Literary podcast app
"Listen, Imagine, Explore: Your Literary Playground"
Role
UX/UI DesignerDuration
Jan 2024 (2 weeks)Mentored
S. Mohammadi (Senior PD at Bumble)Tools
Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Project overview
About
The literary podcast app is designed for iOS and Android platforms.
Problem
We are surrounded by people who do not always share our hobbies, there are not always people in our community who also love books very much. Sometimes we can have difficulty finding a new interesting book to read, reviews from professional experts, and information about new releases. If we want to stay on trend, we have to make an effort which is especially difficult because of limited time. Sometimes we want to devote time to our hobby when we’re on the go, doing housework, or just having free time, but finding everything in one place is not always easy.Goal
To create a practical solution to the problem of multitasking, where users can enjoy book-related content while engaged in other activities. To create an app that has a lot of useful literary content in one place (reviews, interviews, new releases, etc.). But the main idea is to give users a community, where they can actively take part in the discussions (literary talks, comments, etc.)
4Ws
Who is the app for?
- the audience from 25 to 50 years old who love reading, who are interested in writing, storytelling, trends, literary analysis, recommendations, and reviews in the literary fields
- listeners who like consuming literature through audio formats.
Where will your audience use the app?
- at home
- outdoor (parks, gardens etc.)
- in waiting areas
- in transport
- on the way
- at shops
What kind of tasks will users complete as they use the app?
- create a profile
- log in/ sign in
- download an episode
- follow the authors/podcasts
- establish personalized content
- leave comments
- take part in literary talks
When will your audience use the app?
- when users have free time
- before going to bed
- doing household chores
- during commutes
- during the breaks or activities
User Flow
I created a user flow where I combined 4 different features:
- establish personalized content
- create a profile/ Log in
- finding an interesting podcast/episode to listen
- download an episode
Low-fidelity wireframes
I designed the wireframes for Android and iOS platforms using human-centered guidelines and material design guidelines.
Imagery
I created images for categories creative, abstract, and eye-catching to arouse interest among the users. I designed the podcast covers very differently, there are some light covers, and some dark ones. My idea was to show how my app will look with different covers because in real life there is a wide variety of them.
Colors
Typography
Icons
Usability test
I conducted the usability test with 10 participants to evaluate how usable the design is and what problems the user encounters when interacting with the application.
The first problem:
Users tried to skip these screens. They explained that they didn’t understand there was an action required.Solution:
- to add plus icon to highlight the labels
- add a text with explanation what to do.
The second problem
It was difficult for users to explore the home screen because of a lot of CTA buttons and the screen was a little bit cluttered. During the research process, I also realized that the location of the button on the bottom left is very inconvenient for the users because they need to reach out to press play.Solution
- make the buttons less bright
- to place the play button on the right side
- to add some more space
The third problem
I received a lot of comments from users that it is a little difficult to interact with the application because there is not enough space and it is not entirely clear where one card ends and where the next one beginsSolution
- add more padding between the element
- add a line between the podcasts to delimit space
- additionally add more accents to headings to better establish the hierarchy
High-fidelity wireframes
Key takeaways
What I learned
- I learned the differences between designing an application for iOS and Android platforms.
- I learned how to design interactive features that encourage user participation (literary talks, comments, ratings) to create the feeling of being a part of a literary community.
- I learned how to integrate the audio into the application (e.g. designing player controls).
Next steps
- It is necessary to continue developing the home screen to provide as many different offers as possible to interest the user.
- Based on my user research many users use the application on the go. I conducted my usability test with participants who were in comfortable conditions, sitting, so to determine how usable and friendly the application is, a usability test can be conducted with people in less comfortable conditions, for example, on the way.
previous project
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