uxdesign
overview
summary
iZotope is an award winning audio editing software company based in Cambridge. Working in a group of four where I served as as Lead Brand and Interaction Design Consultant, we were tasked to research and develop a prototype for a potential new product to accommodate the needs of podcasters.
We needed to determine whether this would be a new program or plug-in/extension of iZotope's versatile RX7. Deliverables included a demonstration of a high-fidelity prototype and a presentation of our user research findings and design process.
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time - 3 weeks
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tools - whiteboard, Post-Its, pencil, paper, Sketch, InVision
research
leading software for editing podcasts
Pro Tools..........................the 'industry standard'
Zencastr ...........the only end-to-end podcast editor
GarageBand ....................most beginner friendly
Hindenberg......................cutting edge features
Audacity
Adobe Audition
Logic
Avid Pro
Ableton
Reaper
proposed solution
interviews
We surveyed eight people and then interviewed 14 podcasters, including:
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PRX Podcast Garage team in Allston, MA
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'5 Questions with Stever Molter'
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DJ Sterling Golden of Boston Free Radio
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Dan Pashman of the 'Sporkful' podcast
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'Awkward Silences' by userinterviews.com
findings
Podcasting audio editing needs are basic in comparison to the capabilities offered in most iZotope programs. At the same time, there is yet to be a software program to address the end-to-end production needs of podcasters from recording, to editing, so sharing with high-quality editing tools, such as those of iZotope's RX7.
takeaways
Listening to the people we interviewed, our 'aha' moment was that podcasters are journalists! Thus, their primary concern is their content. So, we identified podcast editing tools that would save time and are easy to use, such as Hindenberg and Descript's transcription-to-audio editing capabilities (edits made to the text are made in the track), leveling the steep learning curve of audio editing significantly.
problem
Podcasters need a more efficient way to record, edit, and share their content with the world so that they can spend more time on their content.
define
personas
Based on the wonderful people we interviewed and our research, podcasters could be divided roughly into two personas: a full-time professional journalist with access to resources and someone learning the ropes and creating in their spare time.
user flows & pain points
Outlining a typical workflow allowed us to zero in on pain points in the process in need of attention and improvement. Designing for a novice like Brock meant making the program as user friendly as possible, but with all the advanced features necessary for high-quality production.
product design
As Lead Brand and Interaction Designer, my role was to place 'Channel' into iZotope's suite of products. Their style and brand guidelines outlined specific criteria for logos, color, typography, and photography.
I used Illustrator and PhotoShop to create the logo and package design, and wrote the product description.
Last, I used Sketch to create custom UI icons and symbols unique to our project and added them to the file's library.
testing & iteration
Starting with a paper prototype
allowed us to quickly identify and address glaring issues to save time and minimize major changes down the road.
There was uncertainty about:
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text-to-audio functions
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what certain buttons meant
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what certain capabilities are
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switching text/audio views
Users found the text-to-audio editing feature to be innovative, exciting, and useful, but many were concerned about its accuracy.
Additionally, once testers grasped one or two key terms, they were thrilled about Channel’s intuitiveness, especially the search and delete function.
So we made these iterations:
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add viewing options/preferences for audio and transcription panels
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relocate main panel controls to a more intuitive spot
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pair labels with icons in bottom toolbar for clarity
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add manual verification of cuts (marker plays 5-second clip for approval)
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add ‘disable’ checkbox to initial pop-up screen for choosing a multi-speaker template or starting blank/new
deliver
demo & next steps
Identifying whether there was a market for this niche group within the iZotope suite presented its challenges in the research phases. It was also highly rewarding in the sense that there have yet to be functions unique to podcasters' needs under one roof.
Our client was thrilled with our work, and asked us to present to his team!
