Conversation — enhancing podcast discovery, review, and discuss…

Mobile Designer

UX Designer

UI Designer

Adobe Photoshop

Canva

Figma

A UX Case Study

In this personal project, I explored the podcast listening experience. I designed an app that allows listeners to tune in, share their thoughts, and rate episodes while connecting with fellow podcast enthusiasts.

Introduction

Podcasts are something I often listen to. One day, while exploring a new podcast, I came across an interesting title and cover image. Eager for something fresh, I played the latest episode. However, my excitement faded as the podcast began with advertisements. As the host announced the third product, I hit pause on my headphones, feeling like I had reached a dead end.

This frustration sparked a curiosity in me to delve deeper into the matter. I searched this episode and found limited results on Google, along with a few links to the episode on various podcast platforms. As disappointed as I was, I began my search for a solution to this frustration and to understand other users’ experiences.

Research

For a comprehensive understanding of the problem, I conducted Market research, competitive analysis, and user research.

Market Research

To understand if it’s viable in the real world, I did market research.

Global Podcasting Market Projection: The global podcasting market is projected to exceed USD 233.9 billion by 2032, experiencing significant growth from USD 21.4 billion in 2022, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 27.8%. (Source)

Rising Global Listenership: Global podcast listenership reached a record high of 485 million in 2020 and is expected to surpass 800 million by 2025. (Source)

Preferred Listening Devices: 73% of podcast listeners prefer using their smartphones for tuning in. (Source)

📜 Conclusion:

Given that more than 2/3 of users prefer smartphones for listening, smartphone-first approach is essential in developing any solution.

Furthermore, the substantial and ever-growing number of podcasts and episodes, coupled with the increasing global listenership, suggest a growing demand for an app that offers comprehensive podcast reviews and recommendations.

User Research

After understanding the market, I asked users about their pain points. This involves conducting user interviews with 3 avid podcast listeners and distributing a user survey to gather quantitative data (N = 42).

Quantitive analysis

Quantitve analysis listed down below:

64% of users (N =27)) regularly listen to podcasts.

78% of users (N=33) want persnolized recommendations based on their interests.

93% of users (N=39) discuss or recommend podcasts with friends.

Mostly through word of mouth (78%, N=33) and Social media platforms (57%, N=33 ).

93% of users (N=39) want features that allow users to rate and review podcasts.

User Interviews

I interviewed 3 podcast listeners and asked the following questions to understand their experience:

How often do you listen to podcasts?

Where do you currently discover new podcasts?

How crucial are personalized podcast recommendations for you?

How do you share or suggest podcasts with friends or the community?

Would you like a feature where users can rate and review podcasts and episodes?

Would you use an app that allows you to discuss and engage with other podcast listeners?

Highlight from user interviews: All listeners uses google search + reddit to find discussion about podcasts. They would love to find people with similar taste in podcast. Listeners like comment section feature of Youtube. One of the listeners told he won’t like using separate app for reviews and discussion it would be nice to have all podcast in one place, instead of opening several apps to find one Users need a free app not paid or less cost

📜 Conclusion:

User research confirms the need for personalized recommendations, robust discussion features, and the ability to rate and review podcasts.

These insights inform the app’s design focus, aiming to elevate the podcast listening experience for users

Competitive Analysis:

I explored existing solutions to address the identified problem after conducting market research. Several websites, including Podchaser, Listen Notes, IMDb, and Reddit, emerged as notable contenders.

Podchaser: It’s good but doesn’t have a mobile app, which is a downside since 73% of podcast listeners prefer smartphones.

Listen Notes: It has review features, but its main focus is on its dataset and API.

IMDb: It has a podcast section but only hosts 66k podcasts, much less than the estimated total of 4M.

Reddit (Indirect Competitor): Active communities exist, but Reddit isn’t specifically tailored for podcast listeners, so it lacks specialized features.

Overall, while these platforms offer some solutions, none fully focus on improving the podcast discovery, review, and discussion experience.

MoSCoW Prioritization Categories Must Have Personalized Recommendations Discussion Features Rating and Review Functionality Smartphone Compatibility SHOULD HAVE Integration of Podcasts Ease of Use COULD HAVE Podcast creator group channels WILL NOT HAVE Paid version