Company: Sutro FM
Duration: 2 Months
Role: Research, IA, Content Design, Business Analysis, Visual Design
Team: Sebastián Ortega (Product Designer) | Michael Claus (Developer)
Challenges
Redesign landing page for a more intuitive and natural experience
Implement content that allows listeners to discover new music
Fashion a simple and readable weekly timeline
Relocate chat room and live stream component
Overview
During this 2 month sprint, I was tasked with improving Sutro FM’s landing page and article content layout in order to improve listener experience. Sutro FM’s main goal as an online radio station is to broadcast knowledge, history and talent of the Bay Area to the world.
The Problem
Sutro FM is looking to restructure and simplify its landing page, IA and content in order to create an experience that is natural and learnable to the current and future listener base. Listeners are feeling overwhelmed and confused when interacting with Sutro FM’s landing page, due to a busy and information heavy layout design.
The Solution
We believe that by designing a learnable and organized landing and music recommendations page with a natural flow, we will increase listener engagement on Sutro FM. A usable website and restructured article content will enable SFM’s listeners to get comfortable and invested with Sutro, thus paving a path to increased website activity.
Research Synthesis
Research revealed that listeners are looking for a narrative behind the music. Listeners understand that finding new music is a journey, with a process that tells a story about the person searching. Currently, Sutro FM only presents music to listeners without the option to explore the website and find new music on their own. We chose to shift the focus towards discoverability by devising content and layout with the research in mind. Listeners would now be able to find out more about music while feeling represented and connected to what they choose to listen to.
Trend Identification
4 main trends were prevalent throughout our researching journey.
History
Listeners want to know more about the history of rave culture
Identity
Listeners feel comfortable when listening to stations they identify or are already familiar with
Inclusion
Interviews suggested that there is not enough QTBIPOC representation within Sutro FM
Discovery
People who listen to online radio stations enjoy finding out about new music
“Values being exemplified in music is really important to me.”
— Anonymous listener
Information Architecture
Before transforming our insights into designs, I created a sitemap and restructured the primary navigation. I chose to rename pages and organize content so that listeners could naturally discover and interact with new musical content.
Content Design
In order for Sutro FM to increase its listener activity I designed a music recommendations recurring post that showcases the music that is shared, posted and discussed by friends and staff members of Sutro FM.
Recommendations Preview Link Design
Recommendations Post Layout Design
Style Guide
Our design system was meant to be usable and readable, while distinguishing itself from other online radio stations. I chose variants of black, grey and white with a shade of purple to highlight important actions and information. In order to add to Sutro’s sense of identity, I decided to change the color highlight every other month. Sutro FM’s audience has shown that they enjoy websites imbued with identity. Changing colors is one minimal way an online radio station can achieve that. Arial is kept as the main typeface as it is a system font for bootstrap, which is the framework the developer is using for Sutro FM.
Landing Page Analysis
When ideating solutions, I analyzed the landing page thoroughly. A quick usability and learnability analysis was enough to uncover Sutro FM’s weak points. Research dictated that listeners were unsure of where to go. Most people who listen to Sutro FM know where to go because they tried hard enough to find the live stream and chat room component. I quickly realized that our solution needed to be easy to understand for newcomers to Sutro FM.
Header Redesign
To keep listeners informed I designed a header containing a condensed version of the daily schedule. Additionally, we decided to include gifs made by local visual artists that would play within the header. This would allow for a greater connection between Sutro FM and the community.
Next Steps
Research interviews apprised that listeners would like Sutro FM to modify their radio shows to reflect what the community actually looks like. At the moment, Sutro hosts more cis-heteronormative white males than any other identity or ethnicity. This is not intentional, but is something Sutro FM plans to improve thanks to the unveiled research during this sprint.
“We should start amplifying those who don’t get a chance to have their own show. As a community radio station, we should provide that space to them”
— Anonymous listener
Final Takeaways
My time with Sutro FM informed me that people listen to music because they connect with it on some personal level. A lot of marginalized individuals listen to underground electronic music because their roots, their story, and their purpose has impacted this culture and vice versa. Music has the power to shape people, and it is often forgotten that these songs are birthed from a multitude of onerous events in an artist’s life. SutroFM’s listeners believe that any platform related to music should emphasize the story behind a mix or a track because these creations are an extension of the artist.