When I began exploring the idea of creating a digital product, I knew that I wanted to combine two things I’m very passionate about in life; reading and design. I’m a website designer by trade and an avid reader. I love both physical and audiobooks, but have always felt there was something missing in my listening experience. I got to researching how to enhance the listening experience and found that there’s a gap in the market. There aren’t many options geared to only audiobook listeners, so I’ve decided that I would like to develop a companion journal for audiobook listeners only.

The Ideation Process

In my initial brainstorm and research, I looked into three main categories:

• Digital Reading Journals: Popular on Etsy and Notion, but are often overwhelming or overly complex.
• Audiobook Companion Tools: A growing market, but with limited options.
• Book Club Toolkits: Steady demand, but most feel too basic or academic for BookTok inspired clubs.

Through my competitor analysis, I felt that the digital reading journals and book club toolkits were a little too crowded with competition. However, audiobook focused products had fewer options, so I made that gap my opportunity.

Audiobooks Deserve a Dedicated Companion Tool

I decided to go with the audiobook companion journal because it solves a specific, under addressed pain point that many audiobook listeners feels. How can they retain their insights from audiobooks without constantly stopping to write down notes?

After looking into this, I found that listeners on Reddit feel frustrated when their listening flow gets disrupted to bookmark or type notes. According to the Learning Pyramid, only about 20% of what you listen to gets retained by the brain. So, what happens to the rest? Basically, it just goes in one ear and out the other.

However, research in educational settings found that audio note taking tools with timestamps and transcriptions improved both comprehension and retention. One study noted a 13% higher test achievement when using effective note taking methods.

The audiobook industry is also experiencing a significant boom and is expected to reach $13 billion by 2030. This growth also signifies a rising demand for better companion tools.

Enter: The Audiobook Companion Journal

With this context and many listeners’ frustrations in mind, I solidified my idea. My audiobook companion journal will include features like:

• Timestamp linked note sections, for quotes and reflections, that preserve listening flow.
• A minimal interface that can be customized for each listeners preferred experience.
• Post-listen organization tools like ratings, summaries, and key takeaways.

This concept addresses real user pain points while also keeping up with the growing audiobook audience.

Looking Ahead: MVP and Product Validation

My next step is to start building my minimum viable product which will most likely be a Notion template. Within the template, I’ll focus on:

• Ease of use while listening
• Relevant features like timestamps and takeaways
• Integration preferences for storing and revisiting notes

I’m also planning on posting on Reddit to get real listeners feedback and engagement on the product. I feel that this product will help bridge the gap of a pain point that many listeners are feeling. This isn’t going to be just another reading journal, but a true companion for how we listen and engage with stories.