How to Build a Smart Book Reading Progress Tracker with Genre Analytics

Develop a user-friendly application that allows book lovers to catalog their reading collection, track progress on current reads, and gain insights into their reading habits across various genres. This innovative tool combines personal library management with data-driven analytics to enhance the reading experience and motivate users to explore diverse literary landscapes.

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Simple Summary

A comprehensive Book Reading Progress Tracker with Genre Breakdown that helps readers manage their library, track reading progress, and analyze their reading habits across different genres.

Product Requirements Document (PRD)

Goals:

  • Create a user-friendly interface for managing personal book collections
  • Implement a robust progress tracking system for individual books
  • Develop a genre classification and analysis feature
  • Provide insightful statistics and visualizations of reading habits

Target Audience:

  • Avid readers
  • Book club members
  • Students and academics
  • Librarians and book industry professionals

Key Features:

  1. Book catalog management
  2. Reading progress tracker
  3. Genre classification and breakdown
  4. Reading statistics and visualizations
  5. Goal setting and achievements
  6. Social sharing and community features

User Requirements:

  • Ability to add, edit, and remove books from personal library
  • Track reading progress by page number or percentage
  • Automatic genre classification with manual override option
  • View detailed statistics on reading habits and genre preferences
  • Set reading goals and receive notifications
  • Share progress and reviews with friends or on social media

User Flows

  1. Adding a new book: User opens app -> Taps "Add Book" -> Enters book details or scans ISBN -> Selects genre(s) -> Confirms addition

  2. Updating reading progress: User selects book from library -> Taps "Update Progress" -> Enters new page number or percentage -> Views updated stats

  3. Analyzing reading habits: User navigates to "Insights" section -> Selects time period -> Views genre breakdown chart and reading pace statistics

Technical Specifications

Frontend:

  • React Native for cross-platform mobile development
  • Redux for state management
  • Chart.js for data visualization

Backend:

  • Node.js with Express.js framework
  • MongoDB for flexible document storage
  • GraphQL API for efficient data querying

Additional Tools:

  • Firebase Authentication for user management
  • Google Books API for book information retrieval
  • Natural language processing library for genre classification

API Endpoints

  • /auth: User registration and authentication
  • /books: CRUD operations for user's book collection
  • /progress: Update and retrieve reading progress
  • /genres: Manage genre classifications
  • /stats: Generate reading statistics and insights
  • /goals: Set and track reading goals
  • /social: Share progress and connect with other users

Database Schema

  • Users: {id, username, email, password_hash, joined_date}
  • Books: {id, title, author, isbn, genre_ids, total_pages, user_id}
  • ReadingProgress: {id, book_id, user_id, current_page, last_updated}
  • Genres: {id, name, description}
  • ReadingGoals: {id, user_id, goal_type, target_value, start_date, end_date}
  • SocialConnections: {id, user_id, friend_id, status}

File Structure

/src /components BookCard.js ProgressBar.js GenreChart.js GoalWidget.js /screens HomeScreen.js LibraryScreen.js ProgressScreen.js InsightsScreen.js SocialScreen.js /api bookApi.js progressApi.js statsApi.js /utils genreClassifier.js dateHelpers.js /styles globalStyles.js /redux actions/ reducers/ store.js /assets images/ fonts/ App.js package.json README.md

Implementation Plan

  1. Project setup and environment configuration (2 days)
  2. User authentication and profile management (3 days)
  3. Book catalog features including add, edit, delete (5 days)
  4. Reading progress tracking system (4 days)
  5. Genre classification and management (3 days)
  6. Statistics and data visualization implementation (5 days)
  7. Goal setting and achievement tracking (3 days)
  8. Social features and sharing capabilities (4 days)
  9. UI/UX refinement and responsiveness (4 days)
  10. Testing and bug fixes (5 days)
  11. Performance optimization (3 days)
  12. Documentation and preparation for deployment (2 days)

Deployment Strategy

  1. Set up CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions
  2. Deploy backend to Heroku or AWS Elastic Beanstalk
  3. Use MongoDB Atlas for database management
  4. Deploy mobile app to Apple App Store and Google Play Store
  5. Implement Firebase Cloud Messaging for push notifications
  6. Set up error logging and monitoring with Sentry
  7. Use AWS CloudFront or Cloudflare for CDN
  8. Implement automated backups for database and user data
  9. Configure auto-scaling for backend services

Design Rationale

The application is designed with a focus on user experience, leveraging React Native for cross-platform compatibility and a consistent look and feel. MongoDB was chosen for its flexibility in handling book data with varying attributes. The genre breakdown feature utilizes natural language processing for accurate classification, enhancing the app's analytical capabilities. A GraphQL API is implemented to allow efficient data querying, especially important for the statistics and insights features. The social aspects are included to foster a community of readers, encouraging engagement and motivation through shared progress and goals.