Ponder
A conversational podcast app for the curious minded
Ponder is an interactive "podcast" that transforms expert knowledge into engaging, short-form episodes. Ponderers can dive into any custom topic, hear from different perspectives, and guide the conversation as co-host. As one of the founding member at ponder, I contributed in the design and development of the iOS Application.
Specific project details are under NDA but I'd be happy to discuss my design approach !
Role
Design/Engineering
Founding Team
2024
Team
Tools
Figma, Framer
SwiftUI, Python, Google Cloud
BACKGROUND
The internet's biggest promise as a source of infinite information, has become its defining flaw. Digital and social media have made it increasingly challenging and exhausting to discover and trust the information we read. Newsfeeds chase digital engagement over finding common ground, and misinformation continues to propagate at increasingly fast rates, and yet we all continue to rely and engage with these platforms.
At Ponder, we did not believe in changing minds. Rather we aspired to help people form their own opinions through thoughtful conversation and a foundation in well-informed knowledge.
Design Engineering
Your Library
All of World’s Knowledge,
One Search Away
Search Bar
The search bar was designed to prioritize simplicity, and intuitive voice-enabled search functionality.
Gradients
Wrote scripts to generate custom thumbnails with SF Symbols, thoughtfully color-graded based on categories.
Player Modal
Designed and developed "Citation Cards": A horizontal scroll view that highlights all research papers cited in an argument, featuring concise excerpts for quick comprehension and seamless reference.
Auto Scroll
Citation Cards were designed to automatically scroll in sync with the audio progression, creating an immersive user experience.
Research Papers
Effortless access to research: A quick tap on any Citation Card opens an in-app view, enabling users to dive deeper into the content.
Player Modal Extensions
Transcripts
Every episode produced via Ponder comes with a dynamic, scrolling transcript that syncs with the audio.
The transcript modal displays the active side’s text, and tapping a different side lets the audio seamlessly resume from the selected point.
News and Related Content
Every episode produced via Ponder also features curated news and articles from across the internet.
This section curates the latest news and articles on the topic, providing users with timely, real-world context alongside research-backed arguments. By integrating current events into the app, we created a dynamic and engaging way for users to explore diverse perspectives, stay informed, and deepen their understanding.
MISCELLANIOUS
We dedicated countless hours to crafting a seamless and enriching user experience. Beyond the core features of generating episodes and enabling users to listen, we focused on the finer details that elevate the product.
Skeuomorphism & Gradients
We treated each card as a tangible, material-like element to create a more immersive experience. The "Citation Cards", which linked to detailed research papers and displayed excerpts, were designed with a paper-like texture to emulate the feel of an actual paper. For every card, we added in a skeuomorphic touch of "folding the paper" when bookmarked.
Feedback View
The feedback page was implemented to gather user insights and ensure the product consistently meets the high-quality standards expected by our users.
Responsible AI
Ponder responsibly addresses broad queries by notifying users of missing sources and transparently acknowledging creative hallucinations of LLMs.
User Settings
