Vastly
Vastly
THE COMPANY
Vastly (now Overlap) is a YC backed startup building a new way to discover podcasts through short, swipeable audio clips. I was brought on as their first product designer to lead the design of their debut mobile app.
ROLE
Founding Designer
WHEN
June 2023 - December 2023
IMPACT
Shaping the MVP experience from scratch and post launch feature development that led to their first round of funding.
Podcast discovery is often fragmented — users rely on word of mouth, recommendation algorithms, or long episode descriptions. Vastly aimed to make this process feel more like scrolling through TikTok: fast, visual, and engaging. The team needed a mobile experience that could make this concept feel intuitive and delightful on first use.
Podcast discovery is often fragmented — users rely on word of mouth, recommendation algorithms, or long episode descriptions. Vastly aimed to make this process feel more like scrolling through TikTok: fast, visual, and engaging. The team needed a mobile experience that could make this concept feel intuitive and delightful on first use.
I led product design for Vastly's first mobile app (iOS), defining the visual
language and interaction model for the MVP.
I led product design for Vastly's first mobile app (iOS), defining the visual
language and interaction model for the MVP.
I started by exploring the core user flow: from swiping through podcast clips to saving or following shows. I worked closely with the founders to define key moments of interaction, and I created multiple versions of swipe mechanics, playback controls, and card designs to test with users. We quickly built interactive prototypes to validate assumptions.
I started by exploring the core user flow: from swiping through podcast clips to saving or following shows. I worked closely with the founders to define key moments of interaction, and I created multiple versions of swipe mechanics, playback controls, and card designs to test with users. We quickly built interactive prototypes to validate assumptions.
I continued working with Vastly after the MVP launch to design new features as the product evolved. The team would share high-level goals—often involving the integration of generative AI—and I’d lead the end-to-end design process from research to final UX. This included exploring
how AI models could enhance discovery and content creation, and translating
those capabilities into intuitive, user-friendly experiences.
I continued working with Vastly after the MVP launch to design new features as the product evolved. The team would share high-level goals—often involving the integration of generative AI—and I’d lead the end-to-end design process from research to final UX. This included exploring
how AI models could enhance discovery and content creation, and translating
those capabilities into intuitive, user-friendly experiences.
