Anand Suraj

Independent study · Carleton

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Independent study · CarletonConcept

Experience strategy / Concept validation

Experience strategy for ad-supported listening

The problemAd-supported listening must balance monetization with a listener’s flow. My question: could predictable interruptions protect that flow better than standard ad breaks? This was an independent academic study using a Spotify-style context, not work for Spotify.

My contributionA design-led listening flow with predictable interruptions, compared in an 8-participant concept study.

Experimental listening conditions

3

No ads, standard ads and UX-informed placement.

Experience map · conceptual

  1. Listening baseline

    No ads / standard ads

  2. Predictable ad moment

    UX-informed placement

  3. Recall & satisfaction

    Compare concept conditions

My role
UX research & visual design
Team
Independent academic study participants
Timeline
2023
Tools
Concept prototyping, Comparative research

Independent academic listening study exploring ad-supported experience design.

Process

The work behind the decisions.

  1. 01

    Establish realistic baselines

    Framed three exposure conditions: no ads, standard ads and UX-informed ad placement, informed by Spotify’s listening context.

  2. 02

    Prototype predictable ad moments

    Explored timing and relevance of placement to preserve listening flow while considering the ad-supported business model.

  3. 03

    Compare recall and satisfaction

    An eight-participant podcast recall comparison examined recall and reported satisfaction across the concept conditions.

Research poster summarizing the ad-interruption listening study.
Research poster summarizing the ad-interruption listening study.

Key decisions

Design decisions that shaped the experience.

Decision 01

Make interruptions predictable

Use considered ad moments to explore a listening experience with fewer unexpected interruptions.

Trade-off

The concept still needs to account for the realities of ad-supported monetization.

Decision 02

Compare against a realistic baseline

Include standard ads and no ads so concept feedback can be interpreted in context.

Trade-off

An eight-participant concept comparison informs design direction, not commercial retention claims.

Design value & supporting evidence

Experience strategy for ad-supported listening

The small concept comparison reported differences in podcast recall and satisfaction, informing ad-placement strategy rather than a shipped product lift.

Study participants
8
Small concept study of the listening journey.
Ad recall difference
30%
Recall difference reported in the small concept study.
Satisfaction difference
50%
Satisfaction difference reported in the small concept study.

Reflection

The next test would check whether predictable ad moments preserve recall across longer sessions and a larger participant group.

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Experience map · conceptual

  1. Critical signals

    Health and objectives

  2. Spatial hierarchy

    Stable priority positions

  3. Layout concepts

    Glanceable status and alerts