Spotify, one of the world's leading music streaming platforms with over 600 million users globally, has transformed how people access and experience music. Despite its massive success, Spotify lacks a robust and comprehensive social functionality, which represents a significant untapped opportunity to enhance user engagement and retention.
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Music has always been a social experience, deeply intertwined with sharing, discovery, and connection. A dedicated social feature on Spotify could allow users to better connect with friends, family, and like-minded listeners over their shared love for music. Features such as collaborative playlists, real-time listening parties, and enhanced profile customization has fostered community-building and a sense of belonging among users.
Among all music streaming apps on the market, Spotify stands out as the only platform with social features, allowing users to follow each other's profiles and playlists. However, its social capabilities are limited. Users cannot share their listening activity directly with friends, leading many to turn to third-party platforms like Instagram and Twitter to share what they're listening to. Spotify Social is proposed addition to the app that plans to integrate itself into the Spotify ecosystem, providing a social aspect to the music listening experience.
Spotify Social was developed as a school project designed to address specific user experience challenges within the music streaming domain. The primary aim was to create a simple and intuitive solution that aligns with Spotify’s established branding while incorporating elements of social interaction. The research process involved a combination of methodologies to ensure a comprehensive understanding of user needs and industry standards.
Competitor analysis was conducted to evaluate similar platforms, identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Nielsen heuristic evaluations were employed to uncover usability issues based on established design principles. Additionally, surveys and user group analyses, including empathy mapping, persona development, and user journey creation, provided valuable insights into user behaviors and expectations.
Prototyping focused on iterative design improvements, starting with low-fidelity wireframes to visualize initial ideas and progressing to high-fidelity prototypes for detailed development. The process concluded with comprehensive usability testing to ensure the final product was both intuitive and engaging for users.