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Sefaria
Reading & Research Platform



Sefaria is the leading digital library, research, and publishing platform for Jewish texts. I began working on Sefaria in the early stages of the project, and guided design of several products across native apps & web as it has gained a global user base of nearly 1 million users. My contributions include user and usability research, product planning and strategy, product management, UI/UX design, content strategy, and design QA. 

When I joined the project in its early stages, they had built a prototype that allowed users to read source texts alongside relevant commentaries and textual connections. While initial users found value in the platform, the interface presented an overwhelming amount of information, leading to an awkward and slow experience. The core challenge was to redesign the platform to provide a smoother, more focused, and performant experience.   

The Challenge

The primary issue was information overload. Users were presented with a vast array of supporting materials alongside the main text, making it difficult to focus and engage deeply. The prototype interface was also very slow due to the simultaneous loading of so many different pieces of text data. Furthermore, the existing build was a desktop interface, and we needed to bring the reader to mobile users. The core challenge was to simplify access to a complex dataset, offering a more parsed, step-by-step, and nuanced experience while retaining the ability for users to explore the extensive library.


Initial Approach & Strategy

My initial strategy centered around a mobile-first prototyping approach. Taking advantage of the constraints of a smaller screen, I focused on creating a design that prioritized clarity and focus. Key elements of this initial approach included:

  • Adding a Content Menu
    Instead of displaying entire commentaries alongside the main text, the redesigned interface would present links to relevant supporting materials, reducing the amount of information in the first view.

  • Prioritizing Snippets and Connections
    Only snippets of the supporting content would be initially visible, rather than entire texts, allowing users to find interesting content without being overwhelmed.

  • Contextual Prioritization
    The order of resources in the side panel was rethought to prioritize the most frequently accessed and relevant materials, moving away from a simple alphabetical listing.

  • Adapting the Two-Panel Layout for Mobile
    The existing two-panel structure was reimagined for mobile web, positioning a condensed version of the side panel (as a menu) in a way that dynamically updated with the scrolling main text.


Key Principles

Two core ideas guided the design process:

  1. Minimizing User Friction
    Every design decision aimed to create a smooth and effortless interaction, allowing users to focus on the rich textual content rather than the mechanics of the interface.

  2. New Book Experience
    I worked to build on the established traditions of textual learning (on scrolls and in printed books) while leveraging the unique capabilities of the digital environment to enhance understanding and exploration.


User Research & Validation

To ensure these initial concepts streamlined the experience, I conducted qualitative research on the new iteration. This involved:

  • Observational User Testing
    I watched users interacting with the mobile web and desktop interfaces, paying close attention to their reading habits, learning processes, and points of frustration.

  • Focus on Natural Interaction
    A significant part of the testing focused on the interaction between the main scrolling text and the dynamically updating side panel. The goal was to make every interaction feel natural and intuitive, regardless of prior experience with similar interfaces.

  • Iterative Refinement Based on Direct Interaction
    User feedback revealed that directly clicking or tapping on the main text to open the side panel was an intuitive way to access supporting materials. Similarly, clicking back on the main text would close the side panel. These interaction patterns were adapted for both touch (mobile) and click (web) interfaces.

  • Leveraging Quantitative Data
    Usage data from tracked links in the side panel helped inform the prioritization of content and identify popular resources.


Design Refinements

Working from the design research, I made several changes and improments to the UI/UX:

  • Nuanced Scrolling for Dynamic Interaction
    The design incorporated scrolling as an interactive element. Scrolling the main text dynamically updated the relevant supporting materials in the side panel, creating a seamless and contextual reading experience. Upward scrolling gestures were also explored as a way to access menus and controls, minimizing static UI elements. The details of these scroll movements were key to matching the instincts of the user.

  • Prioritizing Direct Textual Engagement
    The overarching goal was to minimize interface elements and focus on the direct interaction between the user's hand/eye and the text itself, mirroring the traditional experience of reading physical books.

  • Color-Coding of Supporting Materials
    A distinct color system was introduced for each type of supporting material (e.g., commentaries in blue, source text in teal). This provided immediate visual orientation and allowed users to quickly identify and navigate to their preferred resources. This color system is now applied throughout the platform.

  • Horizontal Line Separators
    Subtle horizontal lines were used to separate different texts and authors, creating a visual rhythm reminiscent of a library. This added a sense of order, place, and hierarchy to the reading experience and the platform as a whole.


Key Outcomes & Impact

The redesigned reader, with its nuanced scrolling and simultaneous two-panel reading experience, became a defining feature of the Sefaria platform. This unique and elegant interaction model has been highly successful in engaging users. Analytics showed an average session duration of nearly ten minutes per user, demonstrating significant engagement with the reading experience. This consistent engagement across web, and later on the native iOS/Android apps we designed, highlights the success of the user-centered design approach in the early stages of the product, creating a uniquely comfortable and intuitive environment for studying complex texts. 


Press

VICE: Why This Digitized, Searchable Talmud Is a Big Deal

Washington Post: The quest to put the Talmud online

Siggraph: Designing Knowledge

Desktop Side Panel







Mobile Side Panel



Color Coding in Primary Navigation







Mobile View of Source Text



Auto-Scrolling Side Panel Content


Text Formatting Menu










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