Gaudio Books — iOS & Android App

01: Context

Gaudio Books is a library of Gaudiya Vaishnava audiobooks narrated by Subal Sakha das: 20 authors, 58 books, over 500 hours. The iOS and Android app is the main way to listen — with offline downloads, resume-where-you-left-off and an author-based catalogue.

Team: project manager Anatoly Smolin, development Serhii Chechin, design — mine. On the App Store since January 2025, currently version 1.5.

[ SYS_IMAGE_LOAD ] The app on the App Store: home, book, author and player, settings

02: App Design

The screens are built around one scenario — come back and keep listening. The first screen is "Continue listening" with per-book progress, then new releases and the author catalogue. A book page has the cover, a chapter list with durations and a whole-book download for offline; an author page has a portrait, the pranama mantra and their books. The player is a mini bar at the bottom of every screen and a full view with sleep timer, seeking and speed.

"Design should give way to the voice. Black-and-white photographs, a cream ground, one serif — and nothing that argues with the text."

[ SYS_IMAGE_LOAD ] Screen mockups: home, book with chapters and waveform, author page

Two themes — light and dark — switched in settings. Settings also hold an "Help with audio editing" section: the app openly invites listeners to help edit raw recordings.

02a: From Sitemap to Release

The work went through three iterations. This is the app map as released: three tabs, a home with "continue", new releases and an author catalogue, a book page with chapters and offline download, a global player above every screen, settings.

[ SYS_IMAGE_LOAD ] App map