KTRU

Overview

Educating radio station listeners about the DJs live on air

I initiated a project with with KTRU 96.1 FM as a User Researcher and UI/UX Designer to design a new radio show schedule display for their website, making significant improvements towards information display, interactivity, and mobile accessibility. I worked with the radio station board of directors, web developers, and broadcast engineers as a solo designer over a timeline of four months, and I delivered a research-backed, brand-informed design ready for implementation. The new website features are now under development and have gained the interest of 50+ website users, including KTRU DJs and listeners.

Problem

KTRU 96.1 FM is Rice University’s iconic student-run radio station, known for its youthful spirit and eclectic music. The core of KTRU’s unique programming comes from its 120+ volunteer DJs, including Rice University students and music lovers from the greater Houston area. Throughout my three years as a student DJ, I’ve noticed that KTRU’s current website falls short in showcasing and celebrating this passionate community of contributors, leading to frustration among DJs and the loss of crucial information for listeners tuning in.

Solution

The KTRU website has not been significantly updated since its creation in 2005, and it is certainly due for a redesign to reflect the organization’s current needs. To begin this redesign process, I worked with KTRU’s web developer to design additions to the website that would better spotlight KTRU’s community and communicate crucial information about shows and DJs. With the timeline of one semester, our main focus was to design an interactive programming schedule that would allow users to explore KTRU’s different shows and DJs. The new website is now under development and has gained the interest of 50+ current DJs and listeners.

• Mobile-friendly schedule display optimized for easy navigation and quick access to show information.

• Intuitive show prompts to streamline learning about different programs and DJs.

Process

After understanding the needs of KTRU DJs, as well as the frameworks and limitations of KTRU’s website, I designed a new programming schedule and created a mid-fidelity prototype. I ran user testing with 9 participants and incorporated the feedback to refine the design, resulting in a 100% satisfaction rate compared to the previous website. Subsequently, I created a high-fidelity prototype.

Understanding KTRU identity

As a college radio station with 57 years of rich history, KTRU has established a strong brand identity. Through its chaotic physical space and its lo-fi digital presence, KTRU clearly conveys its quirky, creative, anti-establishment spirit, a tradition that its DJs take great pride in. In my research and design process, I aimed to create a product that aligned with users’ existing beliefs about KTRU and stayed true to KTRU’s non-corporate feel. As part of my research, I worked with KTRU’s station engineer to compile the radio station’s existing values, imagery, and history into a style guide- view it here!

Research

User groups

As an organization reaching Rice University, Houston, and even listeners around the world, KTRU has quite a few user groups with different expectations and needs. For the programming schedule, I prioritized the perspectives of KTRU DJs, both students and Houston community members, and listeners tuning in.

Evaluating the current programming schedule

KTRU’s programming is broadcast 24 hours a day, and features two types of shows: “specialty shows,” which focus on a specific genre or idea, and “general shifts,” which are freeform shows that feature KTRU’s 10,000+ pieces of physical music media rather than allowing students to simply stream their own Spotify playlists.

In the current programming schedule, DJs are displayed in a grid representing the entire week hour by hour.

This current format is difficult to navigate on mobile platforms and hinders users’ ability to access key information such as the DJ who is currently on air, the time that a certain DJ or specialty show is on air, or the description of a specialty show.

Out of KTRU’s 35 specialty shows currently running, only 3 feature clickable links leading to information about them, and there is no visual indication showing that they are clickable. Some of these specialty shows have been on air for 30+ years and are iconic within the Houston community, such as “Mutant Hardcore Flower Hour,” but there is no information about this show listed on the website.

User surveys & interviews

I conducted a comprehensive survey involving 27 KTRU DJs to understand their interactions with the website. The survey covered aspects of general usage, their on-shift experiences as DJs, and their perspectives as listeners tuning in. Additionally, I conducted in-depth interviews with three DJs to gain deeper insights into their specific needs and emotions related to their shifts. Click here to read the survey, and see some of my key findings below:

Key takeaways:

1. The schedule is frequently used and a high-priority feature to focus on

2. Information about the DJ on air is important to both listeners tuning in and DJs on shift

Ethnography

In order to understand how to design pages for DJs and specialty shows, I observed how KTRU DJs are currently representing and promoting their shows on external platforms. I took a particular focus on Instagram and Spotify. See some of my key findings below:

Competitive analysis

In order to brainstorm solutions for better representing KTRU’s show programming, I analyzed a diverse set of 30 radio station websites, spanning independent, commercial, and university organizations. This examination aimed to identify their respective strengths and weaknesses while also considering KTRU's programming nuances and distinctive core identity.

I chose to conduct a competitive analysis in order to understand overall industry standards in designing for radio stations and to gain an understanding of user expectations. I wanted to make observations about formats, solutions, and weaknesses of certain approaches to designing radio show schedules.

My key takeaways of a result of this research were the design decisions to have the schedule vertically oriented and mobile-first, to have the schedule able to be toggled by day (to accomodate 120+ DJs), and to limit the color palette when it comes to color-coding information about shows. As for the DJ pages, after considering the options and the needs of KTRU DJs, I made the design decision to have individual DJ pages that DJs could customize more thoroughly than a blurb on the schedule, and to create a DJ page template that is mobile-friendly and customizable to various levels of investment (it wouldn’t look weird if it were super bare, but it had a structure to support lots of text, images, links, etc.)

Prototyping

Sketches

I focused on high level features like the flow of home page → schedule → dj pages.

After discussing and validating these initial sketches with key stakeholders, I moved on to creating mid-fidelity prototypes in Figma.

Usability testing

I then created an interactive digital mid-fidelity prototype and tested it on seven real users, encompassing a diverse set of KTRU’s key user groups. I conducted a think-aloud procedure to understand users’ thoughts and emotions as they were interacting with the product. This process aimed to evaluate users’ ability to navigate the schedule, find specific information, and access details about specialty shows.

Major design iterations

I made three major modifications based on the feedback that I received from the usability testing sessions. I took note of the user comments and suggestions, and worked hard to implement them in a way that would provide an intuitive user experience that would best align with users’ feelings and goals. My goal was to create a product that was easy to understand, efficient to use, and enjoyable to interact with. To achieve this, I paid close attention to the user feedback and made changes accordingly.

Iteration 1: information hierarchy

Iteration 2: representing general shifts and specialty shows

Learning & Next Steps: This project deepened my understanding of how to design digital spaces that honor a brand’s legacy while improving usability. The next phase will focus on refining the DJ pages and expanding customization options for DJs.