Understanding Users

I began by synthesizing existing user research, which revealed four key scenarios. There are four critical insights from those scenarios that shaped my design direction:

1. Cognitive Dissonance: The podcast layout and UI were visually confused with the music homepage, and by default, it offers a lot of music content, leading to greater confusion and abandoned the page immediately.

2. Undifferentiated Content Mix: The broad spectrum of audio content (e.g., talk shows, audiobooks, music) was presented in a homogenized manner without clear categorization. This overwhelmed users and prevented them from forming a coherent mental model of what was available.

3. Decision Paralysis: Content across different modules lacked perceptual differentiation, as everything was recommended under similar, vague algorithms. This failure to provide clear, varied decision-making cues resulted in overwhelming similar choices overload for users.

4. Misalignment with Core User Need: The design prioritized active content selection, while a significant user segment primarily sought a background companion for doing activities like chores, similar to turning on a traditional radio.

These insights pointed to a need for an experience that was both educational and effortless.

Design Objectives

Based on the research, I defined three core design objectives for the new feature:

• Differentiate: Make the podcast page visually and experientially distinct from the music homepage to encourage exploration.

• Educate: Help users understand the spectrum of content available on the platform.

• Simplify: Create an incredibly easy way for users to start listening with minimal cognitive effort.

Design Exploration: The Radio Metaphor

I led a brainstorming session to explore solutions. We considered traditional approaches like an enhanced card-based layout or explicit tabbed category navigation. However, these did little to teach users what Podcast is.

I proposed leveraging the radio metaphor. Podcasts originated from radio, and the concept of "tuning" into different stations (or content categories) was a universally familiar mental model. This approach offered:

• Uniqueness: A novel experience that distinguished the podcast section.

• Familiarity: An intuitive analogy that required no explanation.

• Playfulness: A fun, engaging way to browse content, perfectly suited to passive, "background" listening.

I designed Podcast FM, a feature that simulated a radio tuner interface.

• The list of content categories was presented as different "frequencies" (e.g., Talk Show, Stories, On the Road).

• Users could swipe to scan through categories, just like tuning a radio.

• The main content area displayed a featured show from the selected category, with a large, prominent "Play" button modeled after a radio power knob.

• This visual replication of a radio clearly indicated how to interact with it, eliminating guesswork.

Results

The data confirmed the success of the metaphor. Within two months of launch, Podcast FM attracted 600,000 Daily Active Users, accounting for approximately 35% of the total Podcast DAU.

This demonstrated that we had successfully created an entry point that established a clear mental model and encouraged exploration.

Iteration: Learning from User Feedback

The success of V1.0 sowed the seeds of its own evolution. Over six months, user feedback revealed a clear theme: as listeners became more proficient, the very radio metaphor that successfully onboarded them began to feel restrictive. They now expected the on-demand control of a digital product, not the passive experience of a broadcast.

Podcast fm version 2.0

I led the redesign of Podcast FM 2.0 to address this "lack of freedom." The key enhancements I designed were:

• Horizontal Scrolling Content: I introduced a horizontal scroller within each frequency category, allowing users to browse more content options beyond the single featured show.

• Enhanced Onboarding Experience: A subtle animation was added upon entering the screen to educate users about the new scrolling capability.

• Haptic Feedback: To distinguish between scrolling categories and scrolling content, I choose to use a light haptic vibration when scrolling categories. This reinforced the physical "click" of a radio tuner and improved usability without requiring visual attention.

The result was a significant increase in content exploration and positive user feedback, proving that the feature could evolve with our users' growing sophistication.

Final Thoughts

Podcast FM was a resounding success. It not only met our initial business goals but also became a core feature that was iterated on for over two years.

My Key Learnings:
This project taught me the delicate balance of using metaphors in UX design. A strong metaphor can create an intuitive onboarding experience, but it must gracefully evolve to incorporate the power and control expected in digital products. My work on transitioning from V1.0 to V2.0 was a practical lesson in adapting a design to users' evolving needs.

The Ultimate Compliment:

At the end, I’d like to show a competitor’s tribute below.

Shortly after our launch, a competitor app replicated the Podcast FM design almost exactly. When we released V2.0, they followed suit.

I see this as the highest form of validation for a design's effectiveness and innovation.