Bauer Media Audio – Europe’s leading commercial radio broadcaster – released its live radio app for Meta Portal, Portal Go and Portal+ devices. The app makes live radio streams from Bauer Media Audio’s UK brands available on Portal in the UK. This includes leading stations such as Absolute Radio, KISS, Magic Radio, Greatest Hits Radio, Planet Rock and more.
I lead the design of this project whilst working in the Audio Innovation Lab team at Bauer Media Audio
2 Engineers (Bauer Media & Meta), 1 QA Engineers, 2 Product Owners (Bauer Media & Meta), Platform Relationships Manager
Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) data highlighted the growing popularity of radio on smart speakers, with listening on these devices continuing to rise. Recognising this trend, I worked within the Audio Innovation Lab team, collaborating closely with the Platform Relationships department and Meta. Together, we developed the first-ever Progressive Web App (PWA) for Meta Portal, Portal Go, and Portal Plus+ devices. This initiative aimed to enhance accessibility and engagement, bringing Bauer Media Audio’s streaming services to a broader audience through an optimised smart display experience.
I collaborated with the Head of Product to define and scope the project. We decided on a web-based experience within an Android wrapper, serving as a gateway to our streaming services. This approach allowed us to repurpose existing web functionality while optimizing it for smart displays through a Progressive Web App (PWA).
I created initial wireframes to support and visualise user stories, providing the team with a clear understanding of our goals.
I worked closely with the Meta product team throughout the conception and design phases, ensuring alignment with their UX/UI principles.
I created high-level prototypes to gather feedback from both internal teams and Facebook, refining the end-to-end user experience. Internal testing ensured the UI met user expectations for navigation and usability.
Developing a PWA offered speed and simplicity, enabling a single Android Application Package for App Store deployment. A design system was established to ensure consistency between Bauer’s Planet Radio website and the Facebook Portal app. I worked closely with developers, testing and inspecting builds directly from a web browser to ensure alignment with design specifications.
After completing development and testing, we successfully launched the app on the Meta Portal App Store, meeting Meta’s release requirements. Between June and November 2022, the app reached over 8,000 downloads, boosting daily active listening minutes in the UK. It received positive press and PR for Bauer Media Audio, strengthening its position in digital audio and delivering greater value to audiences and commercial partners.
This release marked the first-ever Progressive Web App (PWA) on a Meta Portal device, opening up new possibilities for development on the platform. Following our success, Meta has been actively promoting the Planet Radio App, encouraging others to adopt the high standards we’ve set with our release.
With the help of Google Analytics, we now have deeper insights into user journeys and behaviours, enabling us to make data-driven improvements to enhance the user experience. Our ongoing partnership with Meta paves the way for future updates, including plans to integrate Facebook Voice Assistant into the app for a more seamless and interactive experience.
