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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 my love for music. I navigated through every phase of the design process, including User Research, Product Strategy, UI Design, Interaction Design, and Usability Testing.
Challenges
Spotify is already a feature-rich platform, making it a challenge to identify gaps and opportunities for innovation. With an app that feels complete, the biggest hurdle was designing something truly new and meaningful.
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Beyond just listening, I wanted to explore how music could foster deeper connections between artists and fans. The challenge was leveraging existing technology to create a more interactive, community - driven experience — one that enhances engagement without disrupting Spotify’s seamless user experience.
Research & Planning
Tools
Pen and Paper | Figma/FigJam | Otter AI | Notion
Methods
To establish a strong foundation for this project, I began with a competitor analysis to understand how other music streaming platforms facilitate user engagement and community-building. ​
Following the competitor analysis, I conducted several user interviews with current and potential users to understand their music streaming platform experiences.
Key Findings
Using the insights from user interviews, I synthesized the data into an affinity map to uncover common themes.​
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Desire for Artist-Fan Interaction
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Users want more direct engagement with their favorite artists beyond passive listening.
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Existing artist interactions on streaming platforms feel impersonal and limited.
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Social & Collaborative Features
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Users enjoy creating playlists but want real-time collaborative experiences.
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There’s interest in community-driven discovery, like shared listening sessions.
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Personalized & Localized Discovery
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Listeners want better tools to explore local artists and music scenes.
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Discovery feels algorithm-driven rather than community-driven.
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These findings led to the creation of a persona (Emily) to ensure that I kept the end user in mind when ideating design solutions.
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Ideate & Defining
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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After this step, I decided to build a feature I believed would be the most impactful to drawing a closer connection between Spotify users and their favorite artists. That being said, my proposed solution was to develop a live events feature where users could interact with their favorite artist in a more intimate setting.
Design & Prototyping
Tools Used
Pen and Paper | Figma | InVision | Notion
Process
Initial sketches were based on the current application with feature enhancements
incorporated into the existing design.
Guided by my initial sketches, I produced lo-fi responsive wireframes to represent early concepts visually.
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After finalizing the wireframes/prototypes, the next step of the process of this new feature was to conduct user tests.
Testing
Tools Used
Pen and Paper | Voice Recorder | Notion | Zoom
Methods
To conduct the testing, I carried out moderated and unmoderated testing. This approach provided insights into how actual users could navigate the app to locate the new feature as well as their behavior while on the app.
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 feature announcement card to inform users of the new Virtual Live Events feature.
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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 announcing the new Virtual Live Events feature
Why: To address feature discoverability issues, ensuring immediate user awareness and engagement.
Original Design
Revised Design
Solution #2: Allowing users the ability to post comments, questions, and like comments by other live event attendees..
Why: To promote community-driven moderation, ensuring that popular and relevant questions are visible to the artist.
Original Design
Revised Design
Prototype
Next Steps
Moving forward with the expansion of Spotify's Virtual Live Events, I plan to focus on refining the user experience based on insights from user testing. Continuous user feedback and iterative testing will be crucial for ongoing improvements, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience for Spotify users.