Case Study: New York Public Radio achieves a successful Gothamist relaunch and increased audience engagement with UserTesting

How America's largest public radio group consistently delivers award-winning programming

New York Public Radio (NYPR), the largest public radio group in the U.S. and owner of Gothamist, faced the challenge of relaunching the news site after acquisition and a prior shutdown. A two-person UX team needed a faster, more inclusive way to understand Gothamist’s audience and gather qualitative research that would satisfy internal stakeholders and the nonprofit’s donor-driven expectations.

Using UserTesting’s customer panel and remote, unmoderated interviews, the team quickly captured audience needs and pain points and delivered video highlight reels to decision-makers, cutting weeks from traditional research timelines. The insights drove a successful relaunch that increased traffic and engagement, led to hiring additional staff and expanded weekend coverage, and helped embed a culture of experimentation across NYPR.

New York Public Radio

Chris Hardtman

Senior Director, Digital Design and UX