Read the full design report.
Spotify is a music service that allows users to stream music available on the cloud and share it with their friends. It has recently ballooned in popularity, especially since it launched in the US, and now has 15 million users worldwide. Spotify takes the features of many popular music services and combines it into a convenient “one-stop-shop” desktop application. This piece will focus specifically on the music library (shown below), which is used to organize a user’s local files as well as music found through the service.
The music library pane within the Spotify desktop application.
THE PROBLEM
Interestingly, many users I spoke to described using Spotify to find new music, but specifically switching to iTunes to listen to music files stored locally on their computers. This adds another layer of complexity to the problem, particularly because Spotify offers nearly identical capability in its library interface. So, not only are users not able to re-find recently saved music effectively, they also do not listen to their digital record collection within Spotify -- mapping to a very in-the-moment, transient streaming experience that’s at odds with its desire to be an “all-in-one” application.
The problem with the Spotify music library lies in the user’s ability to find a particular song at a later date. Given that most users tend to have thousands of songs saved, it can be quite cumbersome to wade through the list view. The user is forced to rely heavily on the search bar any time they care to select something specific. Thus, there is little value in discovering new music when a user cannot reliably find it later.
Interestingly, many users I spoke to described using Spotify to find new music, but specifically switching to iTunes to listen to music files stored locally on their computers. This adds another layer of complexity to the problem, particularly because Spotify offers nearly identical capability in its library interface. So, not only are users not able to re-find recently saved music effectively, they also do not listen to their digital record collection within Spotify -- mapping to a very in-the-moment, transient streaming experience that’s at odds with its desire to be an “all-in-one” application.
THE CURRENT DESIGN
Generally, the primary goal of Spotify users is to aggregate all the music they like in one place -- from music available locally on their computer, to music they are very familiar with yet do not physically own, to brand new discoveries. In addition, as users amass thousands upon thousands of songs, it becomes crucial to view as much information at-a-glance as possible to facilitate the search for music.
The users face some difficulty meeting the above goals due to some issues:
1. The users have too many songs to scroll through and are unable to visualize what’s available in their collection.
Generally, the primary goal of Spotify users is to aggregate all the music they like in one place -- from music available locally on their computer, to music they are very familiar with yet do not physically own, to brand new discoveries. In addition, as users amass thousands upon thousands of songs, it becomes crucial to view as much information at-a-glance as possible to facilitate the search for music.
The users face some difficulty meeting the above goals due to some issues:
1. The users have too many songs to scroll through and are unable to visualize what’s available in their collection.
2. The music library contains a lot of redundant information.
3. There is no visibility for filtering by certain criteria (most obvious example: by genre). The user legitimately has no idea how to do this or knows it’s even possible.
4. The difference between "filtering" and "searching" has been confounded by the fact that you can "filter" your library but "search" (not pictured) the catalog, yet "filter" works exactly the same way as "search". Filtering implies imposing a set of constraints, whereas searching merely looks for items that match an inputted keyword.
5. Spotify champions a novel concept: your personal music library is not just the files you own physically -- all music available on the cloud is yours, too! However, this concept doesn't seem to be fully embraced by the design. Users either have to "star" a song or add it to a playlist in order for it to be considered part of their library. Additionally, it’s not always clear which songs in the library are local files versus Spotify catalog files. How are users supposed to know what's missing from their collection?
GOALS OF REDESIGN
1. Be able to take control of library organization
2. Visualize many songs at a glance
3. Be able to manage and listen to owned music the same way one would browse, manage, and listen to music available on the cloud
1. Be able to take control of library organization
2. Visualize many songs at a glance
3. Be able to manage and listen to owned music the same way one would browse, manage, and listen to music available on the cloud
FINAL DESIGN
The final design
The final design meets the redesign goals in the following ways:
It adds the ability to add and remove criteria for displaying songs in the library, such as artist, genre, number of plays, and so on. This allows users to organize their music however they want. It’s more interactive than before and fun to play around with, and the interactions map better to what the user is trying to accomplish.
It combines the high information value of the list with the heightened visibility of the grid view. Rather than looking at a laundry list, I feel like I’m actually looking at a music catalog -- pleasing to look at, but still informative.
It seamlessly incorporates both local and catalog files into the music library, and still distinguishes between them by making catalog files available for purchase, and checking off files that are owned. This is what ties everything together, because it allows Spotify to truly feel like the “all-in-one” desktop application it’s supposed to be.
It adds the ability to add and remove criteria for displaying songs in the library, such as artist, genre, number of plays, and so on. This allows users to organize their music however they want. It’s more interactive than before and fun to play around with, and the interactions map better to what the user is trying to accomplish.
It combines the high information value of the list with the heightened visibility of the grid view. Rather than looking at a laundry list, I feel like I’m actually looking at a music catalog -- pleasing to look at, but still informative.
It seamlessly incorporates both local and catalog files into the music library, and still distinguishes between them by making catalog files available for purchase, and checking off files that are owned. This is what ties everything together, because it allows Spotify to truly feel like the “all-in-one” desktop application it’s supposed to be.
