Digital First Radio
ABC JAM
Project Type: Group Work
Project Length: 10 weeks
Our Story
Project brif As audience habits shift towards short-form content platforms like TikTok and other digital media channels, ABC is transitioning from traditional broadcasting to digital platforms such as ABC Listen and the Triple J app. This transition has caused ABC to lose the valued direct connection between its stations and listeners. Goals ABC JAM is to design a digital-first radio platform that fosters active user engagement and a sense of belonging while offering an immersive audio experience. Outcomes The intended result is to improve ABC Listen's personalization and recommendation features, breaking down barriers so younger users can easily discover new content that aligns with their interests.
Our Concept
ABC JAM reimagines digital radio by seamlessly combining local content discovery with personalized, location-based social interaction. Designed to engage young Australians, the platform uses geo-location to connect users with local radio stations, artists, and events, cultivating a strong sense of community and belonging.
Skill Development
Visual Reporting and Layout Design: While developing the visual presentation for the ABC JAM report, I refined my layout and design skills to ensure complex information was communicated clearly and attractively. This experience deepened my understanding of how visual elements can enhance project documentation's appeal and readability. Enhanced Understanding of Visual Design: Inspired by ABC JAM's retro design style, I gained new insights into practical visual design principles. I learned to balance colors and elements in the user interface, creating an experience that is both user-friendly and visually engaging, perfectly aligned with the First Digital Radio aesthetic. Clearer Understanding of the UX/UI Process: Working through each UX/UI design stage—from initial research to prototyping and testing—gave me a more precise grasp of the overall process. This experience reinforced my understanding of iterative design, ensuring that each phase builds seamlessly on the previous to create an optimal user experience.
Challenges and Reflections
Throughout the project, we faced challenges that highlighted key areas for improvement. An initial lack of structured planning led to disorganized research, emphasizing the need for clear goals and pre-planning. Tight deadlines prompted pen-and-paper sketches, which, while efficient, revealed a need for smoother transitions to high-fidelity designs. Task dependencies caused delays, underscoring the importance of team synchronization to avoid bottlenecks. Usability testing also exposed gaps between design assumptions and user expectations, reinforcing the value of iterative feedback. Reflecting on these challenges, we realized that simultaneous collaboration on interdependent tasks could have balanced our workflow for a more cohesive outcome.
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Our Fireframe
Where local sounds and personal vibes ‘jam’ together for an immersive, interactive radio experience.
The Best of Our Features
Through shared playlists and real-time listening experiences, ABC JAM connects users within the same area who share similar interests, enhancing social engagement and discovery. The platform elevates passive listening into a dynamic, immersive experience by integrating interactive live radio with visual elements like bullet comments and studio views. This unique blend of personalized audio, local discovery, and social connectivity creates a vibrant, community-centered platform that connects users through sound. ABC JAM enhances personalization and community connection and delivers an intuitive and engaging digital radio experience, positioning ABC at the forefront of modern, interactive audio platforms.
Social
The Social feature offers nearby user recommendations, content sharing (memes, radio, podcasts, music), and co-creation of regional playlists, enhancing the social experience while fostering local pride and connection.
Discovery
The Discovery feature connects users with local radio, artists, and events, enhancing cultural pride and regional belonging while making ABC unique through local content.
Rewards
The Rewards system encourages users by offering points for logging in, listening, and sharing, which can be redeemed for themes, avatar frame and exclusive items. This encourages active participation and rewards ongoing engagement.
Live
The Live feature offers an interactive radio experience with real-time bullet comments, live reactions, and dynamic visuals, boosting participation and enhancing the sense of shared engagement.
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About Our Team
Contributions
In the ABC JAM project, my primary role was managing the visual report layout, overseeing overall editing, and organizing images and text to ensure a cohesive presentation. I also took charge of the poster's content creation and design layout and compiled the report appendix.
Keyu Zhang: A talented speaker and writer, Keyu led the development of the low-fi, mid-fi, and hi-fi prototypes, crafted the report concept, finalized the design solution, and prepared the appendix. Xinyi Zhang: An expert in framework design, Xinyi maintained the project's direction and accuracy, designed the low-fi prototype, created the mid-fi and hi-fi prototypes, and contributed to the report's iteration and testing sections, along with preparing the appendix. Xinnan Wang: An efficient writer, Xinnan was responsible for the report's introduction, design process, and conclusion. He also contributed to the poster's introductory content, assisted with the prototype, and prepared the appendix. We collaborated to bring ABC JAM to life, blending our unique skills to create a well-rounded and thoughtfully designed project.
We used the Miro Board as our primary collaborative space for team discussions, idea generation, and project documentation. Miro facilitated organized brainstorming sessions, user persona mapping, and real-time feedback tracking, ensuring team alignment and fostering a cohesive design direction.
Miro Board
Canva was instrumental in creating cohesive, professional designs for visual reporting and poster layout. Using Canva, we developed visually compelling reports and presentation materials that effectively communicated project goals, user insights, and design concepts, elevating our documentation's overall impact and clarity.
Canva
Figma was central to our design process, enabling us to create detailed wireframes and interactive prototypes. We refined user interface elements and tested interactions through Figma, incorporating iterative feedback to enhance usability and deliver an intuitive, user-friendly experience.
Figma
Key Using Tools
By utilizing these tools throughout each phase, we achieved a streamlined design process that prioritized collaboration and quality. Every stage—from ideation to high-fidelity prototyping—contributed to a cohesive and user-focused final product.