Overview
The audiobooks app provides access to audiobooks and podcasts created by and for members of the African community to the African community in the U.S. and abroad.
Timeframe: 4 months
Team: UX Designer (Me), iOS Dev, Android Dev, 1 Back-End Dev, QA, PM
Platform: iOS, Android, Web (Landing page)
Industry: Education
Intro
When I joined this project, the mission was clear: create a mobile application that gives users access to audiobooks in African languages – something that was nearly impossible to find on popular platforms.
The client, a founder from the African diaspora, shared their personal story: growing up in the U.S., it was difficult to stay connected to their native language and culture. And when they looked for African audiobooks online, there were very few options.
This wasn’t just one more audiobooks app – it was a bridge between generations, languages, and continents.
My Role & Collaboration
As the UX Designer on this project, I was responsible for guiding the product from early discovery through to final delivery. I led the end-to-end UX process, including stakeholder interviews, user research, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
I collaborated closely with:
The Founder/Product Owner, to align business goals with user needs
Developers team, to ensure design feasibility and responsiveness across iOS, Android, and web
Content curator, who sourced and organized audiobooks for early testing
Throughout the project, I facilitated weekly design reviews, aligned user stories with product milestones, and maintained our evolving design system. Cross-functional collaboration was key to delivering a culturally relevant product within our four-month timeline.
Challenge
The main challenge was designing a platform that would meet the different needs of the African community in the U.S. and Africa. It had to be easy to use and accessible. The product needed to be for people who don't have access to the latest tech or high-speed internet. This meant that offline listening and a simple app design were essential.
It was also hard to create an easy-to-use interface for users with different digital skills. We also had to make sure the platform felt culturally relevant. This meant including a wide range of African languages, authors, and stories. At the same time, we had to make sure the experience was the same on mobile and web platforms.
Finally, we had to innovate in design and delivery to offer an experience that would engage and empower users in ways no other app had done before, since there was limited competition in the African-language audiobook space.
Problem Statement
The African community faces a significant challenge in accessing audiobooks, especially those in African languages. These resources are scarce in both the U.S. market and on the Internet, limiting opportunities for the community to engage with literature that reflects their cultural and linguistic heritage.
Mainstream platforms offer a wide range of content, but the lack of African-language literature creates a cultural disconnect. This is especially felt among diaspora communities, where preserving native languages and sharing them with younger generations is both deeply personal and increasingly difficult.
Our goal was to close that gap by designing a culturally inclusive, mobile-first solution that helps users discover and listen to stories in the languages that connect them to home.