Audible, a leading creator and provider of audio storytelling, has a problem. While they want to position themselves as a driving force in entertainment, customers find their service confusing, outdated, and frustrating. Consequently, they’re seeing users abandon sign up attempts, and for those who do subscribe, engagement often tapers off after a few months.

To solve this, my team and I pitched a mobile first redesign of the Audible login, sign up, and browsing experience. Additionally, we rethought onboarding to help establish strong engagement behaviors early on, and brainstormed unique ideas for bringing in new users through targeted advertising.

We started with the first thing users would see: login. We made a new experience that’s much more alive, and since we know content is key, populated it with current bestsellers. We also unlocked the library for uncertain users to peruse, unified the aesthetic of the login elements and made the hierarchy much more clear.

Once logged in, new users are prompted to sign up. Based on aggregated data, we know this is the biggest point of abandonment due to the overly complex tiers. Since conversion is a vital moment in the journey, we streamlined and simplified the five plans to be a quick visual read for new and returning members.

After sign up, users would then be prompted to do an onboarding quiz. This would help unsure users find the content they want more quickly, and encourage them to dive right in.

Next, we focused on browsing. We knew that to keep customers coming back, we had to get them to think of Audible as an experience rather than a transaction. So, we redesigned product pages to be a highly interactive and immersive experience that allows a deeper connection to their chosen title. From the expected reviews and recommendations to playlists, reading guides and deeper dives, the new pages provide customers with an experience that extends far beyond their ears.

The next piece of the puzzle was how to keep customers engaged. We devised a plan for push notifications and SMS messages that encouraged app downloads as well as usage when on the go. We also created an email campaign that helps you get started, suggests best times to listen, makes suggestions based on titles you’ve completed, and summarizes your usage after the first month.

Finally, I designed targeted advertising to bring in new membership. This spanned numerous platforms, including Google, Twitter, Instagram, and Hulu.

Though it wasn’t part of the ask, I also explored unique ways to connect with customers, such as providing entertainment on airplanes.