The problem
When I stepped in as UX Manager for Google Podcasts, I found a product that should have been a natural “Google-scale” hero—but wasn’t. It was lagging behind its rivals, despite the company’s reach. It “worked,” but it lacked delight, clarity and consumer instinct: listeners felt like they were doing work just to hit play.
The objective
The mandate was clear: build the app that consumers actually want. I led the creative vision and design strategy across product leadership and engineering to deliver a leaner, smarter podcast experience. The goal: create a product ecosystem built for ease, joy and daily habit.
The result
We rebuilt the app from the ground up — stripped away excess functions, brought in intuitive patterns for personalization, recommendations, curated content — and introduced “turn on & forget” listening that fits into users’ lives. The impact shows: by 2021 the Google Podcasts Android app had achieved 100 million+ installs. Although the platform later migrated into Google’s broader audio ecosystem, these numbers reflect the reach and potential of the work.
