Community must support listening
We tested making the Community Feed the default view on Show Pages. Data showed this hurt the core listening experience and we rolled it back.
Community
From listening.
To belonging.
Moving beyond passive listening by designing a creator-led ecosystem that drove community engagement from <9% to ~26% of weekly active users.
MY ROLE
Lead Product Designer
I designed a holistic experience to bridge the gap between static consumption and active connection.THE CHALLENGE
From passive to connected
Listeners found commenting too vulnerable or high-effort. Creators lacked tools to engage directly in Podimo.WEEKLY ACTIVE USER ENGAGEMENT
<9% → ~26%
Community Feed:
connecting creators & fans
Off-platform “community” moments were scattered, so I designed a show-anchored feed inside the listening journey. Creators can share teasers, clips, and updates in one tap; fans stay in Podimo where discovery converts to listens.
Polls: one tap
to shape the content.
Writing comments was high-friction for mobile listeners, so I designed Polls as a one-tap interaction: instant results for listeners and immediate feedback for creators, without the moderation burden of comments. Some polls received over 10,000 votes.
Empowering creators
with self-service tools
Creators described their profiles as “passive” and “just a bio”, so I moved these capabilities out of the desktop Admin and into the mobile app. This allowed creators to post polls, pin comments, and manage their brand directly from their pocket.
Creator presence
is the multiplier.
Episodes with a creator comment or poll saw 35% more views and 64% more likes. The tools designed for creators were not just “nice to haves”, they were the engine of listener activity.
The “Social Media Fatigue” Reality
Users rejected generic posts and only engaged when the Feed offered exclusive content. Low-friction interactions gave listeners a way to participate without the pressure of writing a comment.
From hidden interactions
to a connection hub.
BEFORE
A static experience.
Users could only “React”, which they often forgot to do; or “Comment”, which felt vulnerable in empty threads. Community engagement hovered around 8.9%.
AFTER
Connection in the listening loop.
A dynamic Feed prioritising followed shows, rich media and polls as ice-breakers. Engagement is no longer hidden: Poll Votes and Feed Impressions become part of the listening loop.
Outcomes & results
<9% → ~26%
Weekly active engagement
By late 2025, the Community North Star Metric reached a record high, surpassing our target for weekly active engagement.
46% longer
A strong retention signal
People who engaged with comments listened 46% longer. Higher retention and listening hours helped make Community a strategic pillar for 2026.
