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Tailstrail Audiobook App

Tailstrail Audiobook App

A Story I Wanted to Keep

A Story I Wanted to Keep

user experience

user interface

design system

mobile

client

Tailstrail entertainment Inc.

my role

UX/UI Designer

Duration

12 weeks

year

2025

Overview

This case study covers my work on Tales, a cross-platform audiobook app for iOS and Android that combines solo listening with a book club experience built for the digital age. It walks through how I approached the challenge of merging two things that rarely live together, content consumption and real community, into one product that feels natural to use and impossible to spoil.

Overview

This case study covers my work on Tales, a cross-platform audiobook app for iOS and Android that combines solo listening with a book club experience built for the digital age. It walks through how I approached the challenge of merging two things that rarely live together, content consumption and real community, into one product that feels natural to use and impossible to spoil.

role

Started With a Feeling

I worked on Tales alongside a publisher and music producer handling the audiobook side, while I owned the entire design end to end. Research, UX architecture, UI, all of it. The challenge was not the workload. It was figuring out what makes this different from every other audiobook app already out there. The answer was always the community. That became the thread I pulled on for every design decision from the first screen to the last.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

role

Started With a Feeling

I worked on Tales alongside a publisher and music producer handling the audiobook side, while I owned the entire design end to end. Research, UX architecture, UI, all of it. The challenge was not the workload. It was figuring out what makes this different from every other audiobook app already out there. The answer was always the community. That became the thread I pulled on for every design decision from the first screen to the last.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

Key Challenges

Two Platforms, One Careful Balance

Challenge

  • Educating before designing: The team had a vision but no UX foundation. Before I could design anything, I had to bring them into the process and help them understand why research comes before screens.

  • Validating the concept: Would people actually use this? Is a digital book club a real replacement for the physical one? That question had to be answered before anything was built.

  • Managing complexity without losing focus: Forums, group listening, private clubs, solo mode. The risk was building something that tried to do everything and felt like nothing.

  • No formal testing structure: Without an established research and testing process, there was a real risk of designing features that missed what users actually needed.

Solution

  • Research before screens: I mapped how media apps and community platforms work separately before figuring out how to bring them together. Netflix for the listening experience, Reddit for the community logic. Familiar patterns, tailored to a new context.

  • Structured feedback system: With stakeholders new to the design process, I built a clear feedback loop from the start. Materials shared before every meeting, sessions kept under an hour, structured presentations so task assignments were never ambiguous.

  • Design and development in sync: No surprises, no gaps. Working hand in hand with the team from the beginning meant everyone was always on the same page.

Results

  • Faster than expected: The feedback system made iterations quicker and more focused, and the project moved faster than anyone initially planned.

  • Time to focus on what mattered: With the process running smoothly, I had the space to focus on the one thing that makes Tales different from every other audiobook app out there, the community experience.

  • No handoff gaps: Because design and development were aligned throughout, nothing got lost between intent and execution

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

UX DESIGN

Follow the Listener

The research started with one clear goal: understand what already works before building anything new. Audiobook apps and community platforms both have established patterns that users know by heart. The job was not to reinvent either one, it was to figure out how to bring them together without the seams showing.

Research

I started with a focus group and competitor deep dive across two very different product categories, media apps and community platforms. Netflix became the reference for the listening experience. Slack and Microsoft Teams became the reference for the discussion layer, familiar tools people already use daily without thinking. What surprised me most was how relevant forums still are. Reddit, especially in Western markets, is not a niche habit. It is mainstream. That changed how I thought about the community side of Tales entirely.

UX DESIGN

Follow the Listener

The research started with one clear goal: understand what already works before building anything new. Audiobook apps and community platforms both have established patterns that users know by heart. The job was not to reinvent either one, it was to figure out how to bring them together without the seams showing.

Research

I started with a focus group and competitor deep dive across two very different product categories, media apps and community platforms. Netflix became the reference for the listening experience. Slack and Microsoft Teams became the reference for the discussion layer, familiar tools people already use daily without thinking. What surprised me most was how relevant forums still are. Reddit, especially in Western markets, is not a niche habit. It is mainstream. That changed how I thought about the community side of Tales entirely.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

Insight 01

Media patterns are universal. Users already know how a Streaming app works. Build on that.

Insight 02

Book clubs work because people feel comfortable sharing without judgment. Tales had to carry that same feeling.

Insight 03

When people care, they will go out of their way to stay unspoiled. The product had to make that effortless.

Insight 04

Flexibility is not optional. Users want to choose experience without it feeling like a commitment.

Insight 01

Media patterns are universal. Users already know how a Streaming app works. Build on that.

Insight 02

Book clubs work because people feel comfortable sharing without judgment. Tales had to carry that same feeling.

Insight 03

When people care, they will go out of their way to stay unspoiled. The product had to make that effortless.

Insight 04

Flexibility is not optional. Users want to choose experience without it feeling like a commitment.

Persona

I built the personas around one question: who listens to audiobooks but still wants someone to talk to about them? What I found was a tech-savvy, curious user between 18 and 35, someone already familiar with audiobooks, already living on Reddit and YouTube, already looking for community around the things they care about. Busy enough that reading feels out of reach, but engaged enough to carve out a slot on the commute home for a chapter and a conversation.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

key quote

"I want to talk about what I just heard, but I do not want to find out how it ends."

key quote

"I want to talk about what I just heard, but I do not want to find out how it ends."

the ui design

Built Between Two Worlds

he UI had to walk a line between two worlds. Familiar enough that users feel at home from the first screen, distinct enough that it does not feel like a reskin of something they already have. The reference points were clear, Netflix for the media experience, browsing and discovery, Slack for the community layer. The job was to pull from all three without looking like any of them.

the ui design

Built Between Two Worlds

he UI had to walk a line between two worlds. Familiar enough that users feel at home from the first screen, distinct enough that it does not feel like a reskin of something they already have. The reference points were clear, Netflix for the media experience, browsing and discovery, Slack for the community layer. The job was to pull from all three without looking like any of them.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
A blue beach hut on wheels by the ocean.
A blue beach hut on wheels by the ocean.

Fonts- Inter across the board. Widely used, easy to read, and familiar enough that it never gets in the way of the content.

Icons system- Google icons. Recognizable by default, no learning curve required. Standard and recognizable.

Colors- A purple-forward palette over a white base. Warm enough to feel like fantasy, clean enough to stay readable.

Layout grid- Four columns with 20 pixel margins on each side, built for mobile first across iOS and Android.

Components

The component decisions followed the same logic as the research: use what people already know, then make it yours. Browsing the library feels like scrolling Netflix, top picks, new releases, curated rows. The book detail page mirrors a streaming service content page. The community layer pulls from Slack and Teams, channels, threads, reactions, all in a context users already navigate daily. What ties it together is the tab system at the top of the screen, one tap to move between the media space and the community space, two distinct experiences that never get in each other's way. The gamification layer sits underneath all of it. Reading stats, pace tracking, completed titles, a quiet sense of progress that keeps users coming back without ever feeling like a chore.

Components

The component decisions followed the same logic as the research: use what people already know, then make it yours. Browsing the library feels like scrolling Netflix, top picks, new releases, curated rows. The book detail page mirrors a streaming service content page. The community layer pulls from Slack and Teams, channels, threads, reactions, all in a context users already navigate daily. What ties it together is the tab system at the top of the screen, one tap to move between the media space and the community space, two distinct experiences that never get in each other's way. The gamification layer sits underneath all of it. Reading stats, pace tracking, completed titles, a quiet sense of progress that keeps users coming back without ever feeling like a chore.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

The Book Club Experience

Better With Company

The book club is the heart of Tales. It works like your favorite group chat, except everyone inside it is reading the same thing at the same pace and has something to say about it. Clubs are capped at eight people, invite only. You are not stumbling into a room with strangers. You are in there because someone brought you in. That constraint is intentional. It keeps the conversation focused and the experience personal. For users who are new to the platform and do not know anyone yet, there is a dedicated discovery space to find and join open clubs based on genre and interest. A way in for everyone, without forcing it. The flexibility sits on top of all of it. Solo mode and club mode live side by side. One title with your group, another one entirely on your own. The experience bends to how you want to read, not the other way around.

The Book Club Experience

Better With Company

The book club is the heart of Tales. It works like your favorite group chat, except everyone inside it is reading the same thing at the same pace and has something to say about it. Clubs are capped at eight people, invite only. You are not stumbling into a room with strangers. You are in there because someone brought you in. That constraint is intentional. It keeps the conversation focused and the experience personal. For users who are new to the platform and do not know anyone yet, there is a dedicated discovery space to find and join open clubs based on genre and interest. A way in for everyone, without forcing it. The flexibility sits on top of all of it. Solo mode and club mode live side by side. One title with your group, another one entirely on your own. The experience bends to how you want to read, not the other way around.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

Solo Listening Experience

On Your Own Terms

The solo experience is built around one idea: the more you use it, the better it knows you. Discovery starts broad, genres, new releases, top picks, and gets more personal over time as the app learns what you are into. Think Netflix algorithm, same logic, applied to audiobooks. When you land on a title page, it feels like a streaming service on mobile. Wide, clear buttons to start listening, add to wishlist, or switch to club mode if you want to take that title into a group experience. If there are open clubs already reading that book, you can see them and jump in. The player itself is universal. Car mode, playback speed, sleep timer, note taking, clip saving. Everything you would expect, nothing you have to figure out. The experience bends to how you want to read, not the other way around.

Solo Listening Experience

On Your Own Terms

The solo experience is built around one idea: the more you use it, the better it knows you. Discovery starts broad, genres, new releases, top picks, and gets more personal over time as the app learns what you are into. Think Netflix algorithm, same logic, applied to audiobooks. When you land on a title page, it feels like a streaming service on mobile. Wide, clear buttons to start listening, add to wishlist, or switch to club mode if you want to take that title into a group experience. If there are open clubs already reading that book, you can see them and jump in. The player itself is universal. Car mode, playback speed, sleep timer, note taking, clip saving. Everything you would expect, nothing you have to figure out. The experience bends to how you want to read, not the other way around.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.
Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

Closing

Two Worlds, One Place

Tales started as a question: can a book club work without a living room? What came out of it was a product that lives comfortably in two modes at once, and a process that taught me how to bring stakeholders along for the ride without losing the thread.

Winning Moments

  1. A process that actually worked: The structured meeting format kept everyone aligned, iterations moved fast, and nothing got lost between sessions.

  2. UI psychology in practice: Getting into the mindset of both the client and the user and designing from that place, not from assumptions.

  3. Two ideas, one platform: Balancing solo listening and community discussion without one undermining the other was the core design challenge.

Lessons Learned

  1. Embrace the unconventional: Some of the best decisions on this project came from approaches that did not follow the standard playbook. Knowing when to bend the rules and when to lean on them is a skill worth developing.

  2. Speak their language: Working with stakeholders outside your field means translating design thinking into something they can act on. The clearer you make it, the faster everything moves.

  3. Zoom Out Before You Zoom In: The deeper you go into the detail early, the harder it is to change course later. Next time, the full user journey across both modes gets air-tight before a single screen gets touched.

Closing

Two Worlds, One Place

Tales started as a question: can a book club work without a living room? What came out of it was a product that lives comfortably in two modes at once, and a process that taught me how to bring stakeholders along for the ride without losing the thread.

Winning Moments

  1. A process that actually worked: The structured meeting format kept everyone aligned, iterations moved fast, and nothing got lost between sessions.

  2. UI psychology in practice: Getting into the mindset of both the client and the user and designing from that place, not from assumptions.

  3. Two ideas, one platform: Balancing solo listening and community discussion without one undermining the other was the core design challenge.

Lessons Learned

  1. Embrace the unconventional: Some of the best decisions on this project came from approaches that did not follow the standard playbook. Knowing when to bend the rules and when to lean on them is a skill worth developing.

  2. Speak their language: Working with stakeholders outside your field means translating design thinking into something they can act on. The clearer you make it, the faster everything moves.

  3. Zoom Out Before You Zoom In: The deeper you go into the detail early, the harder it is to change course later. Next time, the full user journey across both modes gets air-tight before a single screen gets touched.

Camper van parked in a desert valley with red mountains.

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