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Spotify: Virtual Live Events
Feature Addition | Mobile App
Overview
Spotify, a premier music streaming platform, delivers an extensive catalog of songs, podcasts, and audio content. With personalized playlists, discovery features, and a user-friendly interface, it offers music enthusiasts a seamless experience to explore, share, and immerse in diverse audio entertainment.
My Role
This project was born out of my own curiosity, driven by a desire to dive into the intricacies of music streaming. I navigated through every phase of the design process, including User Research, Product Strategy, UI Design, Interaction Design, and Usability Testing.
Challenges
The challenge was to uncover valuable insights that identified new areas of opportunity within the Spotify app, aiming to enhance and optimize the user experience for increased engagement and satisfaction.
Research & Planning
Tools
Pen and Paper | Figma/FigJam | Otter AI | Notion
Methods
I started with a competitor analysis at the beginning of this project to gain a deeper understanding of the music streaming industry. Following the competitor analysis, I conducted several user interviews with current and potential users to understand their music streaming platform experiences.
Key Findings
Following the user interviews, I organized the feedback into categories using an Affinity Map and found three common themes or areas of opportunity:
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Collaborative experience - Users expressed a desire for more collaborative playlist features.
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Interactive Artist & Fan Experiences - Users highlighted a longing for deeper connections with their favorite artists.
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Localized Discovery Hubs - Users emphasized an interest in discovering music/artist local to their specific location.
These findings led to the creation of a persona (Emily) to ensure that I always empathized with and kept the target user in mind when ideating design solutions.
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Ideation
Tools
Pen and Paper | Figma | FigJam
Methods
Following the user research stage, I generated potential solutions by framing Point of View (POV) and How Might We (HMW) statements that could improve the overall user experience as well as bring additional value to the business.
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How might we offer Emily exclusive artist experiences to strengthen their connection with their favorite artists?
After developing the POV & HMW statements, I developed a Storyboard to visualize the solutions in action
After creating the Storyboard, I created a Venn Diagram of business, user, and technical goals to ensure that the product goals were aligned. Then, I created a prioritized list of features for the MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
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Design & Prototyping
Tools Used
Pen and Paper | Figma | InVision | Notion
Process
Initial desktop and mobile sketches were based on the current application with enhancements made to the interface.
Guided by my initial sketches, I produced lo-fi and mid-fi responsive wireframes to represent early concepts visually.
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After finalizing the wireframes/prototypes, created an expansive UI Library based on an existing Spotify design system to streamline the design process. The next step of the process was to conduct testing.
Testing
Tools Used
Pen and Paper | Voice Recorder | Notion
Methods
To conduct the testing, I carried out in-person moderated testing using a recording device and pen and paper. This approach provided timely insights into how actual users interacted with the prototype, helping identify strengths and weaknesses within this design.
Insights
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Insight #1: Some users struggled with the discoverability of the virtual live events feature emphasizing the need for clearer navigation cues and perhaps an onboarding process to announce and familiarize users with the new Virtual Live Events features.
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Insight #2: Users appreciated the real-time chat feature but expressed a desire for better moderation tools to enhance the overall quality of interaction.
Solution
Tools Used
Figma | InVision | Notion
Results
Solution #1: Addition of an overlay message when the app is opened announcing the Virtual Live Events feature
Why: To address feature discoverability issues, ensuring immediate user awareness and engagement.
Original Design
Revised Design
Solution #2: Allowing users to upvote or downvote comments.
Why: To Promote community-driven moderation, ensuring that popular and relevant comments are visible to the artist.
Original Design
Revised Design
Prototype
Next Steps
Moving forward with the expansion of Spotify's Virtual Live Events, focus on refining the user experience based on insights from user testing. The implemented overlay announcement upon app launch addresses discoverability issues effectively. Prioritize key features like enhancing virtual meet-and-greet functionality and implementing robust moderation tools for the live chat. Continuous user feedback and iterative testing will be crucial for ongoing improvements, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience for Spotify users.