Spotify is an online platform that provides access to millions of songs, podcasts, and videos from content creators worldwide.
Overview
Spotify launched in 2008 with being one of the largest music streaming services with up to 489 million active users in more than 180 markets. Spotify will give users recommendations for music based on the songs they listen to and the ability to create a playlist of songs. Overall, Spotify has transformed the way people discover, listen to, and share music. Its variety of content, personalized recommendations, and collaborative features makes Spotify a leading platform. But, Spotify’s recommendations may be inaccurate in presenting new music to users.
Background
Role
UI/UX Designer
User Research, Wireframing, Visual Design, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Responsibilities
Tools
Figma
Team
Individual
Timeline
Feb 2023 (2 Weeks)
How might we make discovering music easier and engaging for music lovers?
Identify the Problem
Design a new feature with the ability to listen to what your friends are currently listening to.
The Solution
I have made a research plan of creating a competitive analysis, conduct user interviews, and surveys to better define the solution. Researching and comparing companies that provide a similar solution gave more insight to what features our users want and need.
Understand the Problem
Determine how often people send their friends songs
Understand if users are struggling with finding new music
Identify if people would listen to what their friends are listening to
Research Goals
To understand the market and identify the key features that make these platforms appealing to users, I conducted research and analysis on the top music streaming platforms.
Competitive Analysis
Spotify offers a more personalized user experience with curated playlists through ‘Discover Weekly’ and ‘Release Radar’
Soundcloud is the only platform that offers chat and messaging
Spotify allows users to see and listen to what their friends are currently playing on desktop but it does not automatically bring you to the next song
Spotify introduced the feature of ‘Friend's Activity’ in the year 2015, while Apple Music implemented it in the year 2023
I conducted 4 user interviews with daily Spotify users, both in-person and virtually, to gain insight on motivations and pain points when finding new music. During the interview, I asked participants what they are their opinions on Spotify Blend, a feature that combines two users’ music taste to create a playlist. Half of the participants have not heard of the feature or have not used it yet.
User Interviews
“I don’t like it bc it takes every genre and puts it together. The playlist feels random at times.”
– Richard, 21
I asked participants how often are they discovering new music. All participants said they are tired of listening to the same music repeatedly. I noticed users are either using ‘Discover Weekly’ or Spotify’s curated ‘Made for You’ playlists because they do not want to go out of their way to search.
“My friends and I have very similar music tastes so we have a collaborative playlist where we add new songs, so I’m motivated to find new music to add to that playlist.”
– Sarah, 25
I conducted 20 surveys on Spotify users to gather information about their music discovery habits. The surveys were aimed at understanding how Spotify users interact with the platform and how Spotify can improve its user experience.
Surveys and Findings
How often are you trying to discover new music?
Figure 1. Discovering new music in Spotify
Figure 1 shows that 55% of participants are sometimes trying to discover new music. With a majority of the survey participants being inclined towards trying new genres of music. None of the participants in the survey selected the option “never,” indicating that all respondents will continue to look for new music.
How often are you sharing music with your friends?
Figure 2. Data of participants sharing music with friends
All participants are sharing music with their friends at one point. None of the participants selected the option “never”, showing that music is a social activity and a way for people to connect and communicate with each other. A social feature is important to the Spotify experience and can contribute to user engagement.
Based on insights gathered from user interviews and surveys, I developed two personas that characterizes typical Spotify users. One of them is Melissa Lopez who enjoys running in her free time while listening to music. Jake Johnson likes to discover new concerts to attend as a way to spend quality time with his friends.
Define the Users
I designed a user flow to illustrate how a user would navigate the ‘Friend's Live’ feature on Spotify. After realizing that music is often a social experience, I decided to iterate and include a commenting feature.
User Flow
I designed for the 'Friends' Live' feature closer to the top of the homepage to make it more relevant to the user as it shows them which of their friends are currently active. The commenting feature allow users to view and reply on other users' responses for each song. The user would be able to access the 'active' button to allow their friends to join their current listening session.
Low-Fidelity to Mid-Fidelity Wireframe
Homepage
Friend’s Current Listen
Comment Section
Library Page
Liked Playlist
Your Current Listen
To ensure consistency with Spotify's brand image, I designed a style guide for the Friends' Live feature using their established color palette, typography, and styles. This allowed me to incorporate new design elements specific to the feature while maintaining alignment with Spotify’s Design Guidelines.
Branding
As I was designing the high-fidelity wireframe, I made sure to include a ‘Leave’ button that is easily accessible while listening to a friend's live. Additionally, I created a new design for the 'Active' button to match Spotify's branding and make it more intuitive for users to recognize its function.
High-Fidelity Wireframe
Homepage
Homepage with Friend’s Live
Homepage with User’s Live
Friend’s Current Listen
Comment Section
Library Page
Liked Playlist
User’s Current Listen
I have conducted 4 usability tests in-person and through Zoom, with the following task to be performed:
Usability Testing
Join a friend’s live session and send a comment
Find a song and turn on your live
There was a 100% completion rate and each user said they would use this social feature.
Results
The process of improving an existing product by identifying and designing a new feature motived me to think more creatively. I recognized that people often struggle in finding new music to listen to and a social feature would keep people engaged. A feature like ‘Friends’ Live’ will be beneficial to discovering new music. Music is a way for people to connect with each other. When people are listening to what their friends are listening to, they are bound to encounter new songs that they will enjoy. However, I did not want to take away from Spotify’s core values of being specially designed as a music streaming platform. I aimed to ensure that the new feature would not be excessively social, while still providing users with a social experience.
I will continue to apply the design thinking process by prototyping on new ideas and conduct multiple rounds of usability tests to get more insight on how to improve this feature.