Feedgurus Data Platform

overview

The objective of this project was to explore ways to support companies and small content producers in utilizing data to enhance their impact. This led to the development of a platform with a dashboard, granting users access to analyze and compare data efficiently.

company

Feedgurus

Role

Product Designer

Contributions

I was fully responsible for the end-to-end project, working closely to development team, acting as product designer.

Background

Feedgurus is a startup with two sides: an end-to-end podcast production company working with disrupting tech startups and a SaaS platform focused on podcast data analytics and intelligence. Feedgurus works as a partner, executing and supporting company's podcast in all stages of the project to make the podcast an important business asset.

I had the privilege to see the company creation and all the challenges that made this project so special to me. The stakeholders asked me to join as a Product Designer to help brainstorm a groundbreaking idea that would take clients to the next level of efficiency.

As Product Designer in this project, I worked closely to stakeholders and development team, from the design strategy, research, user interview, medium fidelity prototyping and usability testing.

The challenge and Goal

The project goal was to understand how could we help companies and small content producers to work with data to improve their range. In this case, the challenge was to understand if building a digital solution as a data platform would improve productivity and help podcasters in a daily basis.

Design process

As the only Product Designer in the company, I led the whole design process. I've worked alongside the four partners and two developers during the process. I've based the project on the double diamond theory.

Immersion and research

Facts, Assumptions, and Questions

This exercise was made with the partners so I could get a better result. This was the first exercise to point what we know about the podcast scenario.

So, we list facts, assumptions and questions in order to structure our research. One of the key points in this exercise was to realize that, in these days, we don't have a platform or an application which reunite all the data that content producer needs.

Hypothesis

Taking in consideration our first exercise, we created some observations and hypothesis as guide to our research:

People still don't know how to start a podcast, they don't have a source of information to access data or how to benchmark;
Companies that would be starting to invest in this strategy would be reluctant to hire a data producer/tool;
The most relevant data for podcast producers is the number of listeners;
Another important data would be the amount of plays, without taking into account the average time of the episode
At least 50% of people who have a podcast will consult a platform that gathers benchmark data.
Producers preferred a tool over a company to gather data from their podcast

Research

The next step was to conduct research. The project aimed to assess the viability of proposed solutions rather than discovering new ones. Feedgurus, a company specializing in end-to-end podcast production, provided valuable data.

Additionally, data from PodPesquisa by ABPod, a reputable source in the field, was consulted. This process identified information gaps necessary to develop a solution. In light of this, a survey was conducted to understand the challenges podcast professionals encounter and how a data source could assist them. Using Google Forms, 25 responses were collected.

71%

Have a podcast

43%

Can't benchmark

85%

Don't have a
production team

57%

Don't know how
to measure results

Some of the insights:

The fact that the respondents don't hire a company to produce the show doesn't mean they wouldn't hire a tool to collect data form their competitors for an analysis.
Some content producers want to create a podcast but don't know how to measure the success of the show and this fact prevents them to keep going.
Most respondents prioritize metrics such as episode play counts and average play duration as crucial for gauging a podcast's success. These insights are obtainable from a data platform, which could also unveil additional unexplored data from the research.
Most interviewees cited time constraints in collecting essential data as their primary challenge, attributed to the novelty of podcasting and a lack of knowledge on data acquisition among some podcasters.

Empathy map

An empathy map was created to consolidate gathered insights and tailor our platform to the target audience. Primarily, the platform appears most beneficial to small companies and content producers initially.

Moreover, our research indicates a preference among certain users for autonomy in decision-making and reliance on tools rather than outsourcing to companies.

Definition

Persona

Fernando, 25 years old, is a marketing analyst. His biggest challenge is to collect and analyze different kind of data. In some situations, the data is not easily obtained and take time, as it is with data on podcasts.

Today, for Fernando, he needs to make a manual data collection, laborious and imprecise due to the fact that the data is not widely available. For him, a solution that can optimize this part of his work would be ideal.

value proposition

I made this exercise to make sure the product would fit costumer's needs. We want the Feedgurus platform be able to provide more objective and strong insights into your podcast and compare it to others in the same industry. In this way, it would be possible for the owner of the podcast to do a data analysis and still have insights on how to improve your show against your competitors.

Ideation

Prototyping

I sketched screens on paper to map the user flow and emphasize the platform's core aspects, facilitating communication with the development team to identify feasible solutions and prioritize features for the MVP.

Opting for the web format, we deemed it ideal for handling graphic-intensive content. However, we remain open to potentially adapting to a mobile format in the future, albeit in a simplified version.

Next, we created wireframes in Figma to structure the project and establish information hierarchy. This process aided in determining necessary components and organizing ideas for a style guide to support both design and development teams. Following this, we validated the design with user feedback.

Testing and validating

Following visual design refinements, I conducted a round of usability testing with nine users to validate the efficacy of the designs in addressing their issues.

I prepared a script with scenarios to assess potential challenges in feed creation and information addition. Additionally, I aimed to gauge the platform's usability, including tasks such as adding/deleting information and managing user access within accounts.

The session, facilitated through Google Meets, allowed for observation of users navigating missions on the Maze platform.

High fidelity prototype

I developed a high-fidelity prototype using Figma, which embodies a straightforward solution resembling a playlist or archive, reflecting Feedgurus' branding.

Termed as "feed," users can categorize podcasts by subject, release date, or podcaster. This platform meets all our needs by providing ease of use, displaying essential information, and supporting multiple users within a single account, catering to corporate requirements.