Pocket Reading delivers five-minute literary excerpts via WhatsApp to help Brazilians build a sustainable reading habit.
Client
Pocket Reading
My role
Lead Designer / Art Director
Deliverables
Concept
Brand Design
Art Direction
Design Direction
Visual Design
3D animation
Challenge
For the first time, most Brazilians (53%) are classified as non-readers. Books feel expensive, long, and hard to stick with. The habit never forms because the barrier to start is too high.
Approach
The real obstacle wasn't motivation, it was friction. People weren't avoiding reading because they disliked it; they were overwhelmed before they started. Rather than building a new app that users would need to download and learn, the team chose to deliver content inside WhatsApp, already installed on 99% of Brazilian smartphones. Five minutes of text per day lowers the commitment to something manageable. The constraint of using only public domain books shaped the initial library, but kept the service free and accessible from day one.
Daily delivery creates rhythm. The system is built around repetition: same time, same format, same place. Because habit formation depends on consistency, not variety.
The hardest part was tone. Weight is personal. I had to make sure nothing in the app, copy, visuals, or onboarding, implied it was only for people trying to lose weight.
The real challenge was creating a wow moment that made users want to return daily. Gamification helps, but only when it feels earned. Combining progress visuals, community support, and specialist access creates something no single feature could do alone.
"Short texts that can be read on public transport, at red lights or in line at the bank."
"This is a clever app that encourages entertainment and education."
"Leitura de Bolso — or Pocket Reading — is a new initiative, which offers five minute reads for free via Whatsapp."
