Quinn: Rethinking the UX of Porn with an Audio-Only Platform

The startup, which beta-launched in April and launched its redesigned site today, is looking to break through with its new audio-only porn platform and shift the brand away from the visual-reliant user experience the industry is known for. Caroline Spiegel, who left Stanford in her senior year to cofound Quinn, asks: Is audio the future of erotica? She certainly thinks so.

The UX Philosophy: Streamlined and Focused

Spiegel saw Quinn as an answer to that “sense of lost control” found on traditional visual sites. She sites one of her competitors, Pornhub, as an example, noting that “there’s almost no part of the screen that isn’t filled with content.” In contrast, overall, the user experience of the site is streamlined, and the majority of the real estate on the site is black negative space. Spiegel is a “fan” of audio erotica because it “gets across the intangibles of porn—the flirting; the intimacy.” She sees the sparse user interface of the site as an execution of their philosophy that “porn can be a more chilled out experience.”

A User-Generated Content Platform

Spiegel feels that what separates Quinn from other audio porn companies out there, like subscription-based Dipsea, is that the site is a platform, rather than a content producer. Quinn’s content will be 100% user-generated. This allows amateurs and professionals alike to upload audio content with the click of a button—and maintain their own feeds that users can follow, like, comment on, and even tip through. For Spiegel, designing a platform with content that’s not produced in-house was an exercise in openness: “To let people have their audio, we have to let them have their voice.”

Key Platform Characteristics

• Access Model: The site is currently free to access.
• Content Source: 100% user-generated audio stories.
• Interface: Streamlined design with a focus on black negative space.
• Monetization: The company is exploring “multiple forms of monetization, including advertising.”

Building Community and Connection

“Arousal and comprehension are not solely derived from visual stimulus,” says body image advocate and sex educator Laura Delarato. According to Forbes, audio porn startups have collectively accrued over $8 million in funding over the past year. With free access, sparse interface design, and UX that encourages users to engage with the site as they would other social platforms, Quinn is looking to build connections and create a welcoming environment for a broad audience. The goal is to prove that porn isn’t just about the looks.