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Mediaworks New Zealand are facing down the digital revolution and have recognised a need to transition from traditional media to the digital first solution that their customers expect.
Mediaworks New Zealand are facing a digital revolution and have recognised a need to transition from traditional media to the digital first solutions that their customers expect. While Mediaworks are most famous for radio, they also produce podcasts, editorial content, music playlists, and videos, as well as hosting events and having a large social media presence. These channels and formats are fairly disparate and siloed from one another, lacking an intuitive user experience or cohesive brand presence.
They decided to create a digital platform that pulls together all things Mediaworks into one place, where people can explore and benefit from the breadth of their content offering. The product needed to exist across web and app, providing personalised, connected experiences for users.
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The project started with a large phase of strategic research and design where we spoke to teams within Mediaworks (i.e video, radio, editorial) to better understand their processes, the goals of their product, and the value it provides to users.
We then needed to tackle the largest challenge - finding a way for the unique and highly valuable brand identities of radio stations to coexist without fighting or being heavily watered down, while also being contained within a Rova visual brand identity. Going beyond the visual we also needed to develop a system for how the many different media types can be structured for intuitive navigation without losing brand equity.
The logic also needed to power a personalisation layer, where every user interaction is added to a profile allowing that system to become more and more personalised to the user and their preferences.
With a framework in place, I then led the production of a comprehensive design system to operate across web (desktop and mobile) and app.
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The product we delivered for Mediaworks met every goal they set out to achieve. Through strategic use of design tokens and careful structuring of the experience we developed a product that provides a beautiful new home for the radio brands. It is also a place for users to experience all things Mediaworks, and for them to craft their own Rova experience based on preferred brands, personalities and media types.
rova.nz launched with 130 music playlists curated to match any mood, over 950 chart-topping podcasts, 14 New Zealand radio stations and 120 live radio shows, over 1,120 videos, 8,895 articles and more than 160 competitions and events.
With personalised features for registered listeners, interactions lead to better content recommendations, driving registrations and repeat visits. This enhanced experience will boost engagement and generate rich customer data for MediaWorks, ultimately creating a compelling offering for potential partners.
rova.nz went on to be shortlisted for Best Streaming Service at the Webby Awards 2025.
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