How Will You Pod? Implications of Creators’ Perspectives for Designing Innovative Podcasting Tools

Abstract

While centred on the medium of audio, podcasts are often a multimedia concern, and one that has become hugely popular in recent years, though relatively little is known about the perspectives of podcast creators and their visions of innovation. This article details the results of an exploratory study conducted to enhance our understanding of potential innovation in the field of podcasting. Sixteen podcast creators were interviewed about their work and what they wanted from next-generation podcasts, in order to understand the requirements and expectations of tools that could be built to create new forms of audio-based programming. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, we reveal novel findings, such as the duality between “listener-centric” and “creator-centric” innovations, to improve listener experience but also to unleash new creative possibilities in a streamlined production workflow. We shed light on what podcast creators envision as “next-generation podcasting,” the archetypal podcast production workflow, and creators’ expectations of podcasting tools. Combining these findings, we identify how the workflow could be modified to include new steps that will help to realise podcast creators’ visions. This study crystalises on important information about podcasters—their behavior and perspectives on the future of the medium—which will allow further research, design, and development in the field to be founded upon empirical observations.