Company Sponsored Project
Problem
How might we increase Gen Z user engagement in long-form audio content?
Decline in Adult Reading
From 2007 to 2022, consumer expenditure on books declined 37%. This trend points to a decrease in adult reading, likely influenced by the rise of digital entertainment, social media, and short-form content.
Gen Z &
Short-Form Content
Gen Z exhibits a preference for short-form content due to their fast-paced lifestyles. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have popularized easily consumable media, pointing to a growing trend for Gen Z that favors shorter, engaging content.
Gen Z Reads Fewer Books for Pleasure!
In 1976, almost 40% of U.S. 12th graders read six or more books for pleasure over the past year. By 2021-22, this number had decreased to 13%. Conversely, the percentage of 12th graders who did not read any books for pleasure rose from 11.5% in 1976 to 41% in 2021-22.
Source: Data from Monitoring the Future complied and analyzed by Jean M. Twenge, author of Generations
Why Do They Matter?
Gen Z is a prime but underserved audience for audiobooks due to their preference for short-form content. While they are comfortable with digital platforms and subscriptions, their tendency towards quick media makes them less attracted to long-form audiobooks. However, their engagement could drive significant innovation in the market.
How can long-form audio compete with short-form content?
Solution
Embracing Short-Form Content
Acknowledging the prevailing trend of short-form content, we chose to leverage its potential to attract and drive interest in full-length audiobooks.
#BookTok
#BookTok is a TikTok community where users share book reviews and recommendations, often influencing book sales and trends through viral content.
Source: Data from Monitoring the Future complied and analyzed by Jean M. Twenge, author of Generations
#BookTok Makes People Read More
According to a May 2023 survey, 48% of TikTok users in the United States and 53% of Canadian users reported reading more books because of the influence of BookTok.
Source: Bookriot.com
Impact of #BookTok on Book Sales
The platform has propelled niche authors like Colleen Hoover to bestseller status, with over 20 million copies sold.
Source: SODP
Source: Circana Bookscan
SHORTible Central Business Logic
SHORTible harnesses AI to transform audio content into bite-sized visual stories, perfectly tailored to market to today's digital generation on their favorite platforms.
SHORTible Pipeline
Research
User Interviews
To understand the current pain points of Gen Z long-form content creators, listeners, and non-listeners, we conducted user interviews.
Pain Points From Long-Form Audio Listeners (Gen Z)
Pain Points From Audio Content Creators (Publishers, Authors, Podcast Hosts)
Ideation
Ideate! Ideate! Ideate!
Our team brainstormed 50+ ideas and refined them using the funnel method to narrow down to two standout concepts. We presented these two ideas to the Audible team and received feedback for the final selection with suggestions to further develop them.
Addressing 3 Pain Points
SHORTible transforms long-form audio into engaging short-form videos for social media, effectively addressing 3 key pain points. It assists creators in producing Gen Z appealing content, extends creator reach, and supports consistent promotion. Leveraging TikTok's potential, this tool can ultimately make content discovery easier for Gen Z and can drive audiobook and podcast sales.
Design
Branding
UI
01 Prompt Template
Users can upload transcripts or audio via the Transcript Input or Add Audio options. The Prompt Head lets users specify genres, personalities, and environments, while the Negative Prompt excludes undesired elements, ensuring precise customization.
02 Video & Audio Settings
The Video tab allows users to select the content type, adjust video length, add subtitles, and choose animating styles.
The Audio tab provides options for selecting language and voice type, adjusting narration speed, and specifying voice tone.
03 Edit Final Videos & Share
Users can edit generated videos with command inputs, share them directly on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, or download them for other uses.
Reflection
What I’ve learned...
Collaborating with engineers and managers honed my interdisciplinary skills and cultivated my holistic approach to product design. I learned to address risks while integrating regulatory considerations early to avoid roadblocks and ensure smooth market entry.
If I had more time...
If I had more time, I would focus on refining the UXUI through user testing. More user testing would help us identify potential improvements and deliver a more user-friendly final product.
