Curio

Shaping a product vision that aligns with user needs, driving retention and discoverability

Curio is a platform offering narrated audio content from trusted publications. The project aimed to reposition the product by addressing fragmented decision-making and aligning it with user needs. As Head of Design, I played a pivotal role in refining the product vision, creating actionable strategies, and driving alignment across departments through user insights, market research, and co-creation activities—after a rushed iOS launch and rebranding phase.

The Challenge

Curio, an audio journalism platform, faced challenges in aligning its product with user needs. A speed-driven, investor-focused approach led to fragmented decision-making, low retention, and difficulty in content discoverability. The platform needed a cohesive product vision, user-centered strategy, and structured insights framework to drive long-term growth.

What We Set Out to Create

Define a user-first strategy that balances investor goals with audience needs

Improve content discoverability to help users find engaging stories faster

Enhance personalisation and retention strategies to encourage habitual listening

Align cross-functional teams with a clear, data-driven roadmap

Step 1: Discovery & Strategic Alignment

Developed a Structured Insights Framework to systematically gather and synthesize user feedback across teams.

Conducted market research & competitive analysis, identifying gaps in content consumption and short-form audio trends.

Led workshops to define Curio’s North Star vision, ensuring alignment across product, design, and marketing.

Step 2: Data-Driven Prioritisation & Personalisation

Created user personas & journey maps, uncovering pain points like high onboarding drop-off rates and poor content-saving mechanisms.

Discovered that users frequently saved content but struggled with retrieval, leading to engagement loss.

Designed and prioritised features such as playlists, content categorisation, and personalised recommendations to streamline listening experiences.

Step 3: Co-Creation & Prototyping

Facilitated cross-team ideation workshops to brainstorm solutions for content discoverability and retention.

Prototyped and tested user interface design enhancements, including:
01: Redesigned ‘For You’ feed with improved content organisation
02: Simplified onboarding flow to set clear user expectations
03: Playlist feature enabling quick content curation

Measured impact through A/B testing, showing a 2% increase in engagement from playlist feature adoption.

What We Delivered

Organised Product Roadmap integrating user needs with long-term strategic goals.

Clear vision for future growth, setting the foundation for ongoing testing and refinements.

New Product Features - Delivered and tested a product feature driven by user insights and strategic work, resulting in 30% of plays originating from playlists—validating the demand for structured content curation

What This Project Taught Us

This project reinforced the importance of aligning vision with execution, balancing innovation with usability, and setting a clear foundation before diving into development.

🔹 Balancing Investor & User Needs – Structured insights ensured alignment between business and UX goals.

🔹 A/B Testing for Meaningful Metrics – Focused on tracking saved stories, not just immediate listens.

🔹 Design as a Collaborative Tool – Visual prototypes helped align teams before development.

🔹 Segmenting Feedback Efficiently – Hybrid usability testing combined rapid internal testing with targeted external insights.

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