Podcast blog page usability problem

Question

BUG:

The actual link to the podcast download takes way too long to find if you don't already know where to look for.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE:

• Find someone who's never seen the site
• Give them this link and measure if they find it within 3 seconds

RECOMMENDED SOLUTION:

Make the play/download widget bigger, and move it to the top of the article

ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS:

• Even the comments have a bigger font size than the play/download links
• While a link usually stands out from the surroundings, the page is full of links, thus negating this effect
• People who regard the text as spoiler still have to scroll all the way to the bottom
• the blog entry has more than a screenful detailing how great the podcast is, then you can't find it
• Compare the play/download widget with the disclaimer-type thing at the bottom of the page: people with advanced ad-blindness won't even notice it if it's the only thing on the page

Answer 1

I would say putting the audio controls at the bottom is by design so you read the post text first.

That being said, the audio controls could be set off a little better from the surrounding page, possibly with a darker/contrasting background.