Updated Yoto companion app pictured with Yoto Mini device
Yoto: Personalized Sounds
Enhancing library organization for a top children’s audio service.
UX Designer and Researcher
Survey, trend analysis, ideation, prototype, moderated usability tests
Yoto Space
challenge

How can we enhance a sort feature for a companion app's audio library?

Yoto promotes screen-free learning with their players and card-based content. The companion app helps parents organize their child’s audio library but with thousands of audio content options to choose from, the library can become overwhelming.

“It’s so awkward and frustrating having to scroll through [hundreds of cards] not in any particular order.”
outcome

New custom category feature

Yoto app sort feature expandedYoto app add a category modal
research insights

The market expects more customization

I conducted a market and trend analysis to better understand the sorting feature optionality across other audio platforms and gathered crowdsourced data to prioritize the possible design solutions.

Competitor strengths

customizable categories
queue creation
multiple profile options
default thematic groupings
Half of polled Yoto users want a solution for customizing categories
Crowdsourced results showed that 288 existing clients are thinking about what other ways could improve their experience with the app.
Pie chart showing crowdsourced results
lo-fi prototype

Rapid prototyping and modal pop-ups

Focus was placed on rectangular UI cards based on the product timeline constraints and since this is the existing format for revenue-generating content.
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I moved modal pop-ups forward since they were an expected way for existing users to open content in the Yoto app. Since this was an add-a-feature brief, it was important to keep the UI and user flow as seamless as possible.
folders as UI cards
drag and drop
modal pop-ups
hi-fi-prototype

Creating a custom category

Iteration

Enhancing visibility

Based on moderated user interviews and feedback, there was confusion about the status of an added card to a custom category.

Instead of disappearing, the added content remains visible and grayed out.
next steps

Empowering user choice

The challenge of parents navigating through numerous titles with limited customization options is crucial for enhancing the user experience. Looking ahead, delving deeper into category hierarchy and the integration of child profiles presents an exciting opportunity to further refine the navigation.

Additionally, exploring the flexibility of custom categories across multiple profiles and the visual presentation of diverse UI card elements within categories, opens greater opportunity for user personalization.

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