Podcasting is gaining widespread popularity as knowledge of this new content format penetrates the public consciousness. However, only a select group of hosts are being discovered or listened to (and hence, enjoying success). This project aims to innovate for and improve gender equality in the podcasting format, asking how might the discovery of relevant content for podcast listeners be redesigned to challenge the current model of charts and categories. Using the Research through Design methodology to explore this question, this work builds upon an ethical foundation, and primary and secondary research to create an intervention in the form of a mobile application. The resulting prototype, a mobile application, was tested with a range of end-users and refined. The findings suggest that listeners’ key needs when discovering new content are curated recommendations and a sense of trust.

1. Discovering the
future of podcasting
INDUSTRY RESEARCH PROJECT
Amber Parkin, MA Digital Management, Hyper Island 2018

2. ABSTRACT
Podcasting is gaining widespread popularity as knowledge of this new content format penetrates the public consciousness.
However, only a select group of hosts are being discovered or listened to (and hence, enjoying success). This project aims to
innovate for and improve gender equality in the podcasting format, asking how might the discovery of relevant content for
podcast listeners be redesigned to challenge the current model of charts and categories. Using the Research through Design
methodology to explore this question, this work builds upon an ethical foundation, and primary and secondary research to create
an intervention in the form of a mobile application. The resulting prototype, a mobile application, was tested with a range of
end-users and refined. The findings suggest that listeners’ key needs when discovering new content are curated
recommendations and a sense of trust.
Word count
15,117

3. CONTENTS
3
Part 1: Examine
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Terms of reference
1.3 The ethical foundation
1.4 Literature review
1.5 Expert interviews
1.6 Research synthesis
1.7 Hypothesis
1.8 Research question
1.9 Defining the research question
Part 2: Explore
2.1 Methodology
2.2 Alternative discovery tools
2.4 Podcast listening habits survey
2.5 Persona creation
Part 3: Develop
3.1 Idea development
3.2 Prototyping
3.3 Testing and insights
3.4 Prototype refinement
Part 4: Conclude
4.1 Findings
4.2 Recommendations
4.3 Reflective statement
4.4 Conclusion
Part 5: Reference
5.1 References
5.2 Appendices

4. 4
Examine PART ONE

5. 1.1 INTRODUCTION
5
This Industry Research Project (IRP) aims to innovate and
improve gender equality in both technology and
broadcasting through the medium of podcasting.
In 2018, gender bias is still a barrier to success for many
women in both broadcasting and technology. Podcasting is
a confluence of these two areas, and successful women are
also significantly underrepresented here - hosting less
than an estimated 30% of podcasts.
It is a relevant time to examine this issue, as the podcast
medium is burgeoning, and only in the last year have
organisations committed to monetising podcasting. Until
this activity gains momentum, podcasting remains an
independent activity – both in production and
consumption.
By improving the quality and breadth of the discovery
experience for podcast listeners through the design of a
new tool, it may make women more visible, and encourage
them to create. The project also aims to discuss how
companies operate ethically in the development of digital
technology, and how good governance is essential to any
media distribution platform.

6. 6
This form of content production and consumption could
arguably be described as democratic and of egalitarian
sensibility - content created by the people, for the people.
While I am currently working in finance, this is not the
industry or organisational context within which I wanted
to further explore three key topics - equality, podcasts and
content production. My professional status is as a
freelance content strategist, with my skills and expertise
rooted in the digital creative communication industry. It is
more generally this industry for which I am further
exploring these topics. Podcast content creation has been a
keen interest of mine for two years. In the lead up to
defining an IRP, I have been actively engaged in the
medium, being genuinely inquisitive and motivated to
research these key topics of interest through a technical
artefact titled: winnow.network.
I have structured my IRP as a report in four main parts,
firstly to examine the current state of the medium, explore
the possibilities, and define the findings and future state.
The report comprises of the ethical foundation upon which
I base my research and intent, review of literature around
the state of the podcasting medium a hypothesis derived
from this literature examination, with interviews with
experts to validate my initial thoughts.
The core research question seeks to create a platform from
which to explore the hypothesis further. The question has
undergone a critical analysis, to ensure clarity on the
different elements and target audience.
The remainder of the report focuses on the opportunities
for innovating distribution of podcasts by developing an
alternative podcast discovery platform. The resulting
prototype was tested extensively with users, and the
insights applied iteratively.

7. 1.2 TERMS OF REFERENCE
7
Even within the scope of a new medium (and in part
because it is continually developing), there is a wide range
of meanings and use of terms. Here is a set of definitions
for words used frequently in this research.
Podcast
In the context of this project, a podcast is a digital audio
file made available online for downloading or streaming to
a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series,
new instalments of which can be received by subscribers
automatically (Oxford Dictionaries, 2018) through
platforms. Some parties consider video content to meet the
criteria for ‘podcasting'(e.g. talk to camera pieces hosted
on YouTube); however, for this project, the focus is on
audio only broadcasts.
Platform
A website or application which someone can
browse/download/subscribe to the podcast(s). Platforms
popular with users include Apple Podcasts, Google
Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher (Figure 1).
Series
A collection of related podcasts, released by a host under
the same banner. Can also be referred to as a season.
Serial vs episodic
A podcast can be serial or episodic. Serials typically follow
main story themes, that span seasons, while an episodic
format tends to rely on more self-contained or
stand-alone episodes.
Content distribution and discovery
In the context of this paper, distribution means where and
how podcast creators are sharing their shows, and
discovery is the way in which listeners are finding, sorting
and selecting them to download.
Figure 1, Platform logos (from top left): Apple Podcasts, Google
Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast FM, Radio Public, Podchaser, Podessey,
Stitcher, Breaker Audio, and the universal RSS icon.

8. 1.3 THE ETHICAL FOUNDATION
8
How does a platform decide what information is
permissible?
While it is not within the scope of this project to discuss
freedom of speech for platforms, it is generally considered
necessary (European Court of Human Rights, 2018) that
societies must prohibit hate speech and incitement.
Therefore, one may assume that those with significant
influence, like the media, also have that obligation.
A recent case concerned Alex Jones, a US conspiracy
theorist who is known for promoting violence and hate
speech. One of his primary vehicles is his daily Alex Jones
Show podcast, and his company, Infowars, produces
another five podcasts.
After making comments using dehumanising language and
glorifying violence (Facebook, 2018), Jones’ shows were
removed from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Facebook
and YouTube (Mecuri and Stutz, 2018).
The school of deontological ethics – notably Kant –
suggests all actions (with a nod to making a distribution
decision) must ‘respect the goals of human beings,’ rather
than using them for an organisation’s or individual's
purposes (Kant, 1998).
As podcasting connects with a wide range of people, there
must be an understanding of how best to serve them. For
Kantians, two questions must be asked before a decision is
made to act:
● Can I rationally will that everyone acts as I propose
to act? If the answer is no, then we must not act
● Does my action respect the goals of human beings
rather than merely using them for my purposes?
Critics argue that this outlook is too simplistic for our
technology-driven age — an ethical strategy, not a
solution, to allow us to flourish under such rapid
geopolitical, physical and cultural changes (Vallor, 2016).
Digital ethics incorporates many categories, including
privacy, content, distribution, monopolies, and diversity.
By developing a point of view before we start designing
technology, it will be more feasible to recognise whether
these actions help or hinder humanity.
In the case of Jones, halting the distribution of his podcasts
was appropriate. Any solution designed under the umbrella
of this IRP needs a moderation framework that protects
listeners, a content policy, and a robust process for user
feedback.

9. 9
What considerations should a digital designer make?
Ethical challenges often arise while planning and creating
the initial wireframes, and continue to appear during the
product planning stage (Yonatan, 2017).
Bowles (2018) argues that internal product development
teams are where the answers to crucial ethical questions
should be answered, with responsibility on the individual
to challenge potentially damaging decisions. The onus
should not be on the user to be cognizant of potentially
damaging behaviour.
“DESIGNERS AS SUCH HAVE A CENTRAL ROLE IN
SAFEGUARDING DIGITAL PRODUCTS SO THEY NOT
ONLY EMPOWER BUT ALSO PROTECT USERS.”
– CENNYDD BOWLES, 2018
Swedish collective In.die have created a manifesto for
ethical digital design (Figure 2) that respects human
experience, effort, and rights. Reflecting Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs, their pyramid sets a base level of
necessary qualities such as privacy and access, and peaks
with the desire to delight users.
How should users be engaged?
As research based on user observation shifts to user
participation, the Little Book of Design Research Ethics
(IDEO, 2015), outlines a standard process for ensuring
ethical behaviour. The guidelines include the values of
respect, responsibility and honesty, as well as the
following actions for interacting with users:
1. Give our participants clear explanation
2. Seek permission, not forgiveness
3. Keep your team lean in the field
This approach will be adhered to throughout the IRP.
Figure 2, Ethical Design Manifesto (ind.ie, 2017)

10. 10
A portmanteau of broadcast and iPod, the word ‘podcast’
was first coined by Ben Hammersley in a 2004 Guardian
article, and subsequently chosen as the 2005 Word of the
Year, by The New Oxford American Dictionary (BBC News,
2005).
The world is currently in a ‘golden age’ of podcasting, with
40% of Americans aged 12+ saying they have listened to a
podcast, and 24% saying they have heard one in the past
month (Edison Research, 2017), podcasting is now an
established medium, with numerous methods of
production, distribution and consumption.
As more people discover the joy of portable episodic
content, it continues to be a growth medium. Berry (2016),
presents NPR’s Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig, as a
podcast that typifies the ingredients for success: mass
appeal, with a “narrative in which the audience could
engage with intellectually and emotionally”. Berry also
points out that technology has made the experience more
straightforward for people to access.
As an illustration of the rising popularity, the BBC
launched a standalone mobile application for podcasting
called BBC Sounds October 2018. Promotional material
included a billboard, located in Shoreditch, London, with
British footballer Peter Crouch, and the word ‘Podcasts’
(Figure 3). Presumably, this is explanatory enough for the
public to understand the context and download the
application.
Much of the available literature on podcasting focuses on
its place in an educational setting (Buntine, Chester et al.,
2011, McGarr, 2009), political platforms (MacDougall,
2011) and science – from astronomy to atoms (Gay, Price
and Searle, 2007, Putman and Kingsley, 2009).
Figure 3, photograph of BBC billboard, A. Parkin, October 2018
1.4 LITERATURE REVIEW

11. 11
However, the fundamental motivations of communication
and implications of gender remain the same no matter the
medium. Therefore by widening this literature review to
broader themes concerning broadcasting, technology,
voice versus sound, and storytelling tradition, a clearer
picture of podcasting’s issues will emerge.
Why does podcasting matter now?
Podcasts are both a threat and an opportunity for existing
broadcasters. They can reach new audiences beyond the
borders of traditional radio, and on new devices such as the
Amazon Echo and Google Home (Newman, 2018). The low
barriers to entry have also opened up competition – almost
anyone can create a podcast. With just a phone, the Anchor
application allows recording, editing and distribution to
the major platforms. However, compared to other content
mediums, such as on-demand video, podcasting has been
a slow burner. The technology hadn’t fundamentally
changed since 2004 and creators have not yet ironed out a
sustainable commercialisation strategy.
“THEY ARE MADE OUT OF LOVE AND PASSION RATHER THAN
GREED AND NECESSITY. FOR A GREAT MANY THIS IS
CREATIVE NIRVANA AND THE REASON WHY THEY ARE
ALREADY EXACTLY WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.”
– DOTDOTDOT, 2018
The self-selection element of podcast production doesn’t
always account for quality or skill. Opening up long-form
audio to anyone (as opposed to the barriers of mainstream
radio) means for every golden-tongued conversationalist,
there are many more hosts who lack finesse and fail to
engage their listeners (Sturges, 2018).
However, this 'open market' does offer an advantage when
it comes to political censorship. Because podcasts are
available to download from so many different sources, they
are more difficult for government bodies to control. In
China, “Podcasting can create a safe space not only for
women to bring up potentially controversial or difficult
topics but also for the region's frequently at-risk
journalists," (Lanyon, 2018).
One critical reason podcasts are gaining traction is because
Western society is quickly approaching peak screen time.
Researchers have found Americans spend three to four
hours a day looking at their phones (Emarketer, 2016) and
more than ten hours per day looking at screens of any kind
(Howard, 2016). As of September 2018, smartphones have
reached penetration levels of 82% in the UK and 77% in the
US (NewZoo, 2018). With most adults using a smartphone
once a month, and the prevalence of screens in lifts, cars,
planes, watches and even fridges, manufacturers are
running out of places to install them.

12. 12
Who are podcasters and what are their motivations?
While there have been several shows that have captured
the mainstream consciousness - including Serial, My
Favourite Murder (a weekly true crime comedy podcast
hosted by American comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia
Hardstark) and My Dad wrote a Porno (Jamie Morton,
James Cooper, and Alice Levine), podcasting is still
formalising its identity away from the amateur sphere
(Sullivan, 2018). Unlike traditional broadcasting, it is seen
to offer a wealth of opportunities to the individual content
creator, in the same way blogging provided freedom of
topic and style to writers (Gill, Nowson and Oberlander,
2009).
Generally, motivations for podcasting are consistent with
the theory of produsage, which “stresses the importance
of community, feedback, and continual improvement”
(Markman and Sawyer, 2014).
"IT'S AN EXPERIMENT, REALLY [...] EVERYTHING IS
INEXPENSIVE. THE TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE.
EVERYONE HAS BEEN SAYING ANYONE CAN BE A
PUBLISHER, ANYONE CAN BE A BROADCASTER.”
– CHRISTOPHER LYDON (HAMMERSLEY, 2004)
However, not everyone has taken the opportunity to
become a broadcaster. Research into the most popular
English-speaking podcasts points to a male, American
majority. There is a distinct lack of hosts who identify as
female or non-binary, LGBTQI, people of colour, and hosts
from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds (Madison, 2015).
Despite the ever-increasing accessibility of equipment and
the widespread availability of tools to produce podcasts,
inequalities persist.
A 2007 international survey of podcasters (Riechmann and
Mocigemba, 2007), found that the majority were male,
with over 50% having more than a high school degree, and
45% having previous media experience (Markman and
Sawer, 2014). Estimates of women hosted podcasts range
from 13% to 33%. Julie Shapiro suggests that a cultural
propensity of men towards egoism or entitlement may
make them more likely to take on the role of host (2013,
cited in Veerkamp, 2014).
Underlining the idea of egoism is the fact that it is hard to
make a living as a podcaster, making it the pursuit of the
solvent. Successful broadcasters need more than a good
radio voice and smart marketing (Jacobs, 2018).

13. 13
Primary research was conducted to confirm the 2018 state
of podcasting, using data extracted from the iTunes RSS
generator in May 2018. Initially, only the United Kingdom
(UK) and United States (US) were looked at, however, to
confirm this is a global issue, the data from Australia (AU)
and New Zealand (NZ) charts as well. AU fared slightly
better than the other countries with 40% of the top 20
popular podcasts hosted by women.
After examining the top twenty (most popular) podcasts
from iTunes in four English speaking countries in May
2018, the author found women host 32% of the most
popular podcasts, men host 56%, and a mix of genders
co-host 12% (Figure 4).
It is important to note this particular extract is a
measurement of popularity, not quantity. "While female
hosts have always been a presence in the podcasting
sphere, they didn't get picked up by major stations or
networks, which chose to promote male fronted shows
instead," said Adam Martin, Acast director of content
(Wright, 2016).
If the charts are used as a guide, a disappointingly
disproportionate number of women-led are being
discovered by the podcasting listening community.
However, there is vocal support for the creation and
consumption of women-led podcasts.
“WOMEN ARE MAKING PODCASTS THAT ARE SMART,
CONVERSATIONAL, EMOTIONALLY HONEST AND AS A
RESULT, VERY GOOD LISTENING.”
– PROSPERO, 2017
Informal digital communities such as ShePodcasts
(shepodcasts.com) and the Lady Pod Squad
(facebook.com/LadyPodSquad) are offering production
help and empowering creators across the globe.
There are also a number of women-led podcast production
networks emerging, such as Earios, Reese Witherspoon’s
Hello Sunshine and Mamamia. In 2018, women focussed
podcasting conferences ran in both London (ShoutOut
Live!) and New York (Werk It).
Figure 4, Host gender, aggregate AU, NZ, UK and USA top 20 podcasts, 5
May 2018

14. 14
Earios founder Amanda Lund asserted she felt it was
essential to have a network where the people making
decisions “about what shows are interesting and deserve a
chance are women.” (Wright, 2018). She started the
network with the intention to give female-driven shows
the space to flourish, “…Just like all the great content
geared toward men.”
The subjects and identities of female-driven podcasts vary
widely. Here are some podcast examples of that were
listened to in the course of IRP research:
● The Griefcast. Cariad Lloyd has gained international
recognition for her exploration of grief with
numerous guests; discovering “I am not alone for
wanting to talk about it still, as loudly as I can,”
(Lloyd, 2018)
● At Your Service. Katie Shelly, Hyper Island MA
student, completed her thesis as a podcast, not a
paper (Shelly, 2017)
● Call Your Girlfriend. Tech advocate Aminatou Sow
and journalist Ann Friedman’s podcast highlights
women who are agents, creators, movers, and
shakers. Sow was inspired to start Call Your
Girlfriend after being told by a man that ‘women
don't make podcasts’
● Design Matters. Debbie Millman has been using her
podcast as an inquiry into the broader world of
creative culture for over ten years
● The High Low. Londoners Dolly Alderton and
Pandora Sykes host a weekly news, pop-culture and
current affairs show
● The Guilty Feminist. Deborah Frances-White hosts
this feminist comedy (Figure 5) which has translated
into a live show
Figure 5, Tweet by @DeborahFW, May 2018

15. 15
The relationship between power, gender and sound
If we are using the top 100 as the base level of content
discovery, then we are speaking about successful podcasts.
If this is true, then there is this issue: for men, “Women's
voices stimulate an area of the brain used for processing
complex sounds, like music. Male voices activate the
"mind's eye," a region of the brain used for conjuring
imagery.” (Epstein, 2005). This insight suggests a bias
loop, in which men find the male voice more comfortable
to hear and understand, therefore favour it.
Evidence of this phenomena can be seen in filmmaking:
“I’d had with women who had narrated their own films
and [the] criticism or almost blowback that they’ve gotten
from people that they showed them to. There seemed to be
an unwillingness to listen to a woman’s voice for an hour
and a half. One filmmaker explicitly said to me that
somebody once told her, Werner Herzog can get away with
that, but nobody wants to listen to your voice for so long.”
– Chris Stults Wild (Yue, 2016)
The relationship between voice and power is not fixed.
Nina Power (2014) writes of the ‘flooding’ of the
commercial and transport economy with female-sounding
voices outnumbering male voices five to one. They are
voices of soft coercion, with the female voice chosen to
reassure but also to direct. Constructing a neutral voice
keeps viewers and listeners focused on the story, not the
storyteller – a technique frequently used in broadcasting
(Tiffe and Hoffmann, 2017).
Studies have found humans use transient vocal changes to
track, signal, and coordinate status relationships. When
both men and women, taking part in a group experiment,
lowered their pitch, individuals ended up with a higher
social rank within a group hierarchy (Cheng et al., 2016).
Influential individuals such as the Margaret Thatcher,
former British prime minister (Sternberg, 1998; Gardener,
2014), and Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos,
(Carreyrou, 2018; Hu, 2018) are said to have received
coaching to lower their voices a few octaves, making them
sound firmer and more authoritative, thus gaining a
powerful aural advantage. In the words of Quora user
Joanna Weber, “An authoritative-sounding voice is the
aural equivalent of a tailored suit.” (Quora, 2018)
Women in the Netherlands consistently talk in deeper
voices than women in Japan, which is linked to the
prevailing gender stereotypes – independence versus
powerlessness (Robson, 2018).
While most communication and performance mediums
may have a gendered slant, in podcasting, some believe
achieving one’s “vocal authority” means finding one’s
voice (Mottram, 2016). The perception that podcasters are
recording as themselves, without putting on a ‘speaking
voice’ can be seen as authentic and warm.

16. 16
A specific sound – vocal fry
In an episode of Hurry Slowly (Glei, 2018), podcaster and
author Jocelyn K. Glei focused on the art of feedback,
reading aloud an email she received:
“…You were fluid and strong and pleasing to the ear, but
during your introductions and supportive breaks, you fall into
wicked vocal fry. It's hard to listen to. I think that you were
trying to present calmly and well slowly for obvious reasons,
but in trying to sound relaxed, you creak and croak. That's it.”
Creaking and croaking refers to vocal fry, a speech
phenomenon that sounds like staccato bursts from the
back of the throat, and is especially prevalent among
young American women (Lee, 2015). As podcasting is
vocally-led practice, the negativity expressed over vocal
fry, (and its sonic relative, uptalking), may discourage
women of all ages to communicate using this new medium.
The effects are not limited only to podcasting. Vocal fry
may undermine the success of young women in the labour
market. Researchers propose that “relative to a normal
speaking voice, young adult female voices exhibiting vocal
fry are perceived as less competent, less educated, less
trustworthy, less attractive, and less hirable.” (Anderson
et al., 2014)
One solution is to normalise it, and show that success may
come regardless of accent or intonation. Amanda Hess
said, “As women gain status and power in the professional
world, young women may not be forced to carefully modify
totally benign aspects of their behaviour in order to be
heard.” (Hess, 2013)
Zola (2015) argues that that “feminine” speech features
can be actively valued in relationships with other women.
If we see podcasting as a private conversation, an intimate
exchange between creator and listener, then the shackles
of vulnerability can be unleashed.
This stance is supported by Tiffe and Hoffmann (2017),
who hope podcasting becomes a space for
traditionally-oppressed voices, by recognising and
appreciating the inherent differences of individuals.

17. 17
Opportunities for sharing stories and intimacy
"I FEEL THERE IS SOMETHING UNEXPLORED ABOUT WOMAN
THAT ONLY A WOMAN CAN EXPLORE."
– GEORGIA O'KEEFFE (WITZLING, 1991)
In a panel discussion with women filmmakers, Sandra
Kogut reflected that there is a difference between voice and
sound, the latter of which is an “interesting entrance door
to this discussion.” (Yue, 2016)
Voice is deeply linked to the tradition of storytelling.
Cavarero (2014) infers that all humans are unique, and the
narratable self is a figure of uniqueness, not of
exceptionality. Thus, everyone has a story to tell – it is a
matter of finding the right vehicle for that story. The act of
both listening to and telling stories helps people define
who they are and express their values. They are used to
make sense of ambiguity and uncertainty (Fleming, 2001).
A podcast can be likened to a long-form personal essay:
“The best essay-writing has always been self-consciously
conversational and informal, the enemy of any “house
style” template, so that to read it is to have the illusion of
spending time with an old friend or making the
acquaintance of an exciting new one.”(Schama, 2012)
This conversational style offers a space for intimacy, not
often found in a truncated social media missive. In
discussion with podcaster Emma Gannon, author Rose
Cartwright described podcasts as a long-form
conversation, an acceptable alternative to social media
channels such as Twitter when discussing nuanced
subjects such as mental health and sexuality (Gannon,
2018).
Vulnerability is an interesting space to examine. As most
podcasters are independent, making a piece of media is a
risky activity, concerning both money and time spent. If
creators are going to be vulnerable there needs to be a
reciprocal environment of trust, that listeners will be
supportive, and constructive, rather than scathing in their
reviews.
Concerning the feedback she received on vocal fry, Glei
said: “...I've often described making a podcast as the act of
finding your voice in the most literal sense and as with any
moment when you're trying to find your voice or when
you're fumbling about as you're trying to put something
new into the world, it feels vulnerable and the critiques you
receive cut that much deeper.”
Shame researcher Brene Brown (2015) says the issue of
forcing women to “stay small, sweet, quiet, and modest”
sounds like an old issue, but the truth is that women still
run into those expectations whenever they ‘discover their
voices’ and share their stories.

18. 18
Women in broadcasting and technology
Podcasting is a confluence of technology and broadcasting,
two industries that in recent years have overcome several
challenges to become more diverse and embrace gender
equality.
The first action to build gender equality is to challenge
unconscious bias. Unconscious bias plays a part in our
everyday lives, and it is important people are aware of the
conscious actions that arise from these subconscious
thoughts. Video and audio materials are powerful
communication tools to influence perceptions, attitudes
and social change.
In 2012, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
analysed occupations in children’s media and found that
for every 15 male characters shown in STEM jobs there was
only one female character portrayed in that profession.
For young people, growing up viewing thousands of hours
of media where females are often underrepresented or
unmotivated undoubtedly affects their beliefs. “That effect
is very, very powerful — this sense of not belonging.”
(Shen, 2013). “When girls in their formative years don’t
see female characters on screen as biochemists, software
developers, engineers, or statisticians, they are less likely
to imagine or pursue those career paths for themselves.”
(Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, 2018)
A pivotal tactic to improve equality and inclusion is
positively modelling behaviour. Jennifer Tacheff, VP of
Partnerships and Growth at Women Who Code, says that
society needs to “promote, amplify, champion, and
support women leaders.” (Radius, 2018)
She explains, that while developing sound policy is
essential, if no role models are embodying the culture at a
leadership level, no change will take place.
“YOU CAN’T BE WHAT YOU CAN’T SEE.”
– MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN
Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s 2011 documentary Miss
Representation features insights about why women are
underrepresented in positions of power and influence. The
quote, “You can’t be what you can’t see,” rings true for
many. Moreover, in the world of podcasting, you can’t be
who you can’t see or hear.
As a STEM example at a grassroots level, Beyond the
(Micro)scope is a science podcast that promotes the voice of
women to a diverse audience, exposing individuals to the
media environment and giving them experience in being
STEM advocates (Claiborn and Xu, 2017).
By making the invisible visible through the media, we can
start to affect changes in self-confidence and the way
women perceive their limits.

19. 19
Tipping the balance
How can change, voice and presence be measured? The
Bechdel test is a sequence of three questions designed to
measure the representation of women in film and fiction.
Many believe that because females are seldom represented
in the media as strong leaders and thinkers, viewers
associate weaker stereotypes with women (Agarwal et al.,
2015).
To pass, the test requires the following criteria be met:
1. The work must have at least two women in it
(bechdeltest.com adds the additional requirement
that the two women be named)
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man
While the Bechdel test cannot strictly be applied to
podcasting due to the mostly self-initiated nature of
production, it can be considered in the way quotas and
representation matter for conference panels. For example,
in a podcast series interviewing experts about industrial
design, are there at least two female guests?
Most podcast platforms currently favour the popularity
model – limiting the discovery of new or diverse content
producers. This structure creates an issue of visibility and
results in some listeners not being able to emulate
behaviours, such as creating podcasts, from role models.
While positive steps towards amplifying women’s voices
have been made, there is still undoubtedly room for
improvement in the podcasting community.
“THERE ARE SOME AWESOME PODCAST NETWORKS BUT
THERE ISN’T ONE PLACE SPECIFICALLY WHERE I CAN GO
AND FEEL LIKE I CONNECT TO THE COMMUNITY AND THAT
THE MAJORITY OF THE SHOWS APPEAL TO ME.”
– AMANDA LUND, EARIOS

20. 1.5 EXPERT INTERVIEW – JAAKKO KIEVARI
20
Jaakko Kievari is co-founder and CEO at Tubecon, a production, events and creative agency. We discussed (May, 2018) how video
content (YouTube) rapidly saturated the market and became successful, not only culturally but commercially. He confirmed the
market is shifting from a desire for instant gratification to an appreciation for long form, taking the time to dive deeper into
content.
IT’S ABOUT BEING INTERESTING
“You can be interesting even if you are not good at
making videos… If you have something interesting to
say or you do something interesting, think of jackass,
cat videos. The topic is the story, and it was easy to
record and share.”
AUTHENTICITY MATTERS
“Vlogging became an unexpectedly big hit. Young
people (not pretty superstars, but normal people)
who spoke to their audiences like a big sister or a
brother - became the new idols. They were real!”
HITTING PEAK SCREEN TIME
“We’re approaching the ceiling for audiences to use
time in front of screens. Thus, consuming more video
will become harder and harder. There’s a lot of audio
use time that is now just killing time.”
TECHNOLOGY ENABLES PRODUCTION
“There was a dramatic drop of consumer prices [of
video recording devices and editing tools] while
quality went up on a logarithmic scale. This created a
sense of ‘I could do it’ among the important first
movers.”

21. EXPERT INTERVIEW – REBECCA RAE-EVANS
21
Rebecca Rae-Evans is a digital strategist, podcast host and listener. She currently runs Tech for Good Live, a regular podcast
which champions ethical tech and the tech for good scene. We spoke (October 2018) about her experience as a woman in the
technology industry, and her journey into podcasting.
CREATE A SAFE SPACE
“Traditionally women are more likely less likely to
speak out, speak their mind. Women in tech recognise
that we need to create space where women can feel
comfortable and talking about what they know
about.”
SEEKING OUT LIKE-MINDED VOICES
“I’ve listened to a lot of podcasts, predominantly by
women. I haven't been deliberately choosing podcasts
by women, but maybe I've gone and chosen podcasts
like mine subconsciously.”
PODCASTERS ARE SELF-MOTIVATED
“At a recent podcast meetup, the majority of people
brought ideas and stories, but not the technical skills.
There was one radio producer who had been creating
for the BBC and wanted to do it for herself.”
LEAP OF FAITH
“It is open for anyone, but you do have to sort of
decide to do it. There is some element of ego in there
that people are going to enjoy listening to you.”

22. 1.6 RESEARCH SYNTHESIS
22
The top insights from my research are that society should celebrate role models that [underrepresented groups] can look up to,
no matter the medium or industry. YouTube’s boom of teenage content creators is an excellent example of behaviour modelling.
Secondly, the space in which we expose or celebrate these role models should be safe. A safe space means constructive criticism is
welcome, but destroying confidence on an individual level through criticism of personal qualities like voice is inappropriate.
Thirdly, levelling the playing field is essential. In podcasting, the path to becoming a content creator is relatively democratic as
there is ample access to tools (cheap or free) and players (the technology is omnipresent through personal mobile devices). The
most significant barrier to podcasting success is finding visibility on the distribution platforms.
If one’s content is undiscoverable, there will never be the opportunity to become a role model and assist others who identify you
in becoming a critical mass.

23. 1.7 HYPOTHESIS
23
The literature review and interviews inform the backdrop to the Industry Research Project, which in turn substantiates the
hypothesis. Reviewing the literature has also assisted with structuring a design research question. Derived from the idea that ‘you
can’t be who you can’t see’ (or hear), it is assumed:
By improving the quality and breadth of the
discovery experience for podcast listeners, it may
make underrepresented groups more visible,
and in turn, inspire them to create content.

24. 1.8 RESEARCH QUESTION
24
The idea of inspiring underrepresented groups to become podcasters fits neatly into Simon Sinek’s golden circle model from Start
With Why (Appendix B). Sinek’s critics suggest that it is much better to start with the ‘who’ (Krogue, 2015) in the centre of the
circle. From there is it is a natural step to brainstorm how and what, creating an actionable strategy for change.
Thus, my research question must challenge the status quo and deliver transformation. Rather than proving the hypothesis right
or wrong, the research question acts as stepping stone from which change can be made.
How might the discovery of relevant content for
podcast listeners be redesigned to challenge the
current model of charts and categories?

25. 1.9 DEFINING THE RESEARCH QUESTION
25
What makes content relevant?
In the context of this IRP, content is not only the podcasts
themselves – which are subject to personal preferences –
but the information that a user will need to decide on
whether to proceed with downloading and listening to a
podcast. A poll of content creators (Odden, 2013) divided
relevant content into two themes, information and
experience.
Examining these themes more closely through the lens of
my professional practice, I believe information must also
be functional, timely and transparent, while experience
must be useful, authentic and engaging.
These elements can be broken down even further.
Functional: This is about ensuring content it appropriate
for the time and place where someone will consume it. Is it
accessible? Does it meet all the requirements?
Timely: This recognises the moment of consumption is
different from the moment of creation, different to the
moment of transmission, and moment of delivery.
Transparent: This refers to the commercial disclosure
aspects, if this an ad, or sponsored, does the content make
it clear? Is this podcast simply a half-hour long
advertorial?
Useful: This centres on meeting the wants and needs of a
user.
Authentic: Is the voice or message genuine? Is it
representing its’ core value truthfully? However,
something may be inauthentic and still be relevant.
Engaging: Is this experience delightful? As per in.die’s
2017 manifesto, it should empower and deliver joy.
information experience

26. 26
For whom is this intervention being designed?
While podcast listeners come from many diverse
backgrounds, I am primarily interested in improving the
discovery experiences of women. This decision is based
upon my hypothesis that improving the gender gap in
podcast production will come from exposure to different
types and themes of content, from a variety of individuals
and identities. As per the literature review, gender, power
and breaking down/perpetuating stereotypes all have a
part to play.
Interestingly, responses to the podcasting listening habits
survey also primarily came from women – totalling 82%
(Appendix C).
This intervention seeks to leverage the ingroup/outgroup
theory (Turner, 1985). The ingroup is a community you
identify with; this could include inherent characteristics
like race and gender, to more holistic qualities like taste.
Connecting with such a group invokes feelings such, as
trust, worth and self-esteem, and eventually, could
provoke the nudge to create.
How and when are people listening?
Radio Joint Audience Research, the official body in charge
of measuring radio audiences in the UK, suggests that 6.9
million adults or 13% of the adult population listen to a
podcast in an average week. Over two-thirds of podcasts
(measured in hours listened to via a smartphone (67%).
Listeners consume podcasts while working/studying
(29%) and driving/travelling (25%) (RAJAR, 2018).
A recent analysis of time use data by Oxford University’s
Centre for Time Use Research (Gershuny and Sullivan,
2017) shows that women put in more than double the
proportion of unpaid work to men when it comes to
cooking, childcare and housework. Concurrently, there has
been a trend for articles in women’s media that suggest
‘podcasts to listen to while cleaning' (Parker, 2018), ‘while
you’re snowed in’ (Goldfarb, 2017), reflecting the gendered
nature of unpaid work.
However, the advice to recontextualise labour as an
element of something positive is sound – behavioural
economics experts suggest 'temptation bundling' as a
solution to making domestic chores and unpaid work more
fulfilling. Podcast listeners can engage in education, or be
entertained, all while being productive in other ways (Dai,
Milkman and Riis, 2014).

27. 27
How does podcast discovery currently work?
To understand the platforms available for podcasters to
share their work, and for listeners to discover podcasts, it
is helpful to understand the underlying technical structure.
The distribution of podcasting has developed from tools
the blogging model utilised and other similar forms of
internet-based self-publishing. Podcasting uses Really
Simple Syndication (RSS).
An RSS feed automatically sends out updated information,
whether it is text, photos, video or audio. A user can use
various applications to subscribe to an RSS "feed" and
automatically get updates that the content creator makes.
This process is reminiscent of blogs and the popular
Google Reader application.
Content producers make an RSS "feed" by writing a text
file that includes some relatively basic code to make it into
an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) format; a
standardised language that allows a wide variety of other
programs to read the contents. The XML file includes the
information to be distributed, or an abbreviated summary
of the contents, along with some standard metadata that
will tell the user about the contents of the feed (Towne,
2016). This metadata includes title, category, episode,
length, date, cover art and more.
These RSS feeds are distributed widely, but Apple Podcasts
is the primary pathway for most accessing podcasts, while
Spotify has quickly become the second largest platform
where podcasts are consumed.
For context, many shows are initially distributed through
the Apple Podcasts ecosystem, from where data (RSS
feeds) are scraped and repurposed in a new graphical user
interface. Some of these interfaces suggest podcasts to
listen to based on previous subscriptions, however, it is not
particularly contextual.
Most podcasting platforms channels offer (unmoderated)
self-service distribution, all a creator must do is upload
their RSS feed. Overall, podcasting could be viewed as
egalitarian, as hosts are self-selecting and almost anyone
can upload their RSS feed to Apple Podcasts.

28. recommendations to any of them from genuinely popular
podcasts.” (Lovejoy, 2018)
None of the shows match the four things seen with genuine
top-rated shows:
● Individual episodes rank highly in the podcast charts,
not only the show
● Popular on multiple charts in multiple countries
● Many ratings and reviews
● Popular on multiple podcast players
There is a need to challenge this model to ensure a more
transparent playing field for creators firstly, and secondly,
help listeners discover relevant content. A different model
will provide both of these, and reinstate trust in the process.
28
Why challenge the status quo?
The top three platforms for podcast distributions are
Apple, Spotify and Google, with secondary players such as
Acast, Pocket Casts and Podbean (see the survey results in
Appendix C). These platforms all offer content discovery
based on popularity. However, this model is broken.
Firstly, podcast categorisation is very basic and has not
changed since the early days of podcasting. When you look
at the Apple Podcasts charts; This American Life only
appears in the first category: Society & Culture. You won’t
find it on the Arts chart or News & Politics chart (Misener,
2018). Secondary tags are available, but not all platforms
utilise these and categories are not nuanced enough to
classify series in a way that helps users browse. As an
example, the intention of ‘Kids and Family’ category is
unclear. Is the content under this classification for children
or is it about parenting and related topics? (see Appendix A
for a list of podcasting categories).
The biggest criticism of the chart model is that it is prone
to manipulation. Questions around the validity of Apple
Podcast charts have recently surfaced (Cridland, 2018),
wherein a series of obscure podcasts have made the top
ten. “They are all recommending each other. Given the
disparate content, that clearly isn’t a natural occurrence –
the same people listening to each show – and further
analysis confirmed that there are essentially zero
Figure 6, Recommendation Cluster, Chartable.com, 2018

29. 29
What does it mean to 'redesign' something?
If to design is to recognise a need (Eames and Eames,
1972), to “re-design” is to look at a need with fresh eyes
and to innovate. The word innovate has roots in Latin,
coming from innovare "to renew, restore;" innovation was
first used in the 1540s, "introduce as new".
Moreover, Charles and Ray Eames also said, “design is a
plan for arranging elements in a way that best
accomplishes a particular purpose.” In the words of Mark
Shayler, you must change the status quo, or become it.
How will the elements be rearranged to beat the status
quo?
Figure 7, photograph by A. Parkin, October 2018

30. Explore PART TWO
30

31. This means that in addition to the data and insights
gathered from primary and secondary research, the act of
design itself becomes part of the research. According to
another RtD definition, creating a prototype plays a central
role in the knowledge-generating process (Stappers and
Giaccardi, 2017).
Three emerging approaches were identified, with distinct
qualities which set them apart from basic research and
design practice (Horvá th, 2007). These include being
subjective, iterative and focused on generating knowledge.
2.1 METHODOLOGY
31
This project was conducted over 12 weeks in the latter half
of 2018. I have chosen to approach this project using a
Research through Design (RtD) approach.
My research takes a human-centered approach, balancing
the perspectives of users, technology, and content
creators. As it is an innately personal process, and design
and theory are filtered through my individual lens, I will be
using the first person for parts of the IRP that discuss
development.
RtD has been variously described as the process of
systematically searching for and acquiring knowledge
related to general human ecology (Findeli, 2010), or “a
designerly inquiry focused on the making of an artefact
with the intended goal of societal change” (Zimmerman,
Stolterman and Forlizzi, 2010), and a way to build a
testable body of knowledge (Horvá th, 2007).
More holistically, Booth et al (2003) described research as
a “profoundly social activity that connects you both to
those who will use your research and to those who might
benefit”, while Dziersk (2006), proclaimed “Design in its
most effective form is a process, an action, a verb not a
noun”.
Figure 8, the role of Research through Design, Stappers et al., 2014

32. 32
Stappers also distinguishes two further approaches within
the central box, based on the role of the prototype and
reflections from the ‘act of designing’.
Some critics of RtD note that the process allows design
researchers to ignore commercial concerns in order to
focus on new understandings of technology (however for
the purpose of this IRP, it is not necessarily a negative
trait). Others note that the methodology is not robust
enough, or should be secured within a “theoretical
scaffolding” so as to distinguish RtD from design practice
(Zimmerman, Stolterman and Forlizzi, 2010).
To address this concern, I ensured my practice of RtD was
closely linked to Grounded Theory methods, which uses
inductive methods to predict and explain behaviour to
build theory. This starts with simultaneous data collection
and analysis, theory and predictions being generated from
that data before testing. This strategy, although generating
new theory, is still grounded by existing theory and
literature on the topic (Charmaz, 1996). In addition to
exploring the literature, I interviewed industry experts and
conducted a survey to better understand the motivations of
podcasting listeners.
Why not employ design thinking or a Google Ventures style
Sprint (Knapp, Kowitz and Zeratsky, 2016)? Methodologies,
tools and frameworks, such as design thinking, promise
the simplicity of following a process but can hamper the
opportunity to invent and play, drawing inspiration from
alternative, unorthodox sources – “all forms of a
productive indiscipline that we see as integral to design
practice.” (Gaver and Bowers, 2012).
Likewise, the act of designing allows designers to
practically measure the potential impact, and feasibility of
their decisions: “Making provokes a particular cognitive
activity, one which can be used to make people aware of
tacit values and latent needs,” (Stappers and Giaccardi,
2017). Through prototyping, one “seeks to uncover
unforeseen implementation challenges and unintended
consequences in order to have more reliable long-term
success.” (Brown and Wyatt, 2010).
To bring my research to life and develop insights, I created
a variety of prototypes. A prototype can come in many
forms, including drawings, paper prototypes, digital
mock-ups and proof of concept.
Paper prototyping means using paper to draw, replicate or
recreate the experience of a touch-point (Snyder, 2003). In
human-centred interaction, a prototype is “a concrete
representation of part or all of an interactive system,”
(Grevet and Gilbert, 2010). The Methods Lab (1999)
suggests that a physical representation of a product gives
designers more useful feedback. However, the more
tangible it is (for example, more than a sketch), the more
likely users are to feel the solution is set in stone.

33. 2.2 ALTERNATIVE DISCOVERY TOOLS
33
Several case-studies of media discovery systems,
recommendations and information architecture were
examined, from Amazon to Netflix and even Google Search
Results (the suggested searches form a big part of its user
experience).
There are some discovery alternatives currently on the
market: Sara Weber creates an occasional newsletter
designed to improve your life via podcasts, while Podcast
Delivery sends out an email with one podcast once a week
– it is editorial but not personalised. These newsletters are
primarily solo efforts, so offer a homogenous point of
view.
The examples that follow take a standard approach, and by
‘mashing’ it with another service or concept, flip it on its
head (Ahlström, 2018), often with unique results.
Eavesdrop
In the author’s own experience, the physical environment
became a venue for discovery and sharing with the
Eavesdrop listening party. A fortnightly public event at a
bar in Auckland, New Zealand, Eavesdrop took new music
releases and played albums from beginning to end, with
discussion notes for patrons.

34. 34
THE FLAVOUR THESAURUS
This thesaurus inspired book turns traditional cookbooks
and recipes upside down by providing “a guide to
relationships—how one flavour can amplify or underscore
another to produce a more satisfying composition” (Parks,
2017).
GENDERIFY.ORG
Genderify (Atz, Cox and Pike, 2018) helps users to discover
the gender balance in their Spotify playlists. In what
should be a fairly balanced domain (music) Genderify
claim there is still an 80:20 male:female bias.
“We read your playlist from Spotify, looking at the artist of
each track. For each artist, we try and find them on Last.fm, or
Wikipedia. If it looks like the artist is a group, we try and find
the individual members of the group. We then use the
biography of the person to identify their gender, using the first
pronoun we encounter.”
Similarly, Smirnoff vodka worked with Spotify to create an
‘Equalizer’ analysis of artist genders to help consumers
increase the number of women artists via a personalised
playlist.
Figure 9, Flavour Thesaurus
Figure 10, Genderify, screenshot, 2018

35. 35
LURPAK FOODBEATS
Lurpak, the Arla-owned butter brand, partnered with
Last.Fm to create the Foodbeats tool, which recommends
music to listen to while cooking (Sawers, 2012). Users
select a recipe, a time period (for example, jerk chicken, 45
minutes) and the tool would suggest a music mix to suit.
Developed in a time before Spotify’s dynamic playlists
were well known, this was award-winning innovation.
ESPRESSO
The Economist Espresso application uses the strapline
"filtering the news avalanche" on an interstitial screen.
This top seven, daily format, seeks to reduce the cognitive
load a user may face when exploring a traditional news
site.
The text is minimal, headers are explanatory, and it the
swipe function allows users to consume story after story
seamlessly. There is a sense of achievement with a tick at
the end to mark the completion of articles. All in all, taking
as much time as a coffee to drink and just as satisfying.
(Economist, 2018)
Figure 11, Lurpak Foodbeats, 2012
Figure 12, Economist Espresso, 2018

36. 2.4 PODCAST LISTENING HABITS SURVEY
36
If this intervention aims to help listeners discover new
content, it is essential to know how listeners currently
consume podcasts. To assist in this, a survey examining
podcast listening habits was conducted by the author in
October 2018 using typeform.com.
Participants were recruited via Facebook communities,
through Hyper Island email lists and personal contacts. In
total, 614 people participated with 99.3% of them
affirming they had listened to a podcast. Respondents were
located across the world from Angola to Australia.

37. SURVEY RESULTS
37
01
On average, how many podcasts
(episodes) do you listen to a week?
Choose from 0 to 10+?
54% of respondents were heavy podcast listeners, clocking up over ten episodes a week.
This number is much higher than expected, but not surprising. For example, it could be
construed as at one episode (each way) over an average person’s weekly commute.
02
Do you prefer to listen to a podcast
(series) from the beginning or
listen to individual episodes?
A significant majority (76%) preferred to listen to a podcast sequentially, as opposed to
the remaining 24% who were happy to ‘dive in’ at a particularly selected episode of their
choice. This statistic suggests that due to the more intimate nature of podcasts, it takes
time to build a relationship with a host, rather than merely eavesdropping.
03
How do you discover new podcasts
(series) to listen to?
Most people found podcasts suggestions on social media, via friends and word of mouth,
followed by recommendations on podcasting applications or mainstream media articles,
already follow hosts elsewhere. For example, Peter Crouch was already well-known before
his podcast on the BBC network. Trusting ‘the taste’ of the source is a driving factor.

38. 38
04
What matters the most when you
are considering a new podcast to
try?
The vast majority, 530 people, thought the subject matter of a series was a priority,
followed by the subject matter of an episode, then personal recommendation, then length.
The identity of hosts, popularity/ratings and country of origin were not considered
significant. Popularity/ratings are the key to Apple Podcasts, and like iTunes, they have
implemented a review system, that fuels more downloads.
05
When do you primarily listen to
podcasts?
Most people listen to podcasts in transit (41%), at work (21%) and at home doing chores
(21%). These results back up the previous discussion around podcasting filling a dead
entertainment space that screens cannot touch. For anyone who has ever tried to watch a
TV show while standing on the tube, this rings true.
06
What would be your preferred way
to learn about/discover new
podcasts?
- “A universal “chart” for large podcasts and a separate one for “indie” shows so both get
equal weight.” Many comments received indicated that listeners are aware of the
limitations that the chart based system offers.
- “Longform.org but for podcasts.”As visualised via the word cloud (next page), the
majority craved the work of filtering to be done already by a trusted source.
SURVEY RESULTS CONT.

39. 39
What would be your preferred way to learn about/discover new podcasts?
This word cloud highlights the most common responses to this question; the most frequently mentioned
phrases were word of mouth, social media, recommended, and friends. (The size of the font is roughly
proportional to the number of responses that mentioned that word.)

40. 2.5 PERSONA CREATION
40
A persona was created to help focus the idea development
and deliver value to users. Personas can be used to validate
or disprove design decisions and prioritise features (UX
Booth, 2018). Along with an inherent knowledge of the
audience I desired to communicate to, this was developed
from two sources:
Primary research: I took details based on the survey
results (both demographic and psychographic). While the
survey participants were mostly American, I chose to use a
British outlook to inform my designs, as that is the region I
currently reside in.
Secondary research: Details from the literature review and
my investigation into the research question were also used
to inform the persona.
MEET JOHANNA BEHAVIOURS
- Listens to podcast on
public transit
- Asks colleagues at work
for their podcast
suggestions (but they are
big sports fans, divergent
from Johanna’s interests)
-‘Likes’ Twitter mentions
of podcasts from
influencers
DEMOGRAPHICS
- Female
- 34 years old
- University educated
- Urban dweller – found in
London/Bristol
- Earns £37,000 a year
- Lives in a flat-share with
close friend
NEEDS AND GOALS
- Wants enjoyable,
high-quality content
- Hit the trifecta of sounds
good/is interesting/is
accessible
- To have a constant flow
of new suggestions
- To understand who made
a podcast, how long it is,
and the subject matter
- To listen to relatable
stories

41. 41
Develop PART THREE

42. 3.1 IDEA DEVELOPMENT
In this section, I showcase the development of ideas with
the objective of developing an intervention to answer my
research question. Using the podcasting format, I build on
from the elements presented in my hypothesis - in
particular, the quality and breadth of the discovery
experience for listeners and making an underrepresented
group more visible.
Framing the hypothesis as a research question and having
this in mind alongside the design and delivery of an
intervention enables an open and iterative process to
unfold. Instead of conducting a participatory design or
brainstorm session, I managed my idea generation process
methodically.
The structure of RSS feeds offer many useful elements of
information that could contribute to the development of
something new, for example, time, category or cover art.
For each theme, I played with several ideas before settling
on one approach to be put forward for future
consideration. The play element often included drawing,
further research, asking ‘what if’ and considering existing
technologies - for example, I mapped 100 podcasts by
colour.
42

43. CONNECTED OBJECTS
POLITICS
43
IDEA: A user shakes a magic eightball (surfacing a category
as its answer, from which a podcast is randomly chosen) to
play a random podcast episode on a smart speaker.
One element I strongly wanted to consider was novelty.
The experience of using a connected object, physical things
that have some form of connectivity (also known as the
Internet of Things), offers a particular sense of delight to
users. This was of particular interest because with the
rising popularity of smart speakers like Amazon Echo and
Google – which have reached near 20% penetration in
America (Baer, 2018). Notably, 54% of all smart speaker
owners are women.
However, while fun and functional, the security of sensors
and stored data is always a risk, and this idea lacks the
two-way dimension of ‘feedback’ that humans crave.
A better example of two-way interaction is the Goodnight
Lamp by Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino, which connects
friends and family around the world via lights that signal
when someone is home (goodnightlamp.com).
Eightball connecting wirelessly to smart
speaker
Goodnight Lamp

44. COLOUR
IDEA: The Colour Dial maps podcasts by colour using the
cover images provided in the RSS feed, allowing users to
select podcast series based on visual cues.
44
Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions is a tool useful to help think
about colour and how designers can elicit certain emotions
through their design choices (Interaction Design
Foundation, 2018).
After completing a mapping exercise of the top 100
podcasts cover images, the wheel doesn’t reflect the
positive values of Plutchik’s wheel I expected. Black, red
and white dominate, perhaps because of the current
popularity of murder and crime-themed podcasts. Logic
suggests if a creator wanted to stand out amongst all the
other covers, green artwork could be a niche to explore, as
does purple.
However, there is evidence that Disney World paints
buildings they don't want you to notice green (Williford,
2017). This is because there is so much of it in the natural
world that our eyes more easily skip over it. Could that hold
true in a digital environment?
Wheel of emotions
Colour mapping of
podcast artwork

45. CURATION
45
IDEA: An app serving up daily hand-selected podcasts,
from a diverse editorial team.
An insight from the survey is that people like word of
mouth and social media recommendations for podcasts;
which is supported by evidence that millennials trust
peer-generated endorsements. More than one-third of
millennials prefer to wait until someone they trust has
tried something. While they enjoy trying new things, they
actively avoid being influenced brand advertisements and
place more weight on word of mouth and reviews (Woo,
2018). Thus a curated list of podcasts by influencers is
likely to be taken more seriously than a chart.
Curation can also improve diversity, by creating a
heterogenous editorial team, more viewpoints will emerge.
For seven years @Sweden (twitter.com/sweden) presented
the country of Sweden through the lens Twitter takeover
by 356 different citizens. Via the stories of the diverse
curators, not a singular Sweden has been conveyed but
several.
@Sweden’s account
Espresso app
Meltdown, a curated
music festival

46. MOOD
“[IT’S] HARD TO FIND INTERESTING PODCASTS.
MAYBE THEY COULD BE SORTED IN MOODS OR
SOMETHING. WHAT I WANT TO LISTEN TO USUALLY
DEPENDS ON WHAT MOOD I’M IN.”
– SURVEY RESPONDENT, 2018
46
IDEA: The Mood Ring lets users choose the mood that best
reflected their current feeling, and a delivered a selection
of podcasts that fit the bill. Envisioned as a rotary-dial in
which moods could be chosen.
In an age of tracking moods and self-awareness - health
and lifestyle are some of the most popular categories in
smartphone applications (Statista, 2018) – filtering by
mood or desire could be a viable option, with data
extracted from a mobile application such as Dailylio, a
mood tracker.
I was curious how the ‘mood’ of a podcast would be
defined. One approach would be to transcribe the contents
of the podcast and use sentiment analysis (a way to
evaluate written or spoken language to determine if the
expression is positive, negative, or neutral, and to what
degree).
One of the challenges would be to determine in which
category an episode belonged – the nuances of voice and
cadence are very different to ‘words’. This led to the idea of
filtering via sound.
Dailylio screenshot - green
represents good moods

47. SOUND
47
IDEA: Using spectral analysis, an algorithm is used to
group "similar" podcasts together, without considering
the content. In this concept, a pleasant sounding speaker
would cluster with other pleasant sounding speakers - and
would be visualised as passing clouds for users to tap.
A spectrogram is a photographic or other visual or
electronic representation of a spectrum. Spectrograms of
audio can be used to identify spoken words phonetically
and to analyse the various calls of animals.
Simplified, this means sounds and words have signatures.
Plausibly, this can be used to come up with a composite
score for "tone", which could be used to organise podcasts.
However, there is a risk that filtering in this way will create
more bias (whether positive or negative) as it groups
podcasts together.
A delightful example of visualising sounds is Kim Krans’
How a Bunny Sounds illustration, which illustrates audio
qualities such as dissonance and distortion as a rabbit.
How A Bunny Sounds

48. TEMPORAL
48
IDEA: Run to Listen takes a user’s average run time from a
third party application, and suggests five podcasts that
match that time-span.
Time has an extensive reference, including duration,
frequency, and development. I was curious to know if
people preferred shorter or longer podcasts, or, as per my
own preference, a piece of content that was adapted to the
‘space’ I had available to listen to it.
This resulted in the idea of using time inputs, such as an
individual's average commute time from Citymapper
public transport application, or the average workout time
on Strava. These data-points could then be used to filter
podcasts by length, prioritising available time over the
subject matter.
Alternately users could search for podcasts comparing
category and length: for example, comedy podcasts that
are 15 | 30 | 45 | 60 minutes in duration.
Strava application
screenshot

49. WEIGHTED MATRIX
The ideas generated all had merit but needed to be strategically considered. A weighted matrix provides a framework to evaluate
opportunities against business or viability criteria, as opposed to personal preferences (Martin and Hanington, 2012). Utilising
this exercise provided a clear guide as to the strongest idea to pursue, one that could easily be amalgamated with other ideas in
the future if desired.
The qualities each idea was ranked on were: would this offer a new form of discovery, would the intervention delight or engage
the user’s imagination, how easy would it be to use, and would this reach the target audience at scale?
IDEA DISCOVERY /5 ENGAGEMENT /5 EASE OF USE /5 REACH /5 SCORE / 20
Magic Eight ball (connected object) 2 5 1 1 9
Run to Listen (time) 3 2 5 2 12
Curated list (curation) 5 3 4 4 16
Colour Dial (colour) 3 3 3 3 13
Mood Ring (mood) 3 4 2 3 13
Passing Clouds (sound) 2 4 2 2 10
49

50. UNFOLDING THE IDEA OF CURATION
50
After considering the weighted matrix, the strongest idea
and the one that reflected the needs of the persona was the
idea of a curated list of podcast recommendations.
Nudge theory (Leonard, Thaler and Sunstein, 2008)
utilises positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions to
influence behaviours and decision making by groups or
individuals. By curating a specific podcast selection to
appeal to the female, millennial audience, they might be
spurred to model produsage.
Hall (2018) argues that conversation is the best model for
creating device-independent, human-centered systems.
Starting a prototype with a series of boxes, then adding
meaning to rectangles does not represent value to the user.
Using the research of the discovery phase, a narrative was
written to help describe what the value of the intervention
is. A name for the project, was also necessary, as a carefully
created and chosen name can bring inherent and
immediate value to the brand (Kohli and LaBahn, 1997) –
engendering a sense of authenticity.
For users, trust is inherently important. According to a
Forbes survey, 43% of millennials rank authenticity over
content when consuming news. They first must trust a
company or news site before they even start to engage with
the content that they deliver (Schwabel, 2015).
I chose to reuse the title of Winnow (the name of the
podcasting support network and directory for women)
which was developed in my Hyper Island innovation
module, as I felt the definition of winnowing still applies to
my goal: “To winnow is to blow a current of air through
(grain, pods) in order to remove the chaff.”
*A web-based application is one that is hosted on the web and
accessed from a browser on the mobile device as opposed to natively
built for iOs or Android (Montecuollo, 2014)
Winnow is a web-based mobile application designed
to diversify your listening habits and expose your to
audio gems you’ve never heard of. Every day, a
curator supplies three new podcast series for you to
explore from your tablet or smartphone. Simply open
the app when you’re on the go, and press play.

51. 3.2 PROTOTYPING
51
Play
Embedded
player
Connects to
player
Background
image
Theme of the week
VERSION 01
My first drawing featured an accordion style list of
featured podcast episodes and one series. Podcasts could
be ordered by length. There would also be one
creator/curator highlighted. This was heavily inspired by
the form of the Economist Espresso app.
VERSION 02
This played with the form of a curatorial panel, with
several individuals presenting a weekly selection, and one
current affairs pick of the week, such as a podcast about
climate change. I decided to combine elements of both of
these sketches into the next solution.
Design annotations are used to “point to features of
artefacts of interest to highlight them and make them
topical for discussion within a given community”. The use
of annotations helps readers and observers understand
what has made a work characterful (Gaver and Bowers,
2012b)

52. VERSION 03
I found it helpful after every round of revisions to write a
list of reflexive questions to examine my design further.
This was driven by the Five Whys – an interrogative
technique used to explore “the cause-and-effect
relationships underlying a particular problem” (Serrat,
2009). It takes an issue, and drills five layers deep, asking
why to find opportunities and lower-level root causes.
Design development questions:
➔ Filtering was envisioned by time, but if presenting
an entire series, should this be ‘sort by average
episode length’? Filter by average
time/alphabetically?
➔ Can the image be made more relevant to content?
➔ There is no archive option. Fresh picks on the phone
every week – force people to check back regularly?
➔ What is more important, the curator or the content?
➔ Delivery - how often should the application update?
Once a week, meaning less pressure to deliver?
52
Profile
Picture of curator
builds trust and
empathy. Short bio to
give background.
Accordion
The top is kept open
to invite exploration
Structuring content in accordions can shorten pages and
reduce scrolling, but they may increase the interaction cost
by forcing a decision based on headline relevancy or
interest (Loranger, 2014). Accordions give users control
over their content consumption by expanding it, ignoring
it or postponing it.
Scroll
To see more content
Starting point
When does the
experience begin -
does the journey
start from the app
store download?

53. 53
VERSION 04
This version answered my questions by making the image
more relevant, and the podcasts placed on top of the
information hierarchy. More details were added to the
design to make it more tangible. A tone of voice is not just
aesthetics but in interaction as well, for example, play
buttons. Bowles (2018) recommends that a designer
prototypes in as high fidelity as possible, with realistic
text, imagery, type. This style of testing not only conquers
the mental gap users may have, but it allows a designer to
measure the response to both tactile (if relevant) and
visual components.
Design development questions:
➔ Would the image be more relevant if it changed every
screen/podcast?
➔ How do I visually indicate the length of the episodes?
➔ Should the play link go to the player of the user’s
choice (chosen in settings?)
Cover art
Imported from RSS
Social verification
Links to profiles

54. 54
VERSION 04 - screens
Selection of screens from the mocked up prototype. Testers used hotspots (an area of an image which acts as a hyperlink) to
navigate through the different sections.

55. 3.4 TESTING THE PROTOTYPE AND INSIGHTS
55
At this stage, the design was transferred to a clickable
prototype made using InVision software. Testers were sent
a link to a prototype built with hotspots (available to view
at https://invis.io/2ZPA5P1BN3G)
Users were recruited for testing because A) they had
knowledge and enthusiasm for podcasts or B) they adhered
to the demographics of the persona. I also tested it with
two senior digital designers for expert insight. See
Appendix D for the age/gender/location spread.
Questions were developed to help gain useful feedback. It is
important to ask open-ended questions to help understand
attitudes and experiences. Notably,, the words 'useful' and
'user' come from the same root, use, to "employ for a
purpose".
Usability can be seen as an elaborate, expensive exercise
that requires numerous participants. In truth, as you add
more and more users, you learn less because the same
results continue to appear. Accurate results can come from
testing no more than five users and running a larger
quantity of small, iterative tests (Nielsen, 2000).
The answers to the questions were grouped thematically,
with an insight pulled out from each theme, followed by
elements to consider for the next design.
Line of questioning
➔ What are your initial impressions of the application?
➔ Can you think of another product that does
something similar?
➔ When can you picture yourself using it in?
➔ How often would you expect the application to be
updated with new selections?
➔ Would you expect to see the same curators regularly
or different individuals every update? Why?
➔ If you could nominate a curator, would you do so?
What sort of people would you nominate?
➔ How do you know if you can trust an application? Is
there anything that could be done to make this
experience more trustworthy?
➔ How would you see this evolving? Any other
thoughts or suggestions?
➔ How would this platform offer you different
podcasts to those you expect to see on a mainstream
platform?

56. TESTING INSIGHT 01
“It would be cool if you could somehow default to open in your podcast listening app of choice. Like instead of going to the
websites you could open them straight into Spotify or whatever.”
The other thing that might be helpful is the play icon might suggest you would listen in-app so the behaviour of it opening a new
window is a little surprising, but that could be my expectations of a play icon.
To consider for next design: adding functionality to allow users to choose their listening platform, whether
that is Spotify, Apple Podcasts or an alternative (NB this is limited by prototype functionality).
56
Users want control of their listening and platform destination
“Why does it click through to their sites rather than stream
directly?”
“Not sure about clicking through to external sites, made me
close the pages as I was confused on how to listen to the first
one.”

57. TESTING INSIGHT 02
“Why do I trust this person? How do you pick them?”
“I may respect certain curators based on my personal
experience with them (as opposed to other people's ratings of
them), but I may want a diversity of curators.”
To consider for next design: an about page to explain the process, and option to nominate curators.
57
Trust is the key to curation – if people already have a
known track record it helps to bridge the gap
“I would want people I admire to be curators. My boss and one
of our Creative Directors are avid podcast listeners,
I’d love to know what sort of things they listen to.”
“I would nominate journalists, musicians, and authors.”
“I find trust in someone or something that shares like 75% of
their knowledge but holds back enough that I need them or
what they offer.”
“Colleagues, friends and also other influencers that I admire
and who I believe would have interesting listening choices.”

58. TESTING INSIGHT 03
“Would past curator's selections still be available in an
archive tab? So people can search for past suggestions? That
would be cool.
“I also had a question of "why do I care about these four
random podcasts," that only was answered once I made it
down to the curator.”
To consider for next design: Rearrange the hierarchy and add more signposting required to carry users
seamlessly through the application. Functional areas like an archive and an about page to be added.
58
Information hierarchy matters - the journey needs to be evident
“I think having an 'about' tab would make the app look more
legit.”
“Very easy to navigate (a good thing!) but it took me a minute
to realise who the curator was, so perhaps the tab about that
week's curator could be moved to the top?”
“It would be good for the "curated by" section to be higher
up. I read downwards so hadn't realised it was chosen by
Beatriz till I'd viewed each selection.”
“Usability wise I would be interested in having the curator
details sat at the top, followed by the podcasts. That way I get
to find out more about the curator first.”

59. TESTING INSIGHT 04
“Weekly or fortnightly would be good, monthly would be too infrequent and I would probably forget to use or
check the app.”
“I would definitely use it whenever new selections were updated especially if there was a mailing list to join
that emailed me when it was updated.”
To consider for next design: making it clear there is a weekly structure/update, and using archives. How might
a habit for people to check the application be built?
59
Being clear about timing/frequency is important
“I think because it is weekly I would expect different curators, maybe if it was phrased as "January, curated by
Beatrix - Week 1" then it would imply she would do more weeks. Though I would not be against that idea if the
curator was someone who shared similar interests to me.”

60. TESTING INSIGHT 05
To consider for next design: Remove statistics in the bottom panel, create editorial guidelines to guide
curators on signposting information.
60
Simplify it further and reduce cognitive load
“I would like it go more specific, which episode is the best or should I start on? The number at the bottom of 311
hours felt overwhelming like "God that’s a lot to get started on," rather than be excited about how much there
was to listen to.
“The human mind should not have to comprehend that much time. Seeing that as directly as that says is a bit
intimidating to me. I think about the potential investment that is potentially in front of me and 311 hours is a
ton of time.”
“Liked that it was bright, friendly and clean, with clear information available to me.”

61. VERSION 05
This version addressed many of the concerns from testers,
the two fundamental changes being a) shifting the curator
panel to the top of the stack and b) creating a
supplementary information panel at the bottom of the
page, with an about section, archive and share button.
Design development questions:
➔ Should ‘Winnow’ have a personality/voice and
explain why the curator was chosen?
➔ Should the curator’s image be more prominent?
➔ How will the archive and about page manifest?
Initial feedback on design refinement:
Curator
Moved to top
and kept open
Filter
Removed completely
Icon
Simplified - the
focus is on content
Navigation
About, archive and
sharing streamlined
Length
Average podcast
time visually
indicated
“It definitely feels more seamless if the playback option
goes to an app I’m already a fan of.”
“Different curators every update would be great. That
would help keep it fresh. Maybe with curators returning
every three months or so.”
“Having an archive helps me validate your ability to find
decent curators. If I like someone’s taste I can go back and
find their previous suggestions, which is ace.”
Play button
Syncs with
your favourite
platform
61

62. 3.4 PROTOTYPE REFINEMENT
62
Timing
After deciding to move away from pairing third party time
data with episode length, I still wanted a visual nod to how
long an average episode might be. In user testing, only one
person noticed the text version of average episode length.
Pret a Manger uses a duration-based sticker to mark how
long items can be on sale for, which I like for the subtlety.
This has been adapted and placed over the play button. By
developing an About section, I will be able to explain it.
Sharing
Sharing via WhatsApp and Messenger is easy,
personalisable and instantaneous. In 2016, Messenger and
WhatsApp were reported to process 60 billion messages a
day, three times more than SMS (Goode, 2016).
As Mark Zuckerberg stated, "Messaging is one of the few
things that people do more than social networking,"
(Rowan, 2015). The Spotify Share to Instagram stories feature
is an effective method for recommending music and
podcasts. A benefit to harnessing the ‘power of sharing’ is
building personal network effects – amplifying knowledge
of the application and allowing people to indicate their
taste.
WhatsApp Instagram
Posting your taste
Sharing as an
Instagram story,
with cover art taken
from the RSS

63. 63
Simplification
Another insight from the testing is that people want less
choice and more guidance. Reducing cognitive load can
help improve the number of returning users – bad user
experiences prevent repeat use (Piernik, 2017).
My solution was to remove the ‘these many hours of
content’ panel. This panel was initially added because of
the heavy listening habits of survey respondents, and the
assumption was that listeners would appreciate the
breadth. However, the quantifiable display appears too
overwhelming for the casual user.
Removing the sort by filter also eliminates another layer of
decision making for the user.
User feedback
To ensure the app performs well and ‘adjusts’ for the taste
of the listeners, I would like to employ a simple feedback
loop. This is envisioned as a simple visual form - did the
listener enjoy this podcast, was it okay, or did they dislike
it? Unlike iTunes, this will not be used to rank suggestions
but will help guide future curators learn what our users
have enjoyed. It could also be used to help moderate
unwanted content in the unlikely event something
untoward surfaces, for example, hate speech.
Foursquare’s simple feedback system
inspires this format
Simplified information panel

64. MAPPING THE JOURNEY
64
Johanna*
hears about
Winnow from
a friend
She
downloads
the
application
on her phone
Johanna sets
up listening
preferences,
choosing
Spotify
Every
Monday at
6am,
Johanna is
notified of an
update
On the way to
work, she
reads the
descriptions
and selects a
series
Johanna
shares a
podcast
series with a
friend
Johanna
nominates
someone to
be a curator
*Our proto persona introduced previously
Johanna
listens to
podcast
suggestion
Data input: connect to
streaming service
Data input: chooses
region
Data output: sharing
mechanism
Data input:
recommendation
Johanna
gives listener
feedback
+/-
Data input:
feedback

65. 65
Define PART FOUR

66. 4.1 FINDINGS
66
It was only through testing the prototype that further
knowledge was gained about user preferences on how the
application functioned (process) and design (form).
The design worked mostly as expected, with four pillars
standing out as the key to successfully improving the
discovery process for listeners. These were trust, taste,
hierarchy and frequency. Also of note, the assumption that
people wanted a quantified number of podcasts/listening
hours was wrong, and mostly overwhelmed users.
Frequency was naturally defined based on the feedback;
most users assumed it was a weekly offering – this could
be adjusted depending on future demand. Push
notifications could be used to alert users of new updates to
the content. However, the three other areas still need
further development:
HIERARCHY OF INFORMATION
Users demand clear signposting throughout their journey.
My assumption had initially been that users would find the
podcasts the primary point of interest. Instead, users were
actively interested in learning about the curator, their
background and their motivations first; signifying a need
to build trust.
TRUST IN THE CREATOR
When testing I asked the wrong question with regards to
trust - rather than observing how the application would be
made more trustworthy, the insight required was how the
curators might gain listeners’ confidence? My findings
show it is the curator who makes the experience both
meaningful and credible. If their picks don’t meet the
expectations of listeners over time, then the faith is lost in
the application, not the individual.
TRUST
TASTE
FREQUENCYHIERARCHY
Figure 13, pillars of the Winnow discovery process

67. 67
By suggesting a curator nomination element, it offered a
nod to the democratic and egalitarian sensibilities of
creating a podcast in the first place.
SIGNAL TASTE
Taste is personal and subjective, so trust in the ‘taste’ of
Winnow’s creators will not come overnight, but through
sustained effort. By creating an archive of previous
recommendations, curators will be able to build track
record and users will be able to affirm taste – if someone
liked Curator A’s recommendations this week, he or she
could revisit their previous suggestions.
It could be worthwhile to create a set of standards that will
demonstrate how and why users can trust curators. This
could be a simple manifesto, in the style of the Do Lectures
Manifesto (2016) or the Pedlars Manifesto for the Great
Outdoors (Figure 14). Creating artefact of this sort would
help to define a tone of voice or brand, which users can use
as a shorthand description for several attributes.
Figure 14, Pedlars Manifesto for The Great Outdoors, 2014

68. 68
Why these findings matter
These discoveries are vital as they reflect what is missing
from the current podcast discovery experience on the likes
of iTunes or Spotify. There is no validation process to help
users understand why something is ‘number one on
iTunes’, no personal insight or context as to why a series is
in a broad category.
While the podcasting industry is changing rapidly, with
new developments on an almost daily basis, a line had to
be drawn as to new inputs.
Interestingly towards the end of my research, Piqd, a slow
news organisation, launched a podcast and discovery
platform using a team of curators, of which half is women.
“Every day, their team of curators from more than 20
countries, including in Asian and African regions, comb
the internet and find the podcasting gems,”(Kunova,
2018).
While it sounds similar concept, Winnow is likely to unfold
in very different ways, particularly upon launch with ‘live’
feedback. More than anything, it is an affirmation that
other parties have conducted similar research and come to
the same conclusion that a trusted, recommendation based
solution is a viable and desired approach.
Figure 15, Piqd application, 2018

69. 4.2 FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS
69
Based on the design research and the findings of this IRP,
the following actions are recommended to develop the
Winnow application concept further:
➔ Develop an editorial/moderation policy (as per the
ethical foundations) to engender trust from an
application standpoint. For example, no payment is
received for recommendations, no hate speech
➔ Create an editorial set of standards that will
demonstrate how and why users can trust curators
➔ Create a creator nomination or polling function
➔ Build a user feedback function
➔ Map out the minimum viable product for launch
➔ Consider a funding model using a tool like the
Business Model Canvas. How will the application
sustain itself? Will curators be paid?
➔ Spotify released their top podcasts of 2018, one of
them being a German podcast series. Should Winnow
consider non-English language forms?
In Boston, the Community Podcast Lab has created an
opportunity for local people with no formal media training
to own and share the stories of their neighbourhoods
(Futuro Media, 2018). Could the Winnow format be used to
help people make sense of geographies or communities?
Could the platform be used to create travel or other themed
editions?
There is also the opportunity to pitch the project for
co-development and funding by the likes of The Pool
(women’s media network), Stylist Magazine, the
Huffington Post or Spotify. Spotify, as opposed to the other
platforms, seems to still operate with a start-up mentality
and are working to encourage diverse voices.
Ultimately, I am optimistic about achieving equality in
podcasting and I am excited to develop the Winnow
application beyond the scope of the IRP.

70. 4.3 REFLECTIVE STATEMENT
70
It was valuable for me to continually reflect on the learning
process and journey. David Kolb’s ‘experiential learning
theory’ (ELT) states that experience is the source of
learning and development. In ELT he combines
experiencing, reflecting, thinking, and acting (Kolb 1984)
by defining it as “the process whereby knowledge is
created through the transformation of experience”. As
such, I privately journaled throughout the project, using
Well of Knowledge prompts.
The impact of reflection is evident when ‘adaptation’ takes
place; when people change deep-seated ways of behaving
or thinking patterns concerning the experience and
knowledge and apply them to a new or a similar situation
(Silfverberg, 2017).
I also utilised annotations and design development
questions after each version of prototyping/sketching – to
record my process and create prompts for the next round
of design.
Originally I wanted the design question to focus on how
women could be empowered to become podcasters
(imagining a series of workshops and how-to guides as an
intervention), before realising this push versus pull
strategy could be difficult to execute with the time and
resource constraints. Also, reflecting on women in STEM,
how do people know they want to create a podcast, without
prior exposure or people like them modelling behaviours?
However, after starting my literature review, I realised that
using nudge theory to change behaviours and visibility
overall may have more of an impact beyond the five or so
women I could assemble in a room (although the aim
would have been to create something easily replicable
across cultures and geographies).Figure 16, Well of Knowledge illustration, Jakobsen, 2015

71. 71
Based on the insights of my literature review, I created a
hypothesis centred around visibility and changed my
research question to its present form. I wanted to consider
how traditional hierarchies and stereotypes can
unconsciously emerge even in new technologies.
For example, Facebook’s original friend icon showed a
man in front of a smaller woman, revealing the gender bias
of a designer (Winner, 2015). This was later changed,
placing the woman in front of the man, and made their
sizing equal. How would have the entire ecosystem worked
differently if a 50-year-old woman had helped to design
the platform from the outset?
In changing my focus, I also changed my methodology,
researching the outcomes of my hypothesis via a RtD
approach. Initially, this felt like a risky (but exciting)
choice.
While closely related to taught Hyper Island frameworks,
the theory is not something explicitly explored in the
program and required a new way of thinking beyond the
sequential tick-list of a design sprint. In particular,
deviating from the “expert-led insight” gave me pause.
However, my passion for podcasting and giving people the
space to share their voices is important to me. Who can
claim to be an expert on the listening/discovery experience
than listeners themselves?
I also enjoyed the challenge of ‘taste’ myself, when my
designs did not align with my desired look and feel. Ira
Glass, himself a podcaster, describes this as the ‘taste gap’
(Popova, 2014). As individuals we have all been consuming
for so long we have ‘killer taste’, so when we first start to
create, the gap between our expectations and reality is
immense, but not insurmountable after a few years.
However, the most important learnings are those I can take
forward with me in my professional practice. I appreciate
more deeply that everyone has unique story. I also have
many new perspectives concerning form, in particular that
shorter is not always better. Influenced by the Five Whys,
this insight is about asking how I can better serve the users
of the products I work on, make the content resonate more,
and deliver it most effectively – not necessarily most
efficiently.
Figure 17, Facebook friend icons, Winner 2015

72. 4.4 CONCLUSION
72
While setting out to champion one element of podcasting,
production, I ultimately developed an intervention for the
consumption.
RtD was an effective method of examining the issues at
hand, generating ideas, and producing a robust artefact for
future development. The research question served as a
platform to develop and design the resulting prototype,
targeted at women.
There were several challenges in the design development,
one of which was how to ensure quality in the podcast
discovery process. As one of the user testers said, there's
no accounting for taste but Winnow can work to build trust
over time.
At the time of writing, Pandora had just launched its
Podcast Genome Project, a discovery tool for podcasts that
makes personalised recommendations for listeners, taking
into account things like category as well as user
interactions (Deahl, 2018). Meanwhile, Pocket Casts -
owned by NPR - have redesigned their iOS application for
better user experience. These events signal that the
industry is aware of the inherent problems of chart-based
problems and is seeking to fix them.
Whether this is motivated by improved profitability as
more people listen to podcasts, or enabling a diversity in
voices and experiences, there hasn't been a clear stance;
however, we may hope it is the latter.
I hope that I can sustain momentum with Winnow beyond
the IRP, and the platform developed is a launch pad for
inspiration, surfacing a wide range of podcasts and voices
to new audiences. From there, perhaps users will be
encouraged to pick up the mic themselves.

73. 73
Reference PART FIVE

74. 5.1 REFERENCES
74
Agarwal, A. et al. (2015) Key Female Characters in Film Have More to Talk
About Besides Men: Automating the Bechdel Test. Available at:
http://www.aclweb.org/anthology/N15-1084 (Accessed: 6 November
2018).
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