Marlow: Music & Podcasts
Marlow is a concept we designed for people who switch between music and podcasts during the day. The mobile app keeps both in one library, with one player and playlists for the moment.
A fictional product exploration showing interface and interaction design. No live deployment or commercial results are implied.
- Project type
- Concept project
- Industry
- Music and podcasts
- Platform
- Mobile app
- Our role
- Product and interface design
- Scope
- Five screens
Who the Marlow app is for
Listeners who move between music and podcasts through the day and want both in one place, with their favourite tracks and episodes saved for offline.
- Podcast listeners who stop mid-episode and pick up later.
- People who choose music by mood: focus, chill, energetic, sleep.
- Anyone who saves tracks and episodes to listen offline.
Music and podcasts in one place
Marlow keeps music and podcasts in one library with one player. The app opens on what you were last listening to, so switching between a playlist and an episode does not cost you your place.
- Pick up the episode at the minute you stopped.
- Find something new on the home screen: new episodes and playlists for right now.
- Keep favourites on the phone for offline listening.
What the Marlow app includes
Home
Continue listening with the time left, new episodes and playlists for right now, with a mini player at the bottom.
Player
Large artwork, a scrubber, shuffle and repeat, a like button and the next track in the queue.
Episode page
Show, duration, release date, a short summary and chapters with timestamps, plus play and download.
Playlists by mood
Browse playlists by mood, with tabs for Focus, Chill, Energetic and Sleep.
Library
Saved tracks and episodes with their download status and the storage they use on the phone.
How a listener uses Marlow
Open the app
Home shows the episode you stopped, with the minutes left.
Resume or switch
Continue the podcast, or start a playlist from Playlists for right now.
Jump to a chapter
An episode opens with its chapters, so you can go straight to the part you want.
Save for later
Download tracks and episodes; the library shows what is saved and the space it takes.
How we designed the Marlow app
We drew five phone screens around one evening of listening: a listener resumes a podcast episode, plays a track and checks her downloads. The screens share one library, so the same shows, tracks and episodes appear from Home to the downloads.
One evening, five screens
Home, player, episode, playlists by mood and library: from opening the app to saving for offline.
A dark theme, two accents
A near-black background, pink for actions and progress, violet as the second accent.
Type and artwork
Sora for headings, Inter for text; large photos carry the moods and the shows.
Example content
Invented artists, shows and episodes, so the screens read like a real library.
A closer look at the screens
What the concept shows
- The app opens on what you were listening to, with the time left.
- Music and podcasts share one player and one library.
- Episodes split into chapters you can jump to.
- Playlists picked by mood.
- Downloads with their status and the storage used, at a glance.
Questions about this project
No. Marlow is a concept with invented artists, shows and listening history. It shows how a music and podcast app could look and work.
