Abhi Kevadiya
💤
Abhi
💤
Abhi Kevadiya
💤
Abhi Kevadiya
💤
iHeart Media
iHeart Media
Reimagining iHeart Radio app for younger audience
Reimagining iHeart Radio app for younger audience
My Role
Product Designer/ UX Researcher — Visual Design, Rapid Prototyping, User Interview, Secondary research, Heuristic evaluation, Sketching, User Flows.
Team
Product Manager, UX Designer & Researcher
Timeline
3 Months (September - November 2024)
Overview
iHeartMedia is a leading mass media company known for radio, podcasting, music streaming, and live events. While iHeart Radio app has a strong presence, the app struggled to retain younger audiences, with under-35 users churning at high rates.
As part of a sponsored project in my Studio Practice class, I analyzed user reviews, conducted a heuristic evaluation of current app, sketched and designed UI and Prototype proposing solutions to uncover and address pain points. This led to a redesigned mobile experience and interactive prototype aimed at making iHeart Radio more intuitive, vibrant, and engaging for younger listeners.
Note for Mobile User
Please use laptop or desktop to read more about this case study.
Understanding The Challenge
Despite offering a wide range of content, iHeart needs help capturing the attention of younger audiences under 35, while the iHeart user base skews older (35+).
This has led to a disengagement trend with younger audiences increasingly churning out of the app.
Despite offering a wide range of content, iHeart needs help capturing the attention of younger audiences under 35, while the iHeart user base skews older (35+).
This has led to a disengagement trend with younger audiences increasingly churning out of the app.
Problem
How might we create a more intuitive and engaging app to retain user's attention and reduce the drop-off rate?
How might we create a more intuitive and engaging app to retain user's attention and reduce the drop-off rate?
Primary focus of efforts
Pain point
Pain point
Uncover reasons behind low platform feature awareness among users < 35 years.
Uncover reasons behind low platform feature awareness among users < 35 years.
Analyze iHeart data
Analyze iHeart data
Analyze iHeart team data to identify product satisfaction and dissatisfaction reasons.
Analyze iHeart team data to identify product satisfaction and dissatisfaction reasons.
Develop new strategies
Develop new strategies
Develop strategies to boost young users' awareness, engagement, and satisfaction.
Develop strategies to boost young users' awareness, engagement, and satisfaction.
Design solution
Design solution
Incorporate design solutions into the app and create prototypes accordingly.
Incorporate design solutions into the app and create prototypes accordingly.
Research
Understanding the existing iHeart Radio App
To understand the user's experience with current iHeart Radio app, we conducted primary research within the existing mobile app in two parts;
To understand the user's experience with current iHeart Radio app, we conducted primary research within the existing mobile app in two parts;
PART 1
PART 1
Analyze iHeart team data to identify product satisfaction and dissatisfaction reasons.
Analyze iHeart team data to identify product satisfaction and dissatisfaction reasons.
PART 2
PART 2
User interviews and usability tests to understand the friction points of the users with the existing app.
User interviews and usability tests to understand the friction points of the users with the existing app.
What did I do?
Analysed the user reviews from various sources like Reddit and App Store.
Analysed the user reviews from various sources like Reddit and App Store.
Conducted a heuristic evaluation of the current iHeart app.
Conducted a heuristic evaluation of the current iHeart app.
Brainstormed new ideas while sketching wildly to address the pain points.
Brainstormed new ideas while sketching wildly to address the pain points.
Redesigned iHeart Radio app with interactive prototype based on the explored opportunities.
Redesigned iHeart Radio app with interactive prototype based on the explored opportunities.
Key insights from research
Based on overall research and the data we collected, we found experience roadblocks faced by the younger users of existing iHeart Radio app. Later on we narrowed down the scope of our project and chose to address the following;
Based on overall research and the data we collected, we found experience roadblocks faced by the younger users of existing iHeart Radio app. Later on we narrowed down the scope of our project and chose to address the following;
Onboarding
Onboarding
82% of users have problems with the onboarding process, either with the question content or the interaction flow.
Where users need to select their gender during onboarding.
Onboarding
82% of users have problems with the onboarding process, either with the question content or the interaction flow.
Where users need to select their gender during onboarding.
Navigation
Navigation
Users found it difficult to understand the functionality of the features because of the complex navigation.
The top 'Playlists' and the bottom 'Playlists' tab both have different functionalities.
Navigation
Users found it difficult to understand the functionality of the features because of the complex navigation.
The top 'Playlists' and the bottom 'Playlists' tab both have different functionalities.
Engagement
Engagement
Podcasts/Radio listeners were unable to interact with the hosts/radio jockeys which caused a disconnect.
Engagement
Podcasts/Radio listeners were unable to interact with the hosts/radio jockeys which caused a disconnect.
Overall UI
Overall UI
The user found the overall UI disengaging and cluttered.
Where users need to select their gender during onboarding
Overall UI
The user found the overall UI disengaging and cluttered.
Where users need to select their gender during onboarding
Design Exploration
Brainstorming and sketching new ideas
We let out creativity run wild by sketching out whatever was in our mind. Along with fixing the existing UI, our main task was to improve the retention of young users (users under 35).
We let out creativity run wild by sketching out whatever was in our mind. Along with fixing the existing UI, our main task was to improve the retention of young users (users under 35).
Onboarding and in App Features Intro.
Podcast Live Chat
Curated Radio Playlist | Personalized Recommendations
Melody Match
Hands Free Mode
Live Event Participation
Solution
Narrowing down our scope
Post brainstorming, we presented our initial concepts to our sponsors and discussed the logistics and potential impact of them all. We also cross-checked their relevance with the user and business needs we planned to address.
As a result, we decided to narrow down our design features and started developing wireframes to serve as the foundation of the final solution.
Post brainstorming, we presented our initial concepts to our sponsors and discussed the logistics and potential impact of them all. We also cross-checked their relevance with the user and business needs we planned to address.
As a result, we decided to narrow down our design features and started developing wireframes to serve as the foundation of the final solution.
Optimise the app’s flow to ensure an intuitive onboarding experience.
Optimise the app’s flow to ensure an intuitive onboarding experience.
Based on sponsor and user feedback, we streamlined the onboarding process by skipping unnecessary screens and rewriting questions to be more relevant.
Optimise the app’s flow to ensure an intuitive onboarding experience.
Based on sponsor and user feedback, we streamlined the onboarding process by skipping unnecessary screens and rewriting questions to be more relevant.
Offer customized recommendations and features that resonate with user preferences.
Offer customized recommendations and features that resonate with user preferences.
In “My Library", users can manage all their liked and downloaded content. Additionally, they can now customize their genres and artist selection
Offer customized recommendations and features that resonate with user preferences.
In “My Library", users can manage all their liked and downloaded content. Additionally, they can now customize their genres and artist selection
Incorporate playful and engaging features to enhance user participation and encourage interaction.
Incorporate playful and engaging features to enhance user participation and encourage interaction.
The “Call Your Host” feature enables the audience to call the show host and go on air and engage in a live discussion.
Incorporate playful and engaging features to enhance user participation and encourage interaction.
The “Call Your Host” feature enables the audience to call the show host and go on air and engage in a live discussion.
Live Chat
Live Chat
The "Live Chat" feature allows listeners of the current radio program to connect and engage in real-time discussions.
Live Chat
The "Live Chat" feature allows listeners of the current radio program to connect and engage in real-time discussions.
Song Dedication
Song Dedication
The "Song Dedication" feature allows listeners to dedicate a song to anyone live on air and also send out a personalised message to them as a special gesture.
Song Dedication
The "Song Dedication" feature allows listeners to dedicate a song to anyone live on air and also send out a personalised message to them as a special gesture.
Usability Test
Testing It Out
Conducted Usability Testing on User Testing.com post the first iteration to gather some feedback from our targeted users.
Conducted Usability Testing on User Testing.com post the first iteration to gather some feedback from our targeted users.
Final Changes
Incorporating the usability test insights
Based on user feedbacks and their pain points from usability tests, I tried to Incorporate those needs and updated designs accordingly.
Based on user feedbacks and their pain points from usability tests, I tried to Incorporate those needs and updated designs accordingly.
Location Change
Location Change
From testing, users reported it was difficult to find the location settings. The “location” settings were moved to the “My Profile” slider for easier identification.
Location Change
From testing, users reported it was difficult to find the location settings. The “location” settings were moved to the “My Profile” slider for easier identification.
Eliminating confusion
Eliminating confusion
For the Live Radio, users assumed dedications were limited to the 'currently playing' song. Moving the feature to the main radio station page improved clarity and usability.
Eliminating confusion
For the Live Radio, users assumed dedications were limited to the 'currently playing' song. Moving the feature to the main radio station page improved clarity and usability.
Clarifying button functions
Clarifying button functions
Supporting text is added to the button “Mark as Played” since it was a little bit confusing for users to understand its function without annotation
Clarifying button functions
Supporting text is added to the button “Mark as Played” since it was a little bit confusing for users to understand its function without annotation
Final Prototype
Final Prototype
Feel free to play around with interactive prototype and test out the final design.
Final Prototype
Feel free to play around with interactive prototype and test out the final design.
Future scope & Self reflection
More to be considered
Lengthy onboarding
Lengthy onboarding
A reduction in the number of steps, for example, keeping only the account sign up upfront could reduce the time taken for onboarding.
A reduction in the number of steps, for example, keeping only the account sign up upfront could reduce the time taken for onboarding.
Content moderation
Content moderation
The company does not currently have the resources to incorporate a moderator for the live chat/community discussion board features.
The company does not currently have the resources to incorporate a moderator for the live chat/community discussion board features.
Dynamic live shows
Dynamic live shows
Currently the application cannot accommodate a dynamic form of live shows (e.g. live streaming of podcasts) and is designed for the preprogrammed ones.
Currently the application cannot accommodate a dynamic form of live shows (e.g. live streaming of podcasts) and is designed for the preprogrammed ones.
Learning from project
Team Work
Team Work
We learned that real teamwork requires understanding and adapting to each other’s working styles while collaboratively figuring out methods that fit the team as a whole.
We learned that real teamwork requires understanding and adapting to each other’s working styles while collaboratively figuring out methods that fit the team as a whole.
Ownership
Ownership
Actively stepping up and taking ownership allows us to experience the joy of success.
Actively stepping up and taking ownership allows us to experience the joy of success.
Empathy
Empathy
We recognized the importance of empathy, not only towards our users but also towards each other.
We recognized the importance of empathy, not only towards our users but also towards each other.