WABE is the NPR station of Atlanta, and its website is not merely a storehouse of news features aired on the radio, but a platform for hosting digital-first content. This site is sectioned into various categories of news and entertainment, featuring content from national and local NPR shows, and WABE-original podcasts. Users can also tune in to any three channels, which are WABE live on-air, BBC News, and WABE’s Classical Music.
CLIENT
WABE
YEAR
2016
ROLE
• UX/UI
• Web Design
• Strategy
THE PROBLEM
The most glaring issue on the previous version of this site was the lack of a robust persistent audio player, one that would not only play live news but also easily switch to playing articles featuring audio. The previous player was also a pop-up, which led to poor user experience especially on mobile devices. Additionally, the ability to curate or save stories for later reading/listening was a much needed feature.
THE SOLUTION
Apart from refreshing the look and feel of the website, the main challenge was to eliminate the presence of several audio players and condense it into one robust audio experience. A system was also created for a personal queue of stories for later reading/listening and made available at the click of a button. Additionally, the sitemap was carefully restructured to ensure users understood the different categories of news available on the site, distinguishing them from podcasts and other miscellaneous sections.
Style Tile
The style tile reflects the color scheme and iconography of the website. It also serves to show the typography used across the site.
COLOR SCHEME
#E92630
#363636
#D8D8D8
FONTS
DROID SERIF
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
ROBOTO
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
ROBOTO CONDENSED
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
ICONS
Sitemap
Wireframes
What Was Delivered
The Persistent Player
The persistent player is one of the main features of the site. Users can switch stations from news to classical music. The player not only airs live news and entertainment, it also acts as a player for stories containing audio elements. Once the user plays a particular piece of audio, the player automatically stops live radio to play the piece in the story. The fast forward and rewind features are available only when playing a pre-recorded segment.
"My List" Audio And Article Queue
Users have the option of ‘saving’ a story for later reading or listening in a personal queue by clicking the “My List” button, a persistent element at the bottom of the browser which is available to the user no matter where they are on the site. The option of auto-playing stories one after the other can be switched on and off with the help of a toggle. Stories can be shared directly from the list to social media. Users can choose to keep articles as long as they want in their list, or delete them.
