Listening: Text to Speech

What it does

Listening is a productivity tool that transforms written text into spoken audio. The app can take content from PDFs, web pages, and emails and convert it using a selection of high-quality, natural-sounding AI voices. This allows users to consume articles, papers, and other documents while multitasking, commuting, or exercising.

Where it shines

The app's core strength is its audio player, which syncs spoken words with highlighted text on the screen (03:07). This multi-sensory approach boosts comprehension and makes it easy to follow along. The user experience around file management is also straightforward. After converting a file from a link (02:22), it appears in a central library where it can be renamed (04:59) or organized.

UX highlights

Immediate Value Demo: The onboarding starts by having users select a preferred voice (00:09), immediately showcasing the high quality of the audio, which is the app's main selling point.
Synced Text and Audio: The player highlights words as they are read aloud (03:08). This is a powerful feature for learning and focus, turning passive listening into an active experience.
Granular Player Controls: Users have detailed control over the listening experience, including playback speed (03:22), chapter navigation (03:30), and the ability to add notes to specific passages (03:38).
Multi-Format Input: The app offers several ways to add content, including uploading a PDF, pasting a link, or forwarding an email (00:42), making it versatile for different workflows.
In-App Feedback Loop: The app proactively asks for user satisfaction with a simple thumbs-up/down prompt (02:56) before escalating to a request for an App Store rating (03:00).

Monetization & growth

The app uses a free trial model with a paywall that appears after a lengthy onboarding tutorial. At 01:25, the paywall presents two options: a monthly and a yearly plan. It builds trust by including a user testimonial and a high star rating directly on the screen. A particularly clever growth tactic appears at 01:54: immediately after a user subscribes, the app asks "How did you hear about us?" to gather valuable marketing attribution data.

Who it’s for

This app is designed for students, academics, and professionals who need to get through large volumes of reading material. It's also valuable for multitaskers who want to catch up on articles or newsletters while driving or working out. Additionally, the synced text-audio feature makes it a strong accessibility tool for individuals with reading disabilities or anyone who learns better through multi-sensory input.

Notes & opportunities

The onboarding flow is very long and forces a user to create an account and complete a tutorial before they can even see the main app. While educational, this creates significant friction that could deter some users. At 00:41, the tutorial begins, and the user doesn't reach a paywall until 01:25. Testing a shorter onboarding that allows a user to convert one file for free before hitting the paywall could be a worthwhile experiment to improve initial conversion rates.