Spotify (UI/UX Case Study)
Project Overview:
Description: Introducing "SoundSpotter" – Spotify's revolutionary feature designed to transform the way users discover and identify music within the app. This cutting-edge addition aims to address the common challenge of identifying songs in real-world settings, offering aseamless and integrated solution.
Role: UX Researcher, UX/UI Designer, conception to final prototype.
Duration: The project took 80 hours to complete.
“SoundSpotter: Transforming Discovery, Elevating Connection –
Your Music, Instantly Recognized, Anytime, Anywhere.”
Background: The project involves the addition of a new feature, “SoundSpotter”, to the popular music streaming service, Spotify. This feature aims to enhance the user experience by providing a seamless way for users to identify the music they hear in their surroundings while using the Spotify app. By integrating music recognition capabilities, Spotify aims to offer users a comprehensive music discovery platform that not only includes their saved and recommended tracks but also allows them to explore and identify new songs in their everyday lives.
Process:
Research
Competitor Analysis: Our research encompassed a thorough analysis of competitors within the music identification and discovery market. This examination unveiled the key features and strategies utilized by other platforms. By assessing their user experience, interface design, and feature offerings, we identified opportunities for the "SoundSpotter" feature to distinguish itself within Spotify.
Interviews: Our interviews were guided by targeted questions, exploring users' music identification experiences and preferences within Spotify.
These insights formed the core of our user-centered research, informing the design of the "SoundSpotter" feature to align with user expectations and enhance Spotify's functionality.Here are few general questions that I included in all the interactions:
1- How often do you use Spotify?
2- How do you currently discover new music or identify songs?
3- What features or capabilities would you expect?
4- How likely would you be to use a social component?
5- Pain-points or challenges?
6- How important is this feature to you?
Key Insights: These key insights served as the cornerstone for informed design decisions, ensuring the "SoundSpotter" feature within Spotify resonates with our users and enhances their music discovery experience.
Define
The Problem: The problem addressed by this project is the difficulty that Spotify users face when trying to identify music playing around them. Currently, Spotify does not have a built-in feature for music recognition, forcing users to rely on external apps or manual searches to identify unfamiliar songs. This interruption in the music discovery process creates a disjointed user experience and limits the ability of users to easily explore and engage with new music.
Solution: Adding "SoundSpotter" improves Spotify's user experience by seamlessly integrating music identification, benefiting users by simplifying music discovery within the app, enhancing competitiveness, and fostering stronger user engagement.
User Persona: I crafted a user persona to remind me of the needs and pain points of my target audience and ensure a user-focused approach throughout the project.
Sitemap: A sitemap is a file where you provide information about the pages, videos, and other files on your site, and the relationships between them.
Ideate
Lo-Fi Wireframes:
Hi-Fi Wireframes:
Prototype: Experience firsthand—try our app prototype for a glimpse into seamless functionality and user-centric design.
Test
During the project, we conducted usability testing to assess the app's user interface and overall user experience. Here's how we executed the testing.
1-Method: We created interactive prototypes of the app to simulate its functionality. These prototypes allowed users to perform tasks, such as viewing the portfolio, submitting an order request, and making a purchase, within a simulated environment.
2-Participants: We assembled a diverse group of participants, encompassing coaches, players, and parents, in order to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the responsive web design.
3-Testing Session: Each testing session was conducted remotely, with participants accessing the prototypes from their own devices. We observed participants as they interacted with the app and performed specific tasks.
4-Tasks: Participants were given three specific tasks: viewing the portfolio, submitting an order request form, and making a purchase. These tasks were designed to assess the web designs functionality and user-friendliness in key areas of the user journey.
5-Feedback: We encouraged participants to provide feedback during and after the testing sessions. This feedback included comments on usability issues, design preferences, and overall satisfaction with the responsive web design.
6-Analysis: We analyzed the data and feedback collected during the testing sessions to identify usability issues, areas for improvement, and
aspects of the responsive web design that performed well. This analysis informed iterative design changes to enhance the
user experience.
Iteration
Our iterative approach to refining the "SoundSpotter" feature in Spotify includes addressing key user feedback regarding the placement of the "X" button. Users expressed the need for an easily accessible "X" button to swiftly return to the detection screen after identifying a song, minimizing interruptions in their music discovery journey.
Conclusion
I've learned the significance of aligning new features with a brand's identity and interface. This guides future work in refining interfaces and expanding music-related design projects for Spotify. This project highlighted leveraging existing branding effectively and the value of user-centered design in enhancing the Spotify experience. Moving forward, I'll prioritize user feedback and iterative design for continuous improvement. The key takeaway is the power of aligning design with established branding for a seamless user experience. I'm proud to integrate 'SoundSpotter' seamlessly into Spotify's interface, maintaining a consistent and user-friendly design aligned with the platform's branding.
