NootCast

Reimagining the podcast landscape
for the modern listener

NootCast is a self-initiated podcast app that tailors content for listeners

Context

Being an avid podcast listener, I've often found myself adrift in a sea of countless podcast shows and episodes. The question, "What podcast to listen to next?" became a recurring struggle. Not wanting to waste time sifting through the myriad of choices, I often ended up not listening to anything at all. The problem was clear: podcast listeners, especially newcomers, are overwhelmed by the amount of available content and find it challenging to choose what to listen to.

Duration & Team

2022

Just me :)
This is a self-initiated project.

Discover

To dig deeper into the problem, and not be biased with my personal experiences, I carried out a robust research process, involving desk research, surveys, and competitor analysis.

Findings

Podcasts

With over 2 million podcasts and 63 million episodes available globally, the podcast scene serves a diverse audience with varying listening needs. Despite an average episode length of 40 minutes, podcasts are gaining popularity among young adults aged 12 to 34, a demographic typically known for short attention spans, showcasing the exceptional appeal of podcasts.

Findings

Podcast platforms

Spotify and Apple Podcast are the most used platforms for podcast listening, despite user reports of occasional annoyances that discourage frequent listening. These platforms' offerings are fragmented, and lack ratings or reviews for individual episodes, indicating a gap in user-oriented features and potential areas for improvement.

Findings

Podcasts listeners

Podcast listeners are effective multitaskers, leveraging podcasts in varied contexts for individualized experiences. Many listeners view podcasts as a 'conversational currency' that allows them to engage in discussions and connect over shared interests or popular topics. The 'feel-good' factor is vital, with educational and productive podcasts enhancing listener satisfaction.

Define

Based on the insights gathered, I defined a user persona - Tina Tunin. Tina is a young adult with a fast-paced lifestyle, active on social media platforms, and loves multitasking. She is eager to engage in social discussions, eager to learn, and heavily relies on word-of-mouth recommendations.

How Might We...

Tailor personalized content for podcast listeners?

How Might We...

Help podcast listeners be better decision makers?

Develop

With these questions in mind, I delved deeper into a podcast listener journey. Mapping out the user journey, detailing the experience from discovery, browsing, to finally tuning into a podcast. This comprehensive journey mapping helped me empathize and identify primary pain points, as well as uncover potential opportunities to enhance the listening experience.

Inspirations & ideations

Addressing the pain points

With the insights from the user journey mapping, I began brainstorming potential solutions to Tina's problems. I drew inspiration from other podcast apps and dveloped various strategies to address the problems highlighted in Tina's journey. These strategies included offering personalized content to cater to Tina's diverse interests and fluctuating moods, and providing concise overviews and highlight reels of each podcast episode to help her make informed decisions more quickly and efficiently.

Deliver

And now I present you NootCast!

Personalised content

Onboarding to tailor content
to listener

Disccover

Generate content based on current mood, activity and time available

Better decision maker

Quick overview & listening to highlight of what’s new 

Reflections

This project was a journey of learning, pivoting, and understanding the evolving needs of society. If given a chance to approach this differently, I would further explore the interesting findings and test other aspects of the application. This project reiterated my belief in the process of failing fast and learning quickly. It was a joyous ride with my love for design and podcasts intersecting, truly making it a project close to my heart.