Bringing You Along this Podcast UX Research Journey
User Experience Research, UX Research, Podcast, Case Study
"I have a podcast website, but I want to increase the number of listeners I have. What should I do?" A very interesting call I received on a rather chilly Wednesday morning. "Sure, tell me more about this podcast and we can go from there".
Sounds fun, I've always listened to podcasts but what could we do better with this particular podcast, what did the users want? My UXR brain was going into overdrive. "Calm down Divya, let's start with the research objectives and understanding the goals of the stakeholders." Thinking back, this innate reassurance has gotten me through many studies/projects with short timelines. Try it!;)
1. Research Objectives
This podcast focused on providing young couples with self-empowerment and healthy partnership building. Through the stakeholder's meeting, we identified the following research objectives:
What are the key motivations for users to listen and subscribe to the podcast?
What would encourage users to donate to the podcast?
What do users like/dislike about the current website?
Highly recommend: Create a shareable document to allow all stakeholders to follow along the process, it builds open communication and reassurance.
2. Data collection
"Phew!" Now that that was ironed out, I identified that survey methods would have been the best way to achieve the research objectives within a short period of time. I designed the survey using Google Surveys. Questions asked included both behavioral (motivations) and website design questions.
Challenge:
As a researcher, reflecting on the challenges I face is important for my learning and growth. After collecting the data, although there were open-ended questions, I felt that some users did not elaborate on certain opinions that could have been very relevant and insightful.
Future Solution:
I think an interview session with 5-7 users would have been more helpful in identifying the motivations and pain points better. Conversations might be more helpful in explaining perspectives as compared to writing/typing them on a survey. Furthermore, in-depth usability testing could have been added for better observation of the website design.
3. Findings
Upon evaluating the findings, I divided them findings into "Behavioral" and "Design" findings.
Key "Behavioral" findings included:
Exclusive insights into podcasts
Entertainment/Humor
Continued conversations allow for interactions with the podcast hosts and guests.
Users mentioned that "being able to comment or be included in the podcast conversations would make them feel heard and present".
Key "Design" findings included:
Clearer identification of subscription icons
More organized layout
Including the podcast series above the donation button
Some users felt that they would be more inclined to provide donations after hearing the podcasts. This affected their overall motivations and intentions to subscribe or donate.
4. Impact
I usually get excited about making an impact especially if it makes a difference positively!
Upon consulting with the stakeholders several months after the research concluded, they mentioned that they had made changes to the website, providing a neater layout that was user-friendly.
In addition, after reviewing the "Behavioral" findings, they have developed an "in-reach" group so that users can discuss podcast topics with other similar users. The building of this community fosters a sense of support and encourages a continuation in the intention to listen to the podcasts. Members from these "in-reach" groups also conduct outreach programs to share more about the podcasts with new potential users, increasing overall subscriptions.
Happy to have made an impact!
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