Adding a Feature to Audible
Timeline : 10 weeks
Role : Solo UX Designer/Research
Project Brief
A UX case study to explore how to integrate a Discussion feature into Audible, allowing users to share text quotes/audio clips, join conversations, and interact with other readers—all while maintaining Audible’s existing design language.
Target Audience
Audible users who actively discuss books.
Users who engage in external platforms but may or may not use Audible.
Audible users who do not really engage in book discussions (to understand the reason why they don’t)
Research
Understand how Audible users discuss the audiobooks they listen to with other book lovers socially and whether they need an in-app discussion feature.
Research Objectives
Understand how users currently discuss and share their thoughts on the audio books they listen to.
Determine whether users would prefer an in-app book club experience over external platforms.
Identify any pain points or gaps users face in current social engagement related to audiobooks.
Research Methods
User interviews
Affinity Mapping
Usability Testing
Research Findings
User Interviews & Affinity Mapping
Conducted 9 user interviews to understand how people engage with audiobooks and share their thoughts.
Focused on users' listening habits, social engagement around audiobooks, and challenges in discussing books.
Explored pain points such as difficulty finding discussion spaces, switching between apps, and lack of built-in social features.
Investigated preferences for structured vs. casual book discussions and interest in an in-app social experience.
Synthesized interview data to identify key themes and feature opportunities.
Grouped insights into categories such as Social engagement & Community features, Enhancing audiobook experience, Goodreads & Audible Integration.
Key Insights
Desire for Social Engagement
Most participants want in-app social features to connect over shared reading experiences without switching between apps like Goodreads or Libby.
Quote-Saving & Reflection
Users want an in-app quote-saving feature to store and revisit favorite passages.
Many participants like reflecting on books post-listening and sharing insights.
Commonly Requested Features
Casual interactions: Commenting, quick reactions, and discussion threads.
Live engagement: Reacting in real-time to key moments in books.
Friend-based recommendations: Seeing what friends are reading and enjoying.
Pain Point: Switching Between Apps
Users dislike juggling Audible (listening) + Goodreads (reviews/discussions) and want everything in one place.
User Persona
Jessica represents users who need a seamless way to capture and organize insights while listening to audiobooks without disrupting their experience. She values quiet reflection over live discussions and prefers an integrated solution that allows her to save meaningful quotes, track thoughts, and revisit them effortlessly.
Point of View statement…
Jessica needs a way to share and discuss meaningful audio book quotes with others because she enjoys exchanging insights in a thoughtful, non-real-time way without having to switch between different apps.
How might We...
How Might We make it easy for Jessica to share and discuss her favorite audio book moments with others without leaving the platform?
Design
User Flows
The main touch points while doing the user flow were:
To give users an option to save the audio clip as both audio and text
Give users the choice to save the clip in either of the formats.
Providing users to share their saved clips with other fellow readers.
Giving users an option to share these saved clips on audible and as well as Goodreads platform.
Having a discussion feed for the users to interact with other readers within Audible
Wireframes
Audio Clips & Text Quotes – Users can bookmark memorable moments and share insights.
Sorting Options – Organize feeds by All, Recent, Most Liked, or My Posts.
Discussion Feed – Displays user-generated posts featuring audio snippets, text highlights, and captions.
Spoiler Control – A feature that hides potential spoilers until the user chooses to reveal them.
Engagement Options – Users can like, follow, and comment on shared clips and quotes.
Key Features
Key Lo-Fidelity Wireframes
Audible Homescreen
Audio Clip Screen
Saved Clips Screen
Discussion Feed
Lo-fidelity Wireframe Testing
Participants: 6 frequent audiobook listeners (casual & dedicated users)
Testing Goals
Evaluate ease of navigation between key screens
Test interaction with core features (Clipping, Sharing, Commenting, Reactions)
Gather feedback on the Discussion Feed layout
Assess the integration with Goodreads
What Worked
Navigation & Accessibility
Users found Library, Home, and Audiobook Player screens intuitive
Clips & Bookmarks were easy to locate
Users liked Audio Clip Mode vs. Text Transcript Mode
Goodreads Integration
- Users found the Goodreads toggle easy to use
- Integration reduced platform switching hassle
- Users liked “Discussions You Might Like” on Home - Wanted book-specific discussion groups & Trending
DiscussionsFound Spoiler Alert toggle useful
Recommendations
Improve Share Icon Placement – Move next to clips/quotes for easier sharing
Add Clipping Confirmation – Small visual cue after saving clips
Introduce a “Most Active” Sorting Filter – Help users find engaging discussions
Enhance Comment Controls – Add Edit, Delete, Collapse/Expand options
Integrate Discussion Entry Points – Add “Join Discussion” button in audiobook pages
Explore a “Bookmark Thread” Feature – Let users save discussions for later
Hi-fidelity Wireframes
The Audible homepage includes a seamlessly integrated "Discussions" entry point that allows users to engage in book-related conversations. This feature appears alongside the user’s current audiobooks, providing a direct way to join discussions about the books they are actively listening to.
This screen showcases the "Clip Saved" confirmation feature, allowing users to save and revisit key moments from their audiobook. Additionally, users can also choose to "Discuss" the saved clip in their book club or public discussion forums.
This screen provides users with a centralized hub for managing their saved audio clips and text quotes, making it easy to revisit key moments from their audiobooks and share insights with others.
Key Features:
Audio Clips & Text Quotes – Users can toggle between saved audio highlights and text excerpts for reference.
Personal Notes – Users can add custom notes (e.g., "Love the details here!") to capture thoughts on specific passages.
Play Clip & Go to Bookmark – Instant playback and navigation options help users re-engage with their saved moments effortlessly.
Share Options – Users can share clips and quotes by creating a new post, adding a caption, and enabling a spoiler alert if needed.
A “Share to Goodreads” feature allows for cross-platform engagement, connecting Audible discussions with a wider reading community.
Audible Discussion Feed Screens
Key Features focused
Differentiate Audio clip and text quote posts
Having a Spoiler alert card
Adding interactive elements
Usability Testing
This usability test aimed to evaluate the ease of use, intuitiveness, and functionality of Audible’s new features
No. of Participants - 5
Key Observations
Ease of accessing saved clips
Sharing clips & quotes
Clarity of discussion posts (Needs profile pictures, clearer text hierarchy.)
Usability of text quotes (Users mistakenly thought quotes were editable.)
Finding the discussion feed
Engaging with discussions (commenting, reacting, replying) - (Users compared it to other apps such as Reddit, Discord, also suggesting an option to follow a specific discussion.)
Avg. Rating (1-5)
4
4
3
3.5
3.6
3.8
Recommendations & Iterations
Improve Discussion Post Visibility & Readability
Add profile pictures next to usernames.
Make book title & caption visually distinct (bold text, different font size).
Clarify Text Quotes in Posts
Make text quotes look different from an editable text box.
Consider adding a small edit icon if future editing is an option.
Improve Engagement Features
Allow users to follow discussions and receive updates.
Revised Discussion feed screen
Reflections
Main Challenges Faced
Ensuring the Discussion feature felt native to Audible.
Balancing social interaction without making the app cluttered.
Helping users discover and join book clubs without overwhelming notifications.
Aligning Design with User Needs
Conducted usability testing at multiple stages.
Iterated on feedback for features like discussion feeds, audio clip formats, and Audible-Goodreads integration.
Main Insights from Research
Users want in-app social features to avoid switching between apps.
Preferred casual interactions: comments, quick reactions, and discussion threads.
Many disliked juggling Audible (listening) + Goodreads (reviews/discussions).
Users requested an in-app quote-saving feature.
Key Takeaways for Future Projects
Integrating new features requires deep research into design patterns & user expectations.
Testing early & iterating saves time and improves design outcomes.
Conclusion
This project reinforced the importance of aligning new features with user behaviors and platform aesthetics, balancing engagement with usability. Moving forward, further iterations and usability testing could refine these interactions, ensuring they provide meaningful value without disrupting the core listening experience.