iHeartRadio
Enhance iHeart's app to create an experience that engages audiences daily with a strong focus on growing live radio and podcasts.
Years
2024
Role
Sr. Product Designer
Scope
Strategy, Ideation
iHeartRadio
Enhance iHeart's app to create an experience that engages audiences daily with a strong focus on growing live radio and podcasts.
Years
2024
Role
Sr. Product Designer
Scope
Strategy, Ideation
iHeartRadio
Enhance iHeart's app to create an experience that engages audiences daily with a strong focus on growing live radio and podcasts.
Years
2024
Role
Sr. Product Designer
Scope
Strategy, Ideation
Challenge
IHeartMedia aimed to create a digital product unifying radio, podcast, and streaming content in one intuitive platform. With their broadcast reach extending to 9 out of 10 Americans monthly, the challenge was leveraging this tremendous audience to drive engagement within their digital ecosystem.
Challenge
IHeartMedia aimed to create a digital product unifying radio, podcast, and streaming content in one intuitive platform. With their broadcast reach extending to 9 out of 10 Americans monthly, the challenge was leveraging this tremendous audience to drive engagement within their digital ecosystem.
Challenge
IHeartMedia aimed to create a digital product unifying radio, podcast, and streaming content in one intuitive platform. With their broadcast reach extending to 9 out of 10 Americans monthly, the challenge was leveraging this tremendous audience to drive engagement within their digital ecosystem.
Solution
Introduced new live radio and podcast features enhanced by AI to boost engagement and create a more interactive experience. These innovations positioned iHeartRadio to stand out from competitors while attracting younger audiences like Gen Z.
Solution
Introduced new live radio and podcast features enhanced by AI to boost engagement and create a more interactive experience. These innovations positioned iHeartRadio to stand out from competitors while attracting younger audiences like Gen Z.
Solution
Introduced new live radio and podcast features enhanced by AI to boost engagement and create a more interactive experience. These innovations positioned iHeartRadio to stand out from competitors while attracting younger audiences like Gen Z.
Outcomes
Our comprehensive redesign strategy transforms iHeartRadio's digital presence and user engagement through three key pillars:
Enhanced Discovery
Multi-dimensional content browsing and AI-powered recommendations to help users find both familiar and new content.
Community Engagement
Features that foster connection between listeners and content creators, transforming passive listening into active participation.
Cross-Content Conversion
Strategic pathways to encourage users to explore new content types, expanding their engagement across the platform.
Outcomes
Our comprehensive redesign strategy transforms iHeartRadio's digital presence and user engagement through three key pillars:
Enhanced Discovery
Multi-dimensional content browsing and AI-powered recommendations to help users find both familiar and new content.
Community Engagement
Features that foster connection between listeners and content creators, transforming passive listening into active participation.
Cross-Content Conversion
Strategic pathways to encourage users to explore new content types, expanding their engagement across the platform.
Outcomes
Our comprehensive redesign strategy transforms iHeartRadio's digital presence and user engagement through three key pillars:
Enhanced Discovery
Multi-dimensional content browsing and AI-powered recommendations to help users find both familiar and new content.
Community Engagement
Features that foster connection between listeners and content creators, transforming passive listening into active participation.
Cross-Content Conversion
Strategic pathways to encourage users to explore new content types, expanding their engagement across the platform.
Project Process
Research
User Personas
Audience Insights
Competitive Benchmark
Ideation
Experience Themes
Innovations
Design Concepts
General
Live Radio
Podcast
Project Process
Research
User Personas
Audience Insights
Competitive Benchmark
Ideation
Experience Themes
Innovations
Design Concepts
General
Live Radio
Podcast
Project Process
Research
User Personas
Audience Insights
Competitive Benchmark
Ideation
Experience Themes
Innovations
Design Concepts
General
Live Radio
Podcast
User Personas
Research
The Newcomer
New to the iHeartRadio ecosystem or unfamiliar with the app experience
How we win:
Leverage live radio to funnel users into the digital ecosystem
Create a seamless onboarding for immediate personalization
Radio & Playlist Listener
Current users who primarily listen to radio and playlists
How we win:
Provide robust search, filtering and categorization
Develop contextual recommendations to drive cross-content engagement
Podcast Enthusiast
Users who primarily consume podcast content
How we win:
Create community-building opportunities between listeners and hosts
Transform passive listening into active engagement opportunities
User Personas
Research
The Newcomer
New to the iHeartRadio ecosystem or unfamiliar with the app experience
How we win:
Leverage live radio to funnel users into the digital ecosystem
Create a seamless onboarding for immediate personalization
Radio & Playlist Listener
Current users who primarily listen to radio and playlists
How we win:
Provide robust search, filtering and categorization
Develop contextual recommendations to drive cross-content engagement
Podcast Enthusiast
Users who primarily consume podcast content
How we win:
Create community-building opportunities between listeners and hosts
Transform passive listening into active engagement opportunities
User Personas
Research
The Newcomer
New to the iHeartRadio ecosystem or unfamiliar with the app experience
How we win:
Leverage live radio to funnel users into the digital ecosystem
Create a seamless onboarding for immediate personalization
Radio & Playlist Listener
Current users who primarily listen to radio and playlists
How we win:
Provide robust search, filtering and categorization
Develop contextual recommendations to drive cross-content engagement
Podcast Enthusiast
Users who primarily consume podcast content
How we win:
Create community-building opportunities between listeners and hosts
Transform passive listening into active engagement opportunities
Audience Insights
Research
The Newcomer
Motivations for listening to live radio are tied to accessibility and human connection
62% listen because it's free, 59% mention DJs and hosts, and 51% mention "feeling a connection to radio
Convenience and discovery are top of mind when choosing a streaming service
36% of users prioritize the ease of discovering new songs and artists.
Onboarding is a critical inflection point in the user's journey
63% of customers think onboarding is key to deciding to subscribe to a product.
Radio & Playlist Listener
A growing integration of music streaming into daily routines and lifestyles
On average, people spend about 20 hours and 6 minutes each week streaming music.
Radio listeners have a strong bond of trust towards their favorite shows/hosts
80% of listeners say they trust and value their favorite radio personality's opinion.
Music and podcasts don't compete with one another
After users started listening to podcasts, they spent on average 20% more total time streaming.
Podcast Enthusiast
Podcasts are used as a way to 'escape' the mundane and fill time spent doing tasks
81% of podcast listeners say having something to listen to in the background is key.
Podcast listeners hear about a range of different topics.
53% say they regularly hear about four or more topics on the podcasts they listen to.
Podcasts have an inherent social fabric
68% of listeners say they discuss what they heard on a podcast with others.
Audience Insights
Research
The Newcomer
Motivations for listening to live radio are tied to accessibility and human connection
62% listen because it's free, 59% mention DJs and hosts, and 51% mention "feeling a connection to radio
Convenience and discovery are top of mind when choosing a streaming service
36% of users prioritize the ease of discovering new songs and artists.
Onboarding is a critical inflection point in the user's journey
63% of customers think onboarding is key to deciding to subscribe to a product.
Radio & Playlist Listener
A growing integration of music streaming into daily routines and lifestyles
On average, people spend about 20 hours and 6 minutes each week streaming music.
Radio listeners have a strong bond of trust towards their favorite shows/hosts
80% of listeners say they trust and value their favorite radio personality's opinion.
Music and podcasts don't compete with one another
After users started listening to podcasts, they spent on average 20% more total time streaming.
Podcast Enthusiast
Podcasts are used as a way to 'escape' the mundane and fill time spent doing tasks
81% of podcast listeners say having something to listen to in the background is key.
Podcast listeners hear about a range of different topics.
53% say they regularly hear about four or more topics on the podcasts they listen to.
Podcasts have an inherent social fabric
68% of listeners say they discuss what they heard on a podcast with others.
Audience Insights
Research
The Newcomer
Motivations for listening to live radio are tied to accessibility and human connection
62% listen because it's free, 59% mention DJs and hosts, and 51% mention "feeling a connection to radio
Convenience and discovery are top of mind when choosing a streaming service
36% of users prioritize the ease of discovering new songs and artists.
Onboarding is a critical inflection point in the user's journey
63% of customers think onboarding is key to deciding to subscribe to a product.
Radio & Playlist Listener
A growing integration of music streaming into daily routines and lifestyles
On average, people spend about 20 hours and 6 minutes each week streaming music.
Radio listeners have a strong bond of trust towards their favorite shows/hosts
80% of listeners say they trust and value their favorite radio personality's opinion.
Music and podcasts don't compete with one another
After users started listening to podcasts, they spent on average 20% more total time streaming.
Podcast Enthusiast
Podcasts are used as a way to 'escape' the mundane and fill time spent doing tasks
81% of podcast listeners say having something to listen to in the background is key.
Podcast listeners hear about a range of different topics.
53% say they regularly hear about four or more topics on the podcasts they listen to.
Podcasts have an inherent social fabric
68% of listeners say they discuss what they heard on a podcast with others.
Benchmark
Research
Onboarding & Content Curation
iHeartRadio current State
Simple onboarding but fails to adequately personalize the experience
Confusing information architecture with separate libraries for each content type
Benchmark Insights
Tidal: Artist-focused onboarding creates a more tailored experience
Spotify: Robust playlist creation with collaborative features drives engagement
Pinterest: Folder organization facilitates efficient content navigation
Community Building
iHeartRadio current State
Missed opportunity to drive app downloads via social channels
Limited in-app community features beyond basic radio messaging
Benchmark Insights
Spotify Wrapped: Memorializes listening experiences to foster sharing
Medium: Content highlighting features facilitate easy sharing
SoundCloud: Contextual commenting creates community engagement
Browsing & Filtering
iHeartRadio current State
Search can be hard to access, only showing up in certain sections
Limited pathways for exploration with one-dimensional browsing
Benchmark Insights
Pandora: Diverse exploration pathways including community-based options
Tidal: High-impact visuals make exploration more engaging
Netflix: Progressive filtering allows users to efficiently find content
Deep-Diving
iHeartRadio current State
No in-listening experience supplementary information
Limited artist and host-related content
Benchmark Insights
Prime Video: Contextual details about content while viewing
Apple Podcasts: Embedded links and supplementary content
Spotify: Additional artist information during playback
Benchmark
Research
Onboarding & Content Curation
iHeartRadio current State
Simple onboarding but fails to adequately personalize the experience
Confusing information architecture with separate libraries for each content type
Benchmark Insights
Tidal: Artist-focused onboarding creates a more tailored experience
Spotify: Robust playlist creation with collaborative features drives engagement
Pinterest: Folder organization facilitates efficient content navigation
Community Building
iHeartRadio current State
Missed opportunity to drive app downloads via social channels
Limited in-app community features beyond basic radio messaging
Benchmark Insights
Spotify Wrapped: Memorializes listening experiences to foster sharing
Medium: Content highlighting features facilitate easy sharing
SoundCloud: Contextual commenting creates community engagement
Browsing & Filtering
iHeartRadio current State
Search can be hard to access, only showing up in certain sections
Limited pathways for exploration with one-dimensional browsing
Benchmark Insights
Pandora: Diverse exploration pathways including community-based options
Tidal: High-impact visuals make exploration more engaging
Netflix: Progressive filtering allows users to efficiently find content
Deep-Diving
iHeartRadio current State
No in-listening experience supplementary information
Limited artist and host-related content
Benchmark Insights
Prime Video: Contextual details about content while viewing
Apple Podcasts: Embedded links and supplementary content
Spotify: Additional artist information during playback
Benchmark
Research
Onboarding & Content Curation
iHeartRadio current State
Simple onboarding but fails to adequately personalize the experience
Confusing information architecture with separate libraries for each content type
Benchmark Insights
Tidal: Artist-focused onboarding creates a more tailored experience
Spotify: Robust playlist creation with collaborative features drives engagement
Pinterest: Folder organization facilitates efficient content navigation
Community Building
iHeartRadio current State
Missed opportunity to drive app downloads via social channels
Limited in-app community features beyond basic radio messaging
Benchmark Insights
Spotify Wrapped: Memorializes listening experiences to foster sharing
Medium: Content highlighting features facilitate easy sharing
SoundCloud: Contextual commenting creates community engagement
Browsing & Filtering
iHeartRadio current State
Search can be hard to access, only showing up in certain sections
Limited pathways for exploration with one-dimensional browsing
Benchmark Insights
Pandora: Diverse exploration pathways including community-based options
Tidal: High-impact visuals make exploration more engaging
Netflix: Progressive filtering allows users to efficiently find content
Deep-Diving
iHeartRadio current State
No in-listening experience supplementary information
Limited artist and host-related content
Benchmark Insights
Prime Video: Contextual details about content while viewing
Apple Podcasts: Embedded links and supplementary content
Spotify: Additional artist information during playback
Ideation
Go to home
Ideation
Go to home
Ideation
Go to home
Experience Themes
Our research helped us identify five critical areas to transform iHeartRadio experience
1. Onboarding & Content Curation
Simple yet tailored onboarding with enhanced content organization
2. Community Building
Creating connections between listeners, creators and content
3. Browsing & Filtering
Enhanced content discovery with multi-dimensional filtering
4. Discovery
Contextual recommendations and personalized content pathways
5. Deep-diving
Enhanced listening with suppelentary content and information
Experience Themes
Our research helped us identify five critical areas to transform iHeartRadio experience
1. Onboarding & Content Curation
Simple yet tailored onboarding with enhanced content organization
2. Community Building
Creating connections between listeners, creators and content
3. Browsing & Filtering
Enhanced content discovery with multi-dimensional filtering
4. Discovery
Contextual recommendations and personalized content pathways
5. Deep-diving
Enhanced listening with suppelentary content and information
Experience Themes
Our research helped us identify five critical areas to transform iHeartRadio experience
1. Onboarding & Content Curation
Simple yet tailored onboarding with enhanced content organization
2. Community Building
Creating connections between listeners, creators and content
3. Browsing & Filtering
Enhanced content discovery with multi-dimensional filtering
4. Discovery
Contextual recommendations and personalized content pathways
5. Deep-diving
Enhanced listening with suppelentary content and information
Innovations
Our research helped us identify five critical areas to transform iHeartRadio experience
AI DJ for personalization
Conversational AI companion that learns user preferences over time, offering personalized content recommendations and insights about listening habits.
Increased engagement and content disconvery
Dynamic Artists & Hosts Hubs
Personalized content hubs highlighting creators full range of content, upcoming events, and curated recommendations
Higher conversion to new content types
Social Listening Features
Shared listeting experiences though private listening clubs, live episode drops and clip sharing functionality
Increased app referrals and usaed frequency
Contextual Content Deep-Dive
Enganced listening with supplementary content, including guest information, referenced and related media without interrumping playback
Increased engagement and time spent in-app
Innovations
Our research helped us identify five critical areas to transform iHeartRadio experience
AI DJ for personalization
Conversational AI companion that learns user preferences over time, offering personalized content recommendations and insights about listening habits.
Increased engagement and content disconvery
Dynamic Artists & Hosts Hubs
Personalized content hubs highlighting creators full range of content, upcoming events, and curated recommendations
Higher conversion to new content types
Social Listening Features
Shared listeting experiences though private listening clubs, live episode drops and clip sharing functionality
Increased app referrals and usaed frequency
Contextual Content Deep-Dive
Enganced listening with supplementary content, including guest information, referenced and related media without interrumping playback
Increased engagement and time spent in-app
Innovations
Our research helped us identify five critical areas to transform iHeartRadio experience
AI DJ for personalization
Conversational AI companion that learns user preferences over time, offering personalized content recommendations and insights about listening habits.
Increased engagement and content disconvery
Dynamic Artists & Hosts Hubs
Personalized content hubs highlighting creators full range of content, upcoming events, and curated recommendations
Higher conversion to new content types
Social Listening Features
Shared listeting experiences though private listening clubs, live episode drops and clip sharing functionality
Increased app referrals and usaed frequency
Contextual Content Deep-Dive
Enganced listening with supplementary content, including guest information, referenced and related media without interrumping playback
Increased engagement and time spent in-app
Design Concepts
Go to home
Design Concepts
Go to home
Design Concepts
Go to home
Smarter Entry Point
Custom iHeart widgets bring live radio, interviews, and playlists directly to the iOS home screen.
Smarter Entry Point
Custom iHeart widgets bring live radio, interviews, and playlists directly to the iOS home screen.
Smarter Entry Point
Custom iHeart widgets bring live radio, interviews, and playlists directly to the iOS home screen.
Progressive Onboarding
Step-by-step personalization that adapts to user inputs, with social connections and routine-based customization.
Progressive Onboarding
Step-by-step personalization that adapts to user inputs, with social connections and routine-based customization.
Progressive Onboarding
Step-by-step personalization that adapts to user inputs, with social connections and routine-based customization.
AI DJ for personalization
A conversational AI companion that learns user preferences over time, offering personalized content recommendations and insights about listening habits
AI DJ for personalization
A conversational AI companion that learns user preferences over time, offering personalized content recommendations and insights about listening habits
AI DJ for personalization
A conversational AI companion that learns user preferences over time, offering personalized content recommendations and insights about listening habits
Contextual Content Deep-Dive
Suplementary information layer that provides guest details, references and related content during listening
Contextual Content Deep-Dive
Suplementary information layer that provides guest details, references and related content during listening
Contextual Content Deep-Dive
Suplementary information layer that provides guest details, references and related content during listening
Clip Sharing & Highlights
Tools to select, save and share specific moments from podcasts, with community features around popular clips
Clip Sharing & Highlights
Tools to select, save and share specific moments from podcasts, with community features around popular clips
Clip Sharing & Highlights
Tools to select, save and share specific moments from podcasts, with community features around popular clips
Live Drops & Listening Parties
Communal release events for new episodes where listeners can react and comment together in real-time
Live Drops & Listening Parties
Communal release events for new episodes where listeners can react and comment together in real-time
Live Drops & Listening Parties
Communal release events for new episodes where listeners can react and comment together in real-time
Dynamic Artist & Host Hubs
Personalized content hubs that agregate an artis or host's full range of content, events and recommendations
Dynamic Artist & Host Hubs
Personalized content hubs that agregate an artis or host's full range of content, events and recommendations
Dynamic Artist & Host Hubs
Personalized content hubs that agregate an artis or host's full range of content, events and recommendations
Breaking news integration
Real-time news coverage from multiple stations, allowing users to follow stories as they unfold from different perspectivesave and share specific moments from podcasts, with community features around popular clips
Breaking news integration
Real-time news coverage from multiple stations, allowing users to follow stories as they unfold from different perspectivesave and share specific moments from podcasts, with community features around popular clips
Breaking news integration
Real-time news coverage from multiple stations, allowing users to follow stories as they unfold from different perspectivesave and share specific moments from podcasts, with community features around popular clips
Thank you for exploring this project :)
I hope you've enjoyed exploring this project as much as I enjoyed working on it.
Thank you for exploring this project :)
I hope you've enjoyed exploring this project as much as I enjoyed working on it.
Thank you for exploring this project :)
I hope you've enjoyed exploring this project as much as I enjoyed working on it.