Fortune Media: Enhancing accessibility with AI integration
Helping subscribers easily listen to their news
ROLE UX Designer
TIMELINE 2 Months
TEAM Product Manager
Data Scientist
Developer
TOOLS Trinity Audio
Figma
01. CONTEXT
Providing an accessible way for readers to consume content
In my role as a Senior UX Designer at Fortune Media, I collaborated with Trinity Audio to integrate their audio player into Fortune's online articles.
02. PROPOSAL
The lack of an audio option for readers presented a significant gap
The challenge was to seamlessly integrate Trinity Audio’s player into Fortune's articles without disrupting the reading experience or deviating from the existing design system.
03. PROCESS
The technical capabilities and constraints
I partnered closely with Trinity Audio to gain a deep understanding of their technical capabilities and limitations. Together, we established a strong foundation for collaboration, ensuring alignment between their platform and Fortune’s content delivery system. To successfully integrate the audio player within Fortune’s CMS, we identified several core requirements: the player needed to be non-intrusive in its placement, visually consistent with Fortune’s design system, and offer seamless, intuitive functionality for users.
04. USER RESEARCH
Ensuring it would enhance engagement without disrupting the experience
To guide the design decisions for the audio player, I conducted informal user research by analyzing existing behavioral patterns on Fortune articles. I collaborated with the editorial and audience engagement teams to better understand how readers consumed content, particularly how they scanned articles, engaged with multimedia, and responded to non-text elements on the page. Additionally, I reviewed industry benchmarks for audio integrations on editorial platforms to identify best practices and user expectations.
06. DESIGN
From playback controls to responsive behavior
Using Figma, I created multiple design iterations of the audio player, ensuring each version adhered closely to Fortune’s design system in terms of typography, color palette, spacing, and iconography. The goal was to create a component that felt native to the site while delivering a modern, user-friendly experience. Throughout the design process, I maintained ongoing communication with Trinity Audio’s development team to validate technical feasibility and align on implementation details.
07. RESULTS
Expanded content accessibility and improved engagement
The successful implementation of the audio player marked a significant enhancement to Fortune’s digital content strategy. By offering readers an alternative, on-the-go listening experience, we expanded content accessibility and improved engagement across key articles. The integration was well-received by internal stakeholders, with positive feedback from the editorial team on its ease of use and from the product team on its performance metrics. Post-launch analytics showed an increase in time spent on page and user interaction with the audio feature, validating the design decisions and placement strategy. This project demonstrated the value of cross-functional collaboration and thoughtful design in elevating the user experience on a high-traffic media platform.