UTAPASS
Free Tier Project
Utapass is a radio-based music service under KDDI - the second-largest Japanese telecommunications operator. While the Japanese team has been in charge of sales and product strategy, our team has been responsible for developing, designing and maintaining the app.
My role
Due to restrictions from the government in 2017, the in-store sale lost their selling strength and subscribers decreased by 11%. To open up the acquisition funnel, we aim to provide the free tier.
The challenge
In the team, I worked with another designer and a product manager to design the end-to-end UI/UX for the project. I also worked closely with stakeholders in Japan to gather project requirements, collect feedback and conduct user testing on wireframes, functional prototypes, and visual designs.
To acquire more users, we researched and found out that the radio would be a good choice for the free-tier plan feature. The chart shows that the users of the largest radio app in Japan, Radiko are around the same age as users of Utapass. This means most of the Utapass users are very likely to enjoy this new feature. Along with this market research, the Japanese team planed to get contacts with 13 stations, which is about 52 programs, and display 1 original radio on the app.
The approach
The discovery
Utapass and Radiko 使用者年齡的分佈, 2017
We did lots of research on Japanese culture, radio & music industry to identify the advantage of developing a radio feature. Meanwhile, we interviewed DJ and radio users to identify their pain points and needs.
Planning
User Research
Sketching
Wireframing
Screen Flows
Visual Design
Interaction Design
Before we start
In Japan, it is only free to listen to the local radio in their area, so most users only pay to listen to artists’ performances in other areas. Almost 50% of users listen to the radio on the car, and a smaller portion uses portable radio and radio cassette. The percentage of users listening on a smartphone is fairly low. Furthermore, based on Japan Broadcasting Corporation, NHK's research data, most users aren't even aware that radio can be played digitally. As it seems new to many people, we thought it was a great opportunity to introduce radio through our music app which already has a certain amount of users.
Another opportunity for the radio app is 60% of radio users listen to music programs! As the main service of the app is to provide music, this free tier can be the bridge between the music app and radio service.
Through the interviews, we divided users into 4 groups by age and made a persona. Then we use Journey maps, and mental models to identify the most important user needs. After considering factors from the business aspect of the project, we were able to do a Red Route Analysis. This helps us to prioritize tasks according to their overall importance for the team and the project.
1. Building a better program schedules
2. Easily reserve programs
3. Auto-Generated playlist which DJ played
4. Recommendation based on listening habits
5. Music recognition & live radio song listen
DJ & User Interview
User Personas
Journey Maps
Mental Model
Red Route Analysis
Impact Mapping
Setting up the structure
I refined the concept with research outcomes and ensured the concept is also in line with our business goals, and I went through a few rounds of iteration using hand sketching with both the Taiwanese and Japanese teams. I also came up with a revised and simplified information architecture that focused on surfing in between music and radio, program schedules, and easy finding of playing songs.
Ideas to action
I sketched countless ideas and brainstormed various possibilities with my product team and created low-fidelity wireframes and prototypes to test.
After several runs of prototypes
Just after we have made several primary decisions about the design, Unfortunately, we received the bad news that we won't be able to serve users 52 programs anymore. Only the original radio program from the Japanese team can be displayed on the app, so we have to redesign the user flow urgently to fit the deadline.
The final decision
To make an adjustment on the design of the 52 programs and re-do a simple user test as soon as possible, we had to simplify the flow & interface. At last, we only kept a radio module on the stream page at the end. To make the original radio attractive, the Japanese team put in a lot of effort in recording shows and looking for corporation opportunities. They even rented a coffee shop with a room to broadcast radio in Shibuya, Tokyo!
Radio module
Program detail
On-air songlist
