Market Research

Spotify targets ages 25-50+, offering cross-platform support, premium content, and top-tier discovery. It boasts a large podcast library and strong music integration. However, some features require a subscription, and user-generated podcast quality could improve.

T H E P R O B L E M

Apple Podcasts

Sharing podcast is inconvenient

The current process of sharing specific moments from a podcast is cumbersome, requiring users to send entire episodes with time markers (e.g., “Start at 4:32”). This inefficiency discourages sharing and reduces engagement.
Many podcast listeners miss opportunities to share meaningful moments because the process lacks ease, precision, and accessibility. This project focuses on designing a seamless experience that enables users to share insightful audio or text snippets effortlessly, enhancing the podcast experience for both listeners and sharers

Lack of Precision

T H E S O L U T I O N

Sharing Feature

R E S E A R C H G O A L

This project aims to introduce a new feature to Apple Podcasts that allows users to share precise segments of podcasts effortlessly.

Sharing insights from podcasts can be cumbersome, often requiring users to send entire episodes along with timestamp instructions (e.g., “Start at 4:32”). A new feature addresses this by allowing users to highlight specific parts of a podcast's transcript, synced with the audio, and share them as text or audio snippets via a unique link. This simplifies the sharing process and enables recipients to quickly access meaningful moments, enhancing the overall podcast experience.

Add a feature to an existing website or app
UX Research & UI Designer
8 Weeks

Cumbersome Workflow

View Prototype

O B J E C T I V E S

C O M P E T I T O R A N A L Y S I S

Easy Process

Limited Engagement Tools

“To understand the main challenges—like difficulty in selecting precise segments, complicated sharing processes, and lack of engaging tools—that stop users from easily sharing specific podcast moments. This research will guide the creation of a simple and intuitive feature that lets users share exact audio or text snippets, making podcast sharing easier and more enjoyable.”

This feature allows users to share specific moments from a podcast by selecting and sharing either a snippet of the transcript or the corresponding audio. By eliminating the need to direct others to timestamps manually, the solution streamlines sharing and encourages greater engagement.
It provides a seamless, intuitive experience, helping users efficiently highlight and share key insights from podcasts with friends or social media followers, increasing satisfaction and retention while fostering meaningful interactions.

The objectives focus on understanding the challenges users face when sharing podcast moments, analyzing existing methods, and identifying gaps in ease of use and engagement. Additionally, they aim to explore user needs and preferences for segment-sharing tools and uncover desired features that make sharing specific podcast moments simple, effective, and enjoyable across platforms.

Apple Podcasts faces competition from services like Audible, YouTube Music, and Spotify. Each platform leverages distinct advantages. Audible offers professional-quality audiobooks and exclusives but at a higher cost; YouTube Music integrates video and user-generated tracks but struggles with limited podcast options; Spotify boasts a massive content library and top-tier discovery yet requires a subscription for some premium features and could refine user-generated podcasts.

Buying Behavior

What initially seemed like a niche feature—enhanced podcast sharing—proved more widespread than I anticipated, teaching me that even niche user desires can hold significant value.
Designing a smooth, intuitive sharing experience is challenging when users must bridge multiple platforms, and I learned how crucial it is to consider ecosystem compatibility.
People have varied motivations and constraints around sharing podcasts, so balancing a rich set of options against the need for a clean, simple UI required careful prioritization.
Iterating on ways to incorporate core user needs while stripping away non-essential elements showed me that reducing complexity is an art, not just a matter of cutting features.
The process underscored that a thorough understanding of the podcast framework—what users expect, how they engage, and their preferred channels—is key to crafting a truly meaningful interaction.

R E F L E C T I O N S

Conclusion

Share snippet of podcast episode

L O W - F I W I R E F R A M E S

H I - F I W I R E F R A M E S

Initial Layout

After User Testing

YouTube Music targets ages 20-55 with official tracks, remixes, live performances, and user content. Its Google-driven personalization and video integration stand out, but limited podcast options and ads on the free tier hinder the experience.

Audible targets ages 25-64, offering a huge range of audiobooks, podcasts, and exclusives. Integrated with Amazon and Alexa, it provides high-quality content but at a steep subscription price and limited free options. Its proprietary app also restricts accessibility.