How this Podcast App is Winning Over Chinese Listeners More than Apple?
Background
I began listening to podcasts to distract my attention while doing activities I disliked, such as exercising and commuting. After nearly three years, podcast listening has become the initial and final step of my daily routine.
Like 20% of other podcast listeners in 2020, I initially used Apple Podcasts, as it was pre-installed on my iPhone. It met my basic need to listen to something interesting and enrich my day.
However, I immediately switched to a Chinese podcast called “Little Universe” after using it. This APP was highly recommended by a podcast enthusiast friend who had previously used Apple Podcasts for a long time.
As a podcast superuser, I could give numerous reasons for this transition. In this article, however, I will analyze the user experience of this Chinese podcast app from a product designer’s perspective and examine how it distinguishes itself.
For ease of reading, I will refer to “Apple Podcasts” as “Apple” and “Little Universe” as “LU” in the following paragraphs.
I. Comparison between Apple Podcasts and LU
As a product designer, it is important to evaluate whether a podcast app can effectively solve users’ problems.
I examined two common user tasks related to the user flow and interface of both Apple and LU.
TASK 1: “I want to listen to a new episode from one of my shows.”
(1) Apple’s users need to make more choices to access the episodes than LU’s users.
(2) Apple’s CTA button (Play, Pause, Resume, etc.) is more apparent, finger-reachable, and has a higher contrast than LU’s.
TASK 2: “I want to try a different episode on my playing list.”
(1) Apple’s users need to scroll down to the bottom of the episode page to find the hidden playing list, while LU’s users can find it with less effort.
(2.1) → (2.2) if an Apple user selects the third episode of the list, Apple removes the next two episodes, and the user must re-add them from the library. In contrast, LU simply reorders the third episode to the top.
(3) LU’s users can view the episode’s intro before deciding whether to listen.
(4) LU provides more side information, such as download status, remaining time, and release date, to help users decide which episode to listen to.
Overall, LU requires fewer actions to manage episodes and playing lists and provides more helpful information for intuitive and seamless decision-making than Apple.
II. LU is doing a better job fulfilling “human’s three levels of needs”.
Users choose the product because it simply solves a need.
The most popular theory is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid. For this article, I will use the “ERG model” instead, which derives from and expands Maslow’s model, developed by Clayton Alderfer in the late 1960s.
This model is composed of Existence, Relationship, and Growth needs. I will analyze them one by one to elaborate on why LU is doing a better job of solving users' needs.
- Existence — the basic needs of listening to a Podcast.
- Easy to listen: As examined in the previous section, by using the two common tasks, LU supports this need with a more intuitive, simple, and usable user flow.
- Synthesize information: LU minimizes users’ effort of exploring episodes and contents while maintaining flexibility.
- For example: Listeners use “ranking” and “moment locating” features to find things that may interest them the most.
2. Relationship — the social status desires.
- Build community: LU deepens the connections between listeners and podcasters, listeners and listeners, creators and creators.
- Offer recognition: LU delights users when they either resonate with or be valued by other users.
- For example: listeners can comment under a single episode to interact with other listeners and podcasters; they can find groups that share the same thoughts or listening preferences by viewing others’ comments and profile pages.
3. Growth — the ultimate need for personal development.
- Protect discoverability: LU evaluates and recommends podcasts by more subtle layers, which will facilitate listeners to discover new contents to transcend.
- Value Creators — help podcasters build the brand and advertise the contents, which in turn encourages podcasters to come up with more excellent episodes to attract listeners.
- Example: listeners can explore different types of podcasts based on diverse criteria; podcasters can effectively communicate their values to listeners.
There are also other product features and UI details that I think LU is doing a better job of than Apple. But I won’t include them here since I will need user research to verify if they can be universally perceived as “good”.
III. Why the difference?
In addition to the product design methodologies I analyzed above, the differences between Apple and LU can also be attributed to their respective markets and cultural contexts.
- Growing during the pandemic: LU fulfills users’ desire for connection while physically isolated.
- Newbie users: Podcast is still a comparable niche market in China. Its focus on attracting newbie users with a larger range of features.
- Information processing: Chinese users are known for their ability to navigate complex interfaces to find specific information.
IV. Wrap it up
Compared to Apple Podcasts, what user needs does Little Universe satisfy that makes it stand out?
- It fulfills users’ basic needs of listening to a podcast.
- It helps users feel valued by the social group that they resonate with.
- It supports users in achieving their needs for personal development.
Additionally, writing this article inspired me, a podcast enthusiast, to think further -
What are the listening experiences that a podcast user values?
- Effectively convey the value of sound for users, even though it cannot visualize voice as text or image.
- Given the blooming but relatively new market, support new users to discover the things that encourage them to return.
- Create a sense of companionship and worthiness since users typically listen to podcasts while multitasking and/or are mentally focused.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it interesting and valuable. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions and check out my other articles!
Lilac Shen is a product designer who prioritizes values in her work. With over 9 years of experience in design thinking, team collaboration, and an appreciation for aesthetics, connect with her on LinkedIn and view her portfolio to learn more about her ideas and work.
