PROBLEM
We are living in a time of social isolation because of COVID. Listening to podcasts is a popular pastime but it is lacking social connection.
SOLUTION
Introducing Pod. The social podcasting app where you can listen, learn, and be entertained with your friends.
Users can invite a friend, family, or coworkers to listen to a specific podcast or create a playlist of podcasts that they can discuss on a private messaging board. Users also have the ability to share what they have heard through the transcription capability. Users can interact, discuss, and learn together. They can communicate their opinions, and even post audio-recorded comments, all within the Pod app.
Business thinking, UX/UI, visual design, and branding
The converging circles on the logo was an ode to “pods”, or groups of people, merging together. The colors used are social and give off a more corporate or educational appeal.
POD: Bridging the audio-only experience into a fully integrated social platform.
Pods With Friends
To make Pod a socially integrated app, I gave users the ability to listen to podcast episodes and playlists with their friends. Also, the comment section welcomed collaboration between the friends and allowed them to add time-stamped remarks.
Transcription Feature
By incorporating this feature directly into the app, you can seamlessly go from the episode page to the transcription that will “read along” by automatically scrolling through as you listen. You can then highlight sections of the transcription, create quoted images, share on social media, save highlights directly in the app, share within the community feed section, and share with contacts.
Audio Comments
Audio recorded comments for the on-the-go types of users.
Community Feed
Through this social feature, users can post highlighted transcriptions, quoted images, and interact with friends.
Podlists
Users can create playlists and invite friends to listen with them. This is a helpful feature for training programs for corporations or in a scholastic environment.
Why users listen to podcasts
74% Learning new things
71% Entertainment
60% Staying informed on current events and news
47% Finding inspiration
24% Seeking companionship
Podcast User Statistics
55% of people in the US have listened to a podcast
49% of people under 34 years old listened to a podcast within the last month
49% of listening is done at home
94% of active podcast listeners are active on social media
43% of listeners find new shows by asking on social media or online community
61% of podcast listeners spend more time listening to podcasts than watching TV
USER PERSONAS
Wireframes
User Flow
Concept, design, and copywriting are all original. Episodes and descriptions were copied from iTune’s Podcast app.