Planet Money Bot
Design Process
1. Early Experiments & Wireframes
We explored different interface flows — like preloading sources before LLM answers and expanding transcripts in Spotify-like formats. These wireframes helped us map user intent and clarify the feature hierarchy.
The Planet Money Bot is a conversational chatbot tool that lets users explore economics through NPR’s Planet Money archives. In partnership with NPR, I led the UX and interface design from a raw prototype to launch, focusing on usability, transparency, and play.
Goal: Build a website to boost engagement with the extensive Planet Money podcast archives
2. Mid-Fidelity Iterations & UX Decisions
We A/B tested multiple answer states and feedback flows. Accessibility, error-handling, and intuition were key themes in our reviews with NPR.
3. Final UI & Visual Language
After iterating through many Figma prototypes, the final product increased user engagement, with thousands of new interactions logged in the first month. We developed a playful system inspired by Planet Money’s quirky tone — using soft greens and retro typography. The final interface is now live at planetmoneybot.com.
Edit — The Planet Money Bot is no longer live, as the founder chose to sunset the project in early 2024.
