but many users said this was important for them.


This redesign shifts the coin shop to “My” instead, allowing easier access for the user to buy coins.

4 tabs instead of 10

4 tabs instead of 10

Rest of the tabs were removed as many users did not utilize them other than these four. Much of the other tabs were geared towards Webtoon authors than my target audience of readers.

Rest of the tabs were removed as many users did not utilize them other than these four. Much of the other tabs were geared towards Webtoon authors than my target audience of readers.

My

Solution

The redesigned flow separates discovery from personal content for the first time — Explore exists purely to help readers find something new, without cluttering the personalized For You experience

The redesigned flow separates discovery from personal content for the first time — Explore exists purely to help readers find something new, without cluttering the personalized For You experience

For You

For You

15 sections

15 sections

Canvas

Canvas

200k+ comics here alone

200k+ comics here alone

Originals

Originals

Each subtab carries 300 comics

Each subtab carries 300 comics

My

My

Contains author-related content, not applicable to readers

Contains author-related content, not applicable to readers

More

More

Coin shop hidden, only place where search bar exists

Coin shop hidden, only place where search bar exists

Open Webtoon

Open Webtoon

Before

Before

After

After

For You

For You

Personalized

Personalized

Explore

Explore

new, discovery space for comics

new, discovery space for comics

My

My

Contains reader related info, coin shop here

Contains reader related info, coin shop here

Settings

Settings

Open Webtoon

Open Webtoon

User Feedback

I went over this new redesign with 3 users of Webtoon who answered my survey, and this is what they had to say. These would be used to improve the design in future iterations of the Webtoon app. I walked them through the redesign via a Figma prototype, asking them to complete two tasks: find a new comic to read, and navigate back to a series they'd previously read. This mirrored the two core pain points from the original research.

I went over this new redesign with 3 users of Webtoon who answered my survey, and this is what they had to say. These would be used to improve the design in future iterations of the Webtoon app. I walked them through the redesign via a Figma prototype, asking them to complete two tasks: find a new comic to read, and navigate back to a series they'd previously read. This mirrored the two core pain points from the original research.

For You page was aligned with user's personalization

All 3 users said that they liked the reduced amount of sections on the "For You" redesign, showing only subscribed, recommendations and trending

Explore page useful, but can still be improved

2 users independently flagged the same gap: there was no way to filter by keyword or author within a genre, which would be something to address in the next iteration

Comics can be improved with tagging

1 user also suggested tagging comics visually as Canvas vs. Original, which aligned with feedback I'd already seen in the Reddit survey data — that pattern showing up twice showed this is a priority for the next iteration as well

Project Takeaways

Here is what I took away from doing this Webtoon case study 🌿

🌿Here is what I took away from doing this Webtoon case study

Here is what I took away from doing this Webtoon case study 🌿

Discoverability is about structure, not just content

Webtoon has plenty of great comics to choose from, but the setup of the app makes it hard to discover those great comics. This project taught me that how the organization of information directly determines whether users can find what they're looking for, and that reducing noise and creating dedicated discovery paths are two distinct but complementary design moves

Working within an existing design system

Because this was a redesign rather than a blank canvas, I had to make decisions about what to preserve to keep the app feeling familiar to existing Webtoon users. I did have to redesign and even make new screens, but I still wanted to keep existing design elements to not make the app feel foreign

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