Project Overview
My challenge was to identify a podcast and music streaming platform that is widely used but still has room for improvement. After evaluating several options, I chose iHeartRadio. The primary issues users reported centered around the search functionality and the difficulty in locating the next episode in a podcast series. This was especially frustrating for listeners in the middle of long-running shows, where the current sorting options are unhelpful. As a result, users often have to scroll extensively to find the next episode—assuming they don’t lose interest along the way.
Research
I wanted to explore a project within the entertainment industry as it is massive. There are about 90 million music streaming subscribers in the US alone and about 99% of all US households pay for at least one or more form of streaming service.
To better understand which area to concentrate on, I reached out across multiple social media platforms to gauge what people found most interesting—whether it was music and podcast streaming, social media, gaming, or another category. The responses indicated a strong interest in music and podcast streaming.
Following my user interviews, I conducted a SWOT analysis on the platforms mentioned to gain a deeper understanding of how each one operates and where their customer focus lies. I found that services like Apple Music and Spotify tend to cater more to audiophiles, while platforms like Pandora and iHeartRadio appeal more to casual listeners. Across the board, the platforms analyzed primarily target Millennial and Gen Z users and offer “upgrades” through subscription-based models.
Conceptualize
At this stage of the process, I had narrowed the focus to Spotify and iHeartRadio. Spotify was the most widely used platform, while iHeartRadio shared similar features but showed more potential for improvement. Apple Music didn’t receive many critiques, and Pandora generally functioned well for its intended purpose, regardless of subscription level. I created POV and HMW statements based on the issues identified during user interviews. After further reflection, I chose to move forward with iHeartRadio, as I saw greater opportunity to enhance the platform through small, impactful tweaks and feature additions—something that felt less feasible with Spotify.
I created three distinct user personas based on the target audiences identified in my SWOT analysis, allowing me to focus on the core demographic using the product. I divided the demographic into three user types (two shown below), as interview insights revealed differences in behavior and preferences across age groups. It was important to ensure that any solution I developed would work effectively for all three user types.
Design
I began by sketching the basic layout of the existing desktop pages to establish a solid foundation. This helped me gain a deeper understanding of the current product before making any modifications. I chose to focus on the desktop version first, as most users reported streaming the service from a computer rather than a phone or television. From there, I began experimenting with different redesigns and layout concepts—drawing inspiration from other platforms like Spotify—to address the issues identified during the Conceptualizing Phase. I explored redesigning the homepage to make it more personalized for individual users. I also looked into new ways to display search results and redesigned the media player to give users a clearer understanding of what features were available in the free version.
At this stage, I realized there were too many competing areas of focus. To regain clarity, I revisited my user personas to identify which wireframe solutions best aligned with their needs. I ultimately determined that the most important improvement was enhancing the ability to search for specific podcasts and sort them efficiently for quick access to the next episode. This decision was guided by the needs of each persona: the “Older Millennial” wants to easily find and enjoy her favorite podcasts, the “Cusp Millennial” values a solid free subscription experience, and the “Younger Millennial” seeks a familiar and intuitive interface.
Testing
The overall response to the direction was positive—one user even mentioned they wished the feature was available “right now.” There were a few critiques regarding font size, with some users feeling it was slightly too small. A couple of participants suggested that a different kind of filtering system would be more effective than the one tested. Some preferred organizing episodes by “seasons” for better structure, while others favored a “bubble-style” filter over a traditional drop-down menu.
