Project Overview
Adding a New Feature
Spotify is an app where users can stream millions of songs at the click of a button. For this case study, I designed a new feature that can identify songs playing out and about (at a restaurant, on the radio, etc.) and automatically adds those songs to music libraries in a few quick steps.
Scope of Work
Research, UX Design
Project Goals
Discover what issues people face when identifying songs
Learn their current process of identifying songs
Explore ways to simplify this process
Challenge
Spotify users have a complicated process of identifying songs when they are out and about (at restaurants, on the radio, etc.) and remembering to add them to their Spotify playlists at a later time.
Solution
Create a feature in Spotify to identify songs that are playing and automatically add them to a playlist.
Research > Develop > Revise
Process
The idea for this project was born out of my own desire to improve the song-finding process. I currently use a separate app to find the song, then open up my Spotify app to find the song again. I began thinking of ways to make this easier and wondered if I was the only Spotify user with this problem. How do other users identify and add songs to their music libraries?
What are people using right now?
I started my research by familiarizing myself with popular song-finding and music apps and analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. I noted the features that seem to provide the most value to users so that I could consider including them in the Spotify app. Important features include:
Voice command
Automatically adding the song into a playlist
“Liking” a song
User Interviews
I interviewed five Spotify users who also have used Shazam or asked Siri “What song is this?” to understand their process of finding a new song. I wanted to understand their motivations of wanting to discover new songs and what they do after they identify the song.
Tell me about your experience identifying songs.
What were your main motivations in wanting to find the song?
Have you listened to the song again? Why or why not?
Affinity Map to sort user research findings:
Key Findings:
After user interviews and learning about their wants, needs, feelings, and goals, I learned the following key findings that will help in creating Spotify’s new feature:
Users want to discover new music & artists
Users forget about the song they found because it’s not located in Spotify
Users like to use voice commands to find songs
They like Spotify’s social features and wish there were more
They want to be able to quickly pull up the app/feature to find songs
All users I interviewed had complicated song-finding processes. None were the same and all forgot about the last song they identified
Users need automation to be able to find their identified songs easily
Meet Sam & Steph
I consolidated key findings from my research into two personas to highlight the key frustrations and goals that the new feature needs to help with. Sam is a social music listener who wants to share new music with his friends. Steph is an emotional listener who wants to be able to find songs she heard in memorable moments.
How might we help Sam & Steph?
The last step in my research process was to form How Might We questions to start ideating key elements. These questions were based on my personas’ goals and used as a launching point for the Development phase.
How might we help users discover new music?
Make the song-finder feature directly in the Spotify app
Add a “Song Radio” button so users can discover similar music to the song they found
Add “Go to Album” and “Go to Artist” so users can dig deeper into the identified songs
How might we help users remember the songs they identified?
Automatically add the song to an “Identified Songs” playlist
Easily be able to “like” a song to add it to a user's “Liked Songs”
Create an “Identified Song”s history page
Add the “Identified Songs” playlist to a user’s For You or Home page
How might we help users get to this feature quickly and easily?
Voice command, “Spotify, W
Large, easy-to-locate “Identify Song” button
Placement at the top of the Search page
“Identified Songs” playlist pinned at the top of Your Library page
Research > Develop > Revision
Creating Solutions
Based on my research and How Might We questions, I developed user flows that will help with developing new wireframes for the site. Easier to identify and add songs = More song streams
Mid-Fidelity Wireframes
I studied the Spotify app to ensure that the new feature would be compatible with their UI design. I first designed mid-level wireframes to ensure that users could tap through the app seamlessly. I used the User Flows above to come up with key pages needed to use my new feature.
Most of these colors were selected directly from screenshotting the Spotify App and color matching. The only color I came up with on my own was the coral Playlist Gradient color you see below. I selected this color because Spotify uses many bright colors for their playlists and felt this color could stand out while still matching their brand identity.
I also created a new icon for the Listen button. I designed the icon based on Spotify’s existing icons with softer edges and round components.
User Interface Component Kit
Final High-Fidelity Wireframes
Voice Command Feature: Play with Audio On
Research > Develop > Revise
What can make it better?
After usability testing with five different Spotify users, I revised icon placement, user feedback, and playlist sorting methods. Users discussed their wants of being able to identify a song in one click. Having the Identify Song button on the Home page will reduce the number of clicks. They also wanted reassurance that the song they just identified will be saved to their music library, which is why I added a feedback popup.
Closing Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed this project and designing within a set of UI boundaries that have already been set by Spotify. My main setback was not knowing if this piece of technology could be possible within Spotify, but was encouraged by my users who saw the beneficial impact this feature would have if it were to exist.
I enjoyed creating an icon that looked like it could have been designed by Spotify and that was automatically associated with soundwaves by my users. It was fun imagining a feature in one of my all-time favorite apps and seeing the excitement users had when they saw this feature in action. Improving the lives of users really feels fantastic!
