Spotify Redesign
This project was part of a mentorship program at my workplace, where I was paired with an experienced UX designer to guide me through a design process. After some initial discussions, we decided to redesign the Spotify Desktop App. Over the next three months, I worked on this redesign, with my mentor providing advice and feedback throughout the journey.
The challenge
My role
In this project, I took on the roles of both UX Researcher and UX Designer. I conducted user research to identify key pain points and designed solutions to enhance the overall experience of the app. My mentor provided guidance and oversight, acting as the project lead.
Research and ideation
The first step was to conduct user research to identify the most common pain points of the Spotify app. I interviewed several individuals and then synthesized the information into an affinity diagram to identify key patterns and insights.
As illustrated above, users had numerous complaints across various areas of the app, with podcasts being a common source of frustration. Below are the most important insights from my research.
Key insights
Revisiting podcast issues
Users encountered difficulties navigating back to podcasts, as there was no way to group them in the Library. Moreover, returning to a specific episode, especially if it wasn't the latest one, was inconvenient and often required scrolling through numerous episodes to find the right one.
Chaotic places
Both the Library and Home tabs were perceived as chaotic by users, with too much content crammed in. For the Home tab, users felt there were too many sections with no way to remove or customize them. Additionally, podcasts and music were mixed together, while users preferred them to be separate.
Liked Songs confusion
Various users used the Liked Songs playlist differently, with some not using it at all, others using it as a catch-all for unsorted songs, and some storing all their songs there. For those with many songs, the layout felt problematic as it lacked organization options like sorting by artist, album, or genre.
Bad recommendations
Users criticized the poor music recommendations, especially in the Daily Mixes section. They also desired an easier way to exclude specific artists from recommendations. Additionally, there was no section for podcast recommendations at all.
Once I pinpointed the most pressing issues to address, I delved into ideation to devise potential solutions. This phase involved collaborative brainstorming session with guidance from my mentor.
Some solutions were readily apparent or had been previously suggested by users, while others required deeper consideration. By the end of our session, we managed to craft solutions for the most critical user issues (grey sticky notes in the affinity map).
Redesign
During this phase, I used Figma to create mockups and high-fidelity prototypes. Below are a few of the changes I successfully designed.
New logic inside a podcast
Previously, many podcasts were configured to display only the latest episode at the top, providing an easy shortcut to the most recent release. However, many users weren’t up to date with their podcasts, so the latest episode wasn’t relevant to them; they were more interested in the last episode they had listened to. On top of that, users often had to scroll through a long list of episodes (from newest to oldest) to find where they left off.
To address this, I added a new tile next to the Latest episode called Continue listening. This solution caters to both users interested in the latest episodes and those wanting to resume their last listened episode.
Before
After
To ensure the responsiveness of the app, here’s how this design adapts to smaller screens:
Before
After
Podcasts in folders
I also introduced a way for users to group their podcasts, not just individual episodes. Users could now add their desired podcasts to folders, similar to how they organize playlists.
Podcast new look
To address the common complaint about the lack of separation between music and podcasts, I ensured that podcast entities were easily distinguishable from playlists and other content.
I proposed three designs for how podcasts/podcast episodes should be presented on the Home page.
New Home sections
I added new Home sections featuring podcast recommendations, addressing another common user complaint about their absence.
In the designs presented below, you’ll notice that I also added some customization options to Home sections:
- drag icons next to each section allowing users to reorder them
- close buttons letting users hide certain sections from the Home screen.
Choose what to see on Home panel
Similarly, I designed a new “Choose what to see” panel, positioned at the bottom of the Home page. This feature would empower users to select which sections exactly they want to see on the Home page.
Excluding from recommendations
The “Exclude from your taste profile” option is currently available only for playlists. To address the issue of poor recommendations, I decided to expand this feature to include artists and podcasts as well.
Podcasts
Artists
Liked Songs filters
I also introduced filters to the Liked Songs playlist, enabling users to organize songs by artist or album. This would provide a more efficient alternative to scrolling through a lengthy list of tracks.
I proposed two solutions for how this filtering could look like.
Version 1
Version 2
Accessibility considerations
One of the accessibility concerns raised during the research was the absence of a transcript option for podcasts. Users with speech impairments or those less fluent in a language would greatly benefit from a written version of the podcast. Below are designs showing how this could be implemented, following the same format as the song lyrics feature for consistency across the app.
Podcast transcript feature
Testing
To evaluate my designs, I combined concept testing with A/B testing. I sent an online survey to users, requesting their feedback on my proposed solutions. The survey also included two polls: one for users to vote on their preferred Liked Songs prototype (version 1 or 2) and another to choose their favorite podcast design. The survey results are detailed below.
40%
Version 1
60%
Version 2
20%
Version 1
80%
Version 2
0%
Version 3
As shown above, the winners turned out to be:
- Version 2 of Liked Songs filters
- Version 2 of the new podcast look.
Additionally, there were several comments on other design aspects. The “Choose what to see” panel on the Home screen received a lot of praise. However, it was suggested that the separation of podcasts and music still needed improvement, with recommendations to create separate Home and Search for these two categories.
Takeaways
Understanding user diversity
One of the key takeaways from this project was the realization of how diverse the user base can be, with different needs and preferences. For example, some users only used Spotify for podcasts, while others used it exclusively for music. This highlighted the importance of understanding various user types and their specific needs before jumping into the design process.
Overcoming personal bias
Another valuable lesson was learning to combat my own bias as a Spotify user. While I have my own frustrations and pain points with the app, I had to remind myself that my personal opinions could not be the sole basis for the redesign. It was essential to focus on a wide range of user experiences, ensuring I didn’t prioritize my own needs above others’. This reinforced the importance of user-centered design, where insights from diverse users guide the solution.
Motivation and enjoyment
On a positive note, being a Spotify user myself also provided motivation throughout the redesign process. My personal experience with the app made the project more engaging, and I found joy in tackling design challenges. This showed me that UX design can be both fun and rewarding when you’re deeply involved in solving real user problems.
A valuable learning experience
Ultimately, this project was a fantastic learning opportunity. It taught me a lot about the design process and allowed me to explore Figma’s features in depth. I also received valuable guidance from my mentor throughout the project, which helped me deepen my understanding of UX design and refine my approach to user-centered solutions.