Project Overview

Client: Modern Wisdom, podcasting platform
Industry: Media & Entertainment
Timeline: 8 weeks (2024) & 4 weeks (2025, Revisit)
My Role: Product Designer & UX Researcher

The Challenges

While Modern Wisdom’s content is rich and expansive, accessing it through a mobile web browser introduces friction. Users experience buffering issues, limited playback controls, and a lack of continuity when navigating between episodes or articles. There is no permanent way to save progress, curate playlists, or return to previously explored ideas.

In an environment already saturated with information and sensory overload, these interruptions disrupt the listening experience and make it difficult for users to engage deeply with long-form content.

The Goal

The goal was to design a mobile app that centralizes all Modern Wisdom content – full-length podcasts, newsletters, and short-form insights – into a seamless, distraction-free experience. The app empowers users to save, organize, download, and return to content effortlessly, ensuring they can pick up exactly where they left off.

Rather than competing for attention, the experience prioritizes depth over noise, transforming Modern Wisdom into a personal learning companion rather than just another podcast platform.

The Product & Impact

The redesigned Modern Wisdom experience introduces a dedicated mobile application that elevates how users consume and revisit content. The app features a cohesive visual system, intuitive navigation, and clear prioritization of Modern Wisdom’s core offerings—long-form podcasts and written essays.

Key features include:

• Seamless podcast playback with progress persistence

• Save-for-later and curated playlists

• Centralized access to newsletters and articles

• A clean, focused interface designed for extended listening and reading

By reducing friction and emphasizing continuity, the app supports deeper engagement and makes lifelong learning feel intentional rather than overwhelming.

My Roles & Responsibilities

As the sole Product Designer and UX Researcher, I led the project end-to-end—from initial research and content audits to user flows, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes. I was responsible for defining the product vision, designing the information architecture, and crafting an experience that balances depth, usability, and Modern Wisdom’s thoughtful tone.

Duration & Tools

• Timeline: Late September 2023 – Mid October 2023

• Tools: Figma, FigJam, Notion, Qualtrics, Pen & Paper

The Design Process

From Inception to Execution [tbd]

Phase 1 – Discovery

Methodologies & Research Goals

[tbd]

User Interviews 🗒️

I asked listeners open-ended questions to maximize flexibility in their answers and thus understand and gauge (access) the user’s psyche:

Questions:
What are some of the features that you enjoy about the Modern Wisdom website?
What are some features that you’d like to see improve on the website?
What do you look for when going on Chris Williamson’s website?
How often do you read Chris Williamson’s articles? How often do you listen to his podcasts?

& Respective Findings

Temp Affinity Diagram

Breaking Down the Problem [temp]

Phase 2 – Define

Understanding & Implementing User Insights

Sitemap

Laying the Blueprint

Phase 3 – Ideate

Early Sketches & Wireframes

Pen [tbd]

Typography & Color Palette [tbd]

Initial vs. Final Color Palette

The initial palette leaned heavily on black, white, and grayscale, drawing inspiration from Modern Wisdom’s existing editorial and minimalist aesthetic. This approach established a strong sense of seriousness and intellectual credibility, aligning with the podcast’s long-form, thoughtful content.

However, in practice, the palette felt overly stark and emotionally flat in a mobile context. The high contrast between pure black and white created eye strain during extended reading or listening sessions, while the lack of color differentiation limited hierarchy and scannability across the interface. As the product expanded beyond static content into a more immersive listening experience, the grayscale system proved too rigid for sustained engagement.

The final palette features a calmer, more expressive spectrum that is grounded by soft neutrals. This shift was intentional to balance Modern Wisdom’s intellectual tone with a more human and reflective experience.

Cool teals and mints establish trust, clarity, and focus (ideal for long listening sessions), while lilac and amethyst accents add warmth and dimensionality without distracting from the content. These accent colors are used sparingly to guide attention toward key actions, playback controls, and moments of interaction.

Overall, the refined palette improves readability, visual hierarchy, and accessibility, while reinforcing Modern Wisdom’s evolving identity as not just a podcast, but a companion for learning and personal development.

Phase 4 – Launch & Testing

Early Model Prototypes

MW Prototype 1.0:

This iteration marked my first exploration into redesigning a podcasting platform early in my design career. Rather than radically reimagining Modern Wisdom, I focused on respecting Chris Williamson’s existing visual identity and content structure while improving navigation and content discovery. The goal was to create a familiar, low-friction experience that made it easier for users to browse episodes, access newsletters, and move between content types. Nonetheless, it set the foundation for more immersive, personalized features in subsequent iterations.

Phase 5 – Reiteration//Revisit

Prototype 2.0

I drew inspiration from journalistic platforms like Substack and Medium, which use interest selection during onboarding to give users a sense of control over their content. On top of that, allowing users to choose topics upfront creates a subtle commitment and ensures the content library feels curated by merging personal preference with recommended material.

Welcome Screen

The opening screen establishes the tone of the Modern Wisdom experience – calm, introspective, and intentional. Minimal copy paired with abstract visual elements reinforces the brand’s ethos of learning out loud and positions the app as a companion for navigating complex ideas, not just consuming content.

Sign In

The login experience is designed to feel lightweight and straightforward with clear input fields, familiar authentication options, and clear visual hierarchy. Social sign-in options provide a faster path to entry, supporting both returning listeners and first-time users.

Interest Selection

Before content is even introduced, users are given the opportunity to personalize their experience by selecting topics they’re curious about – the full gamut of podcasting topics from psychology, and philosophy to fitness and relationships. According to my research, this step was absolutely crucial in setting expectations and allowing the app to recommend content tht cater to each user's taste. By centering user intent early, Modern Wisdom niches down on its large content library into a curated, personal feed.

Discovery Feed

The Home screen serves as a personalized discovery hub, greeting users by name and surfacing content based on listening history, selected interests, and trending topics. A prominent search bar enables quick access to specific episodes or themes, while horizontal filters (ie. Psychology, Fitness, etc) reduce cognitive load and allow users to refine content without leaving the page. Sections like Continue Listening, For You, and Most Popular ensure continuity with discovery, helping users seamlessly explore new threads.

Now Playing

The Now Playing screen centers the listening experience with minimal distraction. A large episode visual reinforces context, while clear playback controls (speed, skip, pause) prioritize usability during passive or hands-free use. Ancillary actions, such as liking, saving, and sharing, and night-mode, are intentionally secondary, ensuring the primary focus remains on the conversation.

Library & Saved Content

The Library screen acts as a personal archive where users can manage saved episodes, playlists, and downloads. Clear hierarchy separates Continue Listening from curated playlists, allowing users to quickly resume unfinished content or revisit saved playlists. Per my research, all of my participants reported saving and downloading podcasts for longer trips, like car rides or flights. Hence, download options are essential to support offline listening. These features further reinforce user ownership by shifting passive content consumption to intentional learning.

In addition, as requested by my research participants, a dedicated reading experience for Modern Wisdom’s articles and newsletters, featuring estimated read time, likes, comments, and in-text highlighting and annotations – designed to promote active reading and deeper engagement.