Life with Pets Podcasts
UX Design | UI Design | Interactive Design | Prototyping | Accessibility
Bringing Educational Audio Content to the Buddies App
Client:
Genneral Mills
Role:
UX Designer
Year:
2022
Introduction
The Learn section of the Buddies app provided valuable educational content for pet parents, but it was limited to text-based articles. To enhance engagement and offer a more dynamic way to learn, we introduced Life with Pets, a podcast feature designed for on-the-go, hands-free content consumption.
The Challenge
🔴 Existing Issues:
The Learn section was static, lacking diverse content formats.
Users had no way to consume content passively while multitasking.
The app did not support accessibility features for hearing-impaired users.
✅ Project Goals:
Design an intuitive podcast player that integrates seamlessly into the Learn section.
Improve content accessibility to ensure inclusivity for all users.
Increase engagement by expanding content offerings beyond text.
Project Strategy & Approach
1. Aligning Business & User Goals
I collaborated with Design, Product, and Loyalty teams to define success metrics:
📌 Expand learning opportunities for pet parents.
📌 Ensure content is accessible to a diverse user base.
📌 Create a frictionless podcast experience within the Buddies app.
2. Competitive & Comparative Analysis
I researched existing podcast and audio players to identify:
✔️ Best UX practices for playback controls and navigation.
✔️ Common accessibility features like transcripts and playback speed controls.
3. Defining Features & User Flows
Based on user research, I designed a seamless journey from discovery to playback.
Design Requirements:
🎙️ Podcast Module – Dedicated section on the Learn landing page.
▶️ Core Player Controls – Play/Pause, Rewind, Fast Forward.
📜 Podcast Detail Screen – Episode summary, host details, duration, share options.
📲 Embedded Podcasts – Integrated within articles for contextual listening.
Business Impact
The Life with Pets podcast feature successfully transformed the Learn section into an engaging, accessible resource.
📊 Key Outcomes:
✔️ Increased engagement in the Learn section.
✔️ Expanded content accessibility through transcripts.
✔️ Enhanced Buddies' reputation as an educational resource.
By anticipating barriers to accessibility and integrating thoughtful UX solutions, I ensured that all pet parents—regardless of hearing ability—could benefit from the content.
Final Thoughts
This project showcased my ability to:
✅ Identify gaps in accessibility and design inclusive solutions.
✅ Leverage research and UX strategy to enhance content engagement.
✅ Ensure seamless integration of new features into existing ecosystems.
By combining UX insight, accessibility best practices, and thoughtful design, I helped Buddies create a richer, more inclusive learning experience for pet parents.
