My project started when my partner, who loves using Audible, ran into a frustrating issue. He was reading a series and, following the app's suggestions, accidentally jumped from the first book to the fifth! He didn’t realize the mistake until he did a quick Google search. This mix-up showed us that Audible isn't great at showing the right order of books in a series. Seeing how this could annoy so many users, I decided to tackle this problem for my case study.
Users of the Audible app have difficulty locating books within multi-volume series. Users cannot easily determine the correct reading order without relying on external sources.
The current Audible app interface lacks a feature for viewing the correct order and titles of books in a multi-volume series. Although it sometimes suggests the next book in the "You may also enjoy..." section, these recommendations aren't always in the right order, and it's difficult for users to determine the sequence of their current book.
I introduced a new feature allowing users to easily access all titles in a multi-volume series directly within the Audible app. This was necessary to eliminate the need for users to resort to external sources to determine the reading order, which often resulted in frustration and unnecessary delays in purchasing audiobooks.
I focused on how users interact with the Audible app, particularly how they search for, select, and listen to books in a series. I discovered that Audible doesn’t clearly display the order or titles of books in multi-volume series, making it difficult for users to know which book to read next. I uncovered this issue by auditing the app and reading through forums and Reddit communities where users expressed their frustrations.
When a user searches for "Stormlight Archive" series in the Audible app, this is the exact result. For someone who is new to this series, there is no way to know which book to read first because the order of the books is not listed. This can be frustrating and confusing as it is not always clear how to discover other books in series within the app.
The search result displays the book "Rhythm of War" as the first option despite it being the fourth book in the series. Additionally, “You may also enjoy...” section on Title Detail Page, does not recommend or display other books in Stormlight Archive series.
I chose Version 1 as the optimal solution as it adhered to Audible's original design while addressing the user's problem.
I added "Title in Series" section within the title detail page of the book. Users can seamlessly access the order and comprehensive list of all books within the multi-volume series of audiobook they are currently listening to.
The final designs outline interactions across the Homepage, Title Detail Page, and Rate and Review Page, providing distinct paths for users to explore and access the series title.
I implemented a 'Next up in Series' section accessible through Audible's Homepage, displaying the next book in the series the user is currently listening to
I integrated the feature into the Title Detail page, allowing users to view all books in a series with a single click
Users are now provided with information about the book's number and order on the Rate and Review page upon finishing the book, streamlining their experience and enhancing usability
To put my design solution to the test, I carried out usability tests using the Maze platform. Each of the five participants were active Audible subscribers with a history of listening to multi-volume series.
Task Summary
To establish a basis for comparison, I instructed the same participants to perform identical task, searching for "Stormlight Archive" series by Brandon Sanderson, but this time using the version of their own Audible app that doesn't include the new feature.
With the new feature, task completion time dropped significantly. Users could find and follow the correct book order in about 20 seconds, compared to roughly 3 minutes without the feature. This data proved that the feature not only made the app easier and quicker to use but also addressed a significant user pain point effectively.
In my Audible case study, I identified an edge case where users purchase all books in a series at once. This behavior, while uncommon, highlights the need for specific functionality: the app must automatically order these books correctly in the user's library and clearly display each book's sequence number. Addressing this ensures that even less typical user behaviors are catered to, enhancing overall usability.
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