Evolving the Traditional Radio to Stay Relevant in the Digital Era
Depending on where you are in the world, between 40-70% of a country's radio audience are listening in a car. It is the single most important place to get radio right. In 2019 Radioplayer, a non-profit radio organisation founded by the BBC and commercial radio groups in the UK, who now represent thousands of broadcasters across Europe and internationally, engaged Conjure to create an automotive-specific radio application. This was the start of a partnership to help Radioplayer protect and grow radio listening in connected cars. At the forefront of this was future-proofing radio technology to remain relevant in the automotive industry. But the question was, how do we do that with a changing landscape of technology, and how do we build a great user experience?
"Conjure have been a fantastic partner to work with over the last 3 years, developing one of the world’s first hybrid radio applications in Google’s Android Automotive OS."
Michael Hill, Founder and Managing Director, Radioplayer
Understanding the Problem
Radioplayer’s initial goal was to create an Android Automotive Hybrid Radio app that offers a step-change in features and quality from the out-of-the-box Google Android offering, by integrating broadcast DAB/FM and IP (Internet Protocol address) to create a best-in-class user experience. Radioplayer approached Conjure to develop a proof of concept to demonstrate the technology working within the Android Automotive environment.
The success of the Android Automotive application led to future development phases and the development of a headless version of the application (without a defined user interface) for OEMs to pick up and install in their vehicles as their own broadcast radio app.
A Future-Proofing Partnership
The key to the success of this partnership has been honest council, collaboration and growth investment — future-proofing design concepts and technology solutions to ensure the growth of radio listening on connected devices and dominance in the automotive industry. We approached the overall project holistically but delivered the work in different phases. Working across our three key pillars of product strategy, design, and development has allowed us to get a comprehensive view of Radioplayer’s requirements, challenges, and opportunities.
Championing Android Automotive Technology
Radioplayer wanted to create an Android Hybrid Radio application fully compatible with an Android Automotive environment. Over the past few years, Conjure’s service offering has evolved to include experience design and software development for Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS), so we were well placed to champion Radioplayer’s forward jump and investment into Android Automotive technology.
Conjure created a Proof of Concept (POC) designed in line with AAOS guidelines, conforming to the design constraints. The POC gave Radioplayer the confidence to invest. Radioplayer engaged Conjure to develop the hybrid radio application for Android Automotive, that could be customised and integrated easily into vehicles by automotive OEMs.
A Hybrid Radio Experience
To create a hybrid radio experience, we built a solution that combines classic FM/DAB radio with IP radio. The system automatically detects the best source to play from and switches between them if one signal is lost. We enhanced the radio experience with extra information about the current program and song, as well as visual content like station logos and artist images provided by official broadcaster metadata from the Worldwide Radioplayer API.