Bridging the gap between static streaming and social connection for the under-35 audience.
BYTE-SIZED INFO
tl;dr
iHeartMedia was losing the battle for Gen Z, with users under 35 churning rapidly due to an impersonal experience. Research revealed a critical 82% drop-off rate during onboarding, driven by navigational friction and a lack of social connection.
The final solution focuses on speed and community. I streamlined the onboarding flow to get users to music faster and introduced Call Your Host and Song Dedication features to mimic the intimacy of live radio.
SNEAK PEEK
The Results
simplify the location change process…
…along with providing more user-action feedback…
…and suggesting a product feature idea!
● THE FULL PROCESS ●
THE CHALLENGE
Experience Roadblocks
USER INTERVIEW QUOTE
MY RESEARCH IDEALOGY
Data-informed priorities
Led foundational research, conducting a Heuristic Evaluation and 5 in-depth user interviews.
Analysed 500+ user reviews from various sources like Reddit and App Store.
Research led me to prioritize an engagement-first strategy: optimizing onboarding and adding social features.
VERSION ONE
#1 Optimizing the Onboarding Funnel (Reducing Churn)
The Solution: Based on sponsor and user feedback, we streamlined the onboarding process by skipping unnecessary screens and rewriting questions to be more relevant.
#2 Prioritising Customization (Boosting Retention)
The Solution: In the newly introduced “My Library", users can manage all their content and customise their genres and artist selection.
#2 (THE PRODUCT IDEA) Incorporate playful and engaging features to boost interaction.
The Solution: The “Call Your Host” feature enables the audience to call the show host and go on air and engage in a live discussion.
REALITY CHECK
Testing v1 & Designing v2
Through testing, we discovered four key areas where the users struggled with interaction.
Location: Expectation to find the Location setting in the account section, but finding it hidden under Advanced Settings.
Dedication: Assumption that the Song Dedication feature only applied to the song currently playing on the station.
Button Functions: The Plus button and Transcript button were confusing, with the Plus button's function being the non-obvious "Marked as Played."
Device Transition: Users expected easier and more direct access to output music and transition playback across multiple devices.
INCORPORATING CHANGES
The Finale
My key takeaway from testing was the need for clarity and discoverability. For example, users struggled to find hidden functions like "Mark as Played" or change their location settings. I advocated for moving critical controls (like Location Settings) from an obscure "Advanced" menu to the main "My Profile" page, a small change with a massive impact on user autonomy and successful content delivery.
THE AFTEREFFECTS
My Learnings.
Teamwork
We learned that real teamwork requires understanding and adapting to each other’s working styles while collaboratively figuring out methods that fit the team as a whole.
Taking Ownership
Actively stepping up and taking ownership allows us to experience the joy of success.
Empathy
We recognized the importance of empathy, not only towards our users but also towards each other.
From collaborating on a cool project to discussing the next big thing happening in design, feel free to drop me a line.
© Copyright 2025 Manasi Ghutukade