WBUR
WBUR · Client via Intrepid / Product design
Designing discovery around listeners’ interests and available time.
THE PROBLEM
Find something to listen to
WBUR asked us to redesign its Android and iOS app so listeners could find shows and listen on demand.
FOR THE RADIO STATION
Support a favorite show
WBUR relies on listener contributions. The new app needed to support on-demand listening and give people a way to donate to their favorite shows.
FOR RADIO LISTENERS
A reason to use the app
Listeners already had the radio. The app needed to give them a reason to download it, with shows that fit their interests and schedule.
The design question
How could we help listeners discover shows that fit their interests and available time?
Process
Designing Discover
WBUR had a large catalog, but listening data showed people returning to the same favorites. I worked on Discover to help them find other shows.
I looked at personalization in Beats Music and TED Talks. A relevant topic was only part of the choice. An episode also had to fit the time a listener had available.
Designing Discover
Donate from the player
Donating during a live broadcast could mean remembering an SMS number for later. We added a donation button to the player so listeners could act while a show was playing.
Solution
Playlists that fit the time available
Discover creates playlists based on a listener’s interests and available time. Episodes download in the background over Wi-Fi for listening offline.
Motion in the app
We used motion to bring WBUR’s visual identity into the app.
Motion in the app
A distinct identity for each show
We worked with the agency redesigning WBUR’s show identities to give each show page and player its own appearance. Those differences also help listeners recognize shows during live programming.
EXTRA
Onboarding explorations
I explored an animated onboarding flow to introduce downloads and donations before listeners started using the app.