Project Overview
- Title: Audyo Listener App
- Target: B2C
- Tagline: Be better-read. Listen instead.
- Introduction: Audyo was a minimalist listen-later app designed to enhance the way professionals consumed content by transforming articles into high-quality audio. It offered a streamlined, distraction-free environment for listening and reading, empowering users to stay informed and learn efficiently.
Problem
- Problem: Professionals, especially those in knowledge industries, are overwhelmed with information. They struggle to keep up with the sheer volume of articles, often resorting to skimming or neglecting valuable content due to time constraints and digital distractions. Existing read-later apps, while helpful, didn't fully address the need for a focused, audio-centric experience.
- Target Audience: Professionals in knowledge industries (e.g., tech, finance, consulting) seeking to optimize their learning and stay ahead in their fields.
- Market Research: Competitive analysis revealed that existing solutions like Pocket and Matter offered article-saving features but lacked a seamless listening experience and a curated content discovery mechanism. Audyo aimed to fill this gap by prioritizing audio consumption and offering a curated feed of high-quality articles.
Solution
- App Description: Audyo was an iOS app with a companion Chrome extension, enabling users to save articles for later listening. The app boasted a clean, intuitive interface designed for optimal listening, with an optional reading view for those who preferred text. Its key differentiator was the focus on high-quality audio playback and curated content discovery.
- Key Features:
- Reading View: Seamlessly switch between listening and reading modes.
- Queue: A segmented queue organized articles into "today," "someday," and "later" sections, functioning as a prioritized to-do list for content consumption.
- Groups: Create custom groups to categorize and manage saved articles.
- Playlist Creation: Curate personalized playlists for a structured listening experience.
- Discover Feed: Explore new, high-quality articles tailored to your interests.
- Seamless Transition: Smoothly transition between devices and resume listening where you left off.
- Easy Highlighting: Double-tap to highlight key points while listening or reading.
Process
- Research & Discovery: Conducted user interviews with professionals across various industries to understand their content consumption habits and pain points. Analyzed competitor apps to identify strengths and weaknesses. This research informed the development of Audyo's core features and value proposition.
- Ideation: Brainstorming sessions generated a wide range of ideas for features and functionalities. Initial sketches and wireframes were created to visualize the app's structure and user flow.
- Prototyping: Developed interactive prototypes using Figma to refine the user experience and gather feedback from potential users. These prototypes helped validate design decisions and identify areas for improvement.
- Design: Iterated on the app's UI/UX design based on user feedback and testing. Created high-fidelity mockups that emphasized simplicity, readability, and ease of use.
- Development: Built the app using Swift UI and Firebase for the backend. Integrated text-to-speech technology for audio conversion. Addressed technical challenges related to audio quality and seamless playback across devices. Created custom onboarding and in-app illustrations to enhance the user experience.
Testing & Validation
- User Testing: Released beta versions to multiple rounds of users through TestFlight, gathering valuable feedback on usability, features, and overall satisfaction.
- Feedback: Actively sought and analyzed user feedback, making iterative improvements based on their suggestions. This feedback loop led to refinements in onboarding, navigation, and feature prioritization.