Kwip Podcasts
Overview
As lead product designer at Kwip, I own the end-to-end design process for our AI-powered podcast summarization feature, our second product after launching chat in 2023. User research revealed demand for summarizing long-form audio content - a key opportunity leveraging our AI strengths. My goal was enabling frictionless synthesis of podcast insights.
Over a 6 week timeline from ideation to MVP launch, I led UX research, design, prototyping and testing. Working cross-functionally, I swiftly collaborated with engineers and stakeholders to ship with clarity. The podcast feature delighted users by condensing lengthy episodes into under 10-minute summaries, resulting in a 20% increase in returning users.
My role
User Research Interaction Design Design System Prototyping User Testing
The team
1 × back-end dev 1 × front-end dev 1 × product designer
Timeline
November 2023 - May 2024
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Design Solutions
Overcoming User Challenges with AI
Breaking Away from Chat Interface
A key insight uncovered in user research was that users often struggle to formulate effective prompts when using AI chatbots. To address this pain point, we refined prompt engineering to deliver high-quality summaries from podcast episodes and pre-generated summaries. This enabled a frictionless user experience - users simply browse available episodes and listen to or read pre-generated tailored summaries on demand.
Intuitive Interaction Design
Leveraging Familiar Podcast UI
Rather than a chat interface requiring user prompts, I utilized a familiar podcast UI. This dramatically reduces complexity and the number of steps needed for users to effortlessly access key takeaways from episodes. The intuitive interaction design enabled frictionless consumption of summaries simply by pressing play.
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Optimizing for User Context
Audio and Text Summaries
Our podcast feature was designed to seamlessly fit within users' existing podcast consumption habits across contexts. Since many listeners engage with podcasts while commuting, exercising, doing chores or other activities, I prioritized the audio summary for continued audio-based consumption on the go. At the same time, users had the option to read summaries for occasions when they wanted to quickly skim the key takeaways. By enabling effortless engagement through audio or text across different environments, my goal is to drive habitual use of the podcast feature.
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Takeaways
Cross-Functional Alignment
Early Cross-Functional Communication
This project taught me the value of early, ongoing collaboration with developers, especially in fast-paced startups. By partnering with engineers from the outset at Kwip, I could swiftly align on MVP scope and priorities to meet our tight timeline. Throughout the rapid build, continuous communication and feedback loops enabled me to refine the UX while ensuring timely delivery.
Navigating Trade-offs and Conflicting Perspectives
A key challenge on this project was aligning on which features to prioritize for the MVP given our short timeline. With stakeholders advocating different capabilities, there were disagreements on the minimal set to launch with. I made an effort to actively listen to all perspectives and weigh each considering our research findings on user needs. By focusing the conversation on the core functionality that would clearly solve those needs, I could steer decision-making to the most crucial elements. I learned the importance of diplomacy and focusing priorities when navigating conflicting opinions.
Next Steps
Iterating Based on User Feedback
Validating assumptions and enhancing personalization
To build on the initial success of our MVP, our next steps are to continue validating assumptions and improving the user experience through testing. We will closely monitor engagement metrics to identify opportunities and ensure the product is delivering value. Planned iterations include adding account features to allow users to save, download, and queue episodes, as well as a search function. My aim is to leverage user feedback and data to refine and tailor the podcast experience, driving increased retention over time. I will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners on designing, developing, and releasing ongoing enhancements.