Podcast consumption is booming, especially among tech-savvy users aged 12–34 who seek entertainment, education, and companionship. With smart speakers and smartphones making access easier, users expect platforms like Spotify to offer personalised, user-friendly features.
Research from the Infinite Dial 2023 and other reports revealed key industry trends — the importance of multitasking convenience, the desire for quick access to saved segments, and better discovery features — which shaped this project’s focus.
Reddit was used to gather real user feedback from podcast communities. Common complaints — poor playlist management and lack of bookmarking — helped identify pain points and directly informed the survey questions, ensuring the research was grounded in authentic user experiences.
Users demanded improved navigation, better integration of features like episode transcripts and variable playback speeds, enhanced podcast discovery and playback, and more personalisation in managing podcast libraries.
Personas were developed from survey data, Reddit insights, and secondary research. Patterns in listening habits, frustrations, and tech use led to three key personas:
High tech level. Listens for news and professional growth. Needs fast access to saved episodes and smarter content discovery. Wants to maximise commute time with seamless, purposeful listening.
Moderate tech level. Enjoys storytelling and educational podcasts while working from home. Needs bookmarking and social sharing to deepen engagement. Seeks a more interactive podcast experience.
Age 35, moderate–high tech level. Listens sporadically to lifestyle and pop culture content. Finds Spotify’s UI overwhelming — needs easy recommendations and minimal effort to discover content.
Conducted usability testing comparing the current Spotify app against a new prototype with a podcast bookmarking tool, assessing effectiveness, usability, and user satisfaction.
Time-consuming. Multiple taps required. Users couldn’t easily mark or revisit meaningful segments.
Easy bookmarking using minimal UI. Higher satisfaction. Users appreciated being able to name and organise bookmarks.
A minimalistic bookmark icon on the podcast playback screen for easy segment marking without interrupting listening.
A detailed creation screen where users can add titles and optional notes, making each bookmark more informative and searchable.
A new bookmark management interface that navigates to the podcast’s saved bookmarks directly from the player.
A straightforward layout, accessible from the main player, enhancing navigation and interaction with saved content.
This project showcased a full UX process — from real user research to mid- and high-fidelity designs — focused on solving a simple but overlooked user need: saving and revisiting podcast moments. The result is a solution that is intuitive, research-backed, and meaningful for everyday listeners.