Simplecast’s podcast manager

Role

Senior UX Designer

Skills

user experience, user research, visual design

The Simplecast team set out to improve the onboarding flow for creators making a new podcast.

Research goals

What are new user’s primary pain points during onboarding?
What do creators need to learn about podcasting to make their first show?

Methods in brief

For research, I conducted moderated task analysis sessions with 8 participants.

4 participants were creating their first show
2 participants were familiar with podcasting

The huge takeaway from our research was that distribution is a major roadblock for creators. Some creators abandon their show at this point because they are so overwhelmed, or only submit to 1 or 2 listener apps, which greatly hurts their opportunity to grow their show.

This is a chance to streamline the distribution workflow for all podcasters, not just folks using Simplecast!

Project goal

Allow creators to easily submit their show to multiple distributors at once. Provide a hub to view consolidated reporting and tools for promotion in listener apps.

User goals

Allow a user to submit or claim a podcast in Pandora, SiriusXM, Stitcher and SXM in cars in one place
Allow users to access consolidated reporting from all top distributors, including Apple, Spotify, Stitcher and SiriusXM
Allow users to access free podcast promotion tools available in Simplecast

Key metrics

Private Beta launch, coinciding with announcement at the Podcast Movement Conference. Moderated in-person feedback at our SiriusXM booth

Initial concept & wireframes

I created a prototype while we worked out the kinks of how exactly distribution would technically work. The prototype was a simple but clear interface that allowed for easy navigation through onboarding.

High fidelity designs

After we finalized the prototype and reviewed it with our teams, I utilized our design system components to create high fidelity specs.

I designed a marketing site with the aim of directing all podcast creators to this free service, as it is accessible to creators of all kinds. This service is offered without any cost, making it a valuable resource for anyone wanting to publish their show!

The app provides additional value by providing one centralized place for creators to manage many podcasts & provides a valuable rollup of performance analytics across these apps.

Fun stats

After 2 months, around 10K shows had submitted or claimed their show, with 54% of traffic directly from listening apps. Since launch, the app consistently tracks approximately 350 users per day!

We’ve already begun iterating around updating this app to include features that allow users to improve podcast discoverability or create free trial funnels for subscribers. We’ve also received requests to provide the ability to bulk import shows. More updates to come!