Spotify Podcast Redesign
REDESIGNING THE SPOTIFY'S PODCAST EXPERIENCE
REDesign | user research | QUICK CASE STUDY
MY ROLE
Design
Lo-fi wireframes, conceptual development, refined features for the hi-fi prototype,
and interaction design of the high-fi prototype.
Collaborate
Conducted interviews, led recruitment of survey participants,
and co-designed an evaluative survey.
Duration: 2 Weeks
Toolkit: Adobe XD, Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop
Type: Quick Case Study
Spotify Podcast
Redesign
Revamping the Podcast Experience: Quick-Pick
Advanced Design Augmentation (ADA) Team at Northeastern
Spotify's personalized podcast suggestions based on listeners' habits are well-received, but many users struggle with managing the shows they follow and keeping track of the latest episode they listened to. As a result, it is challenging to navigate the app and find older podcasts quickly.
Improving the app's search functionality would be beneficial to help users avoid becoming
discouraged when looking for past episodes. A faster and more efficient search tool would make it easier for listeners to manage their podcast subscriptions and avoid missing out on the shows they enjoy.
GOAL
Imagine an enhanced podcast experience that not only meets the
basic needs of users, but also adds additional value to their listening.
The people who listen to Spotify Podcasts.
Spotify is a popular music streaming platform,
boasting the largest number of subscriptions
worldwide.
Launched in 2008, the platform
currently has 248 million monthly active users
as of March 2020.
How do competitors target this issue?
The current podcast experience, lacks a lot of functions.
01.
Who listens to podcasts?
02.
When do they listen?
03.
On which device?
CONSUMPTION MOTIVES
To gain deeper insights into the consumption
motives of Spotify podcast users, an article
can be referenced.
The article suggests that users generally turn to Spotify to access various forms of audio content, including podcasts, for entertainment, educational purposes, relaxation, mood enhancement, and productivity.
Moreover, the article notes that users may also use Spotify to discover new artists and curate playlists to share with others:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444820963776?journalCode=nmsa
01
The primary drivers for users were the superiority of the audio platform, along with the ability to access entertainment and informative content.
02
The settings, dimensions, and patterns of listening have a significant impact on the motivations of users.
03
Podcasting is widely recognized as a distinct medium with its own unique characteristics.
After auditing Spotify's mobile app for podcasts, the next step was to examine other successful podcast apps in the market and identify what sets them apart from the competition.
I downloaded several apps and took screenshots to analyze their design and functionality in greater detail.
MARKET RESEARCH
I carried out exhaustive market analysis on the existing podcast platforms to grasp capabilities.
The key idea here is leveraging existing behaviors. Avid podcast listeners already have systems in place to decide what podcasts to listen to next-- namely, word of mouth recommendations from friends and inspiration from favorite content creators.
What’s missing are ways to engage with those recommendations directly within Spotify.
USER SCENARIO
Establishing a information architecture, to integrate flawlessly with the existing user journey.
To gain a deeper understanding of the
insights related to research, I systematically
analyzed the various categories to identify the
most critical pain points and problems that
need to be addressed first.
RESEACRH INSIGHTS
To gain a better understanding
of the insights
Identified Use Cases:
Therefore, I decided to focus on improving the podcast browsing experience for users who rely on trusted sources to explore new content. I narrowed this down to friends and content creators that these users currently follow on Spotify.
Analyzing Spotify's current user flow and integrating new features to create a seamless and user-friendly experience within the app.
Immerse yourself
in podcasts.
a better musical experience.
a better musical experience
Podcast Listeners
FOR EVERYONE
New. Improved.
REDESIGN
Let's dive into the design solution
PROBLEM 01:
Return to last episode:
USER SCENARIO
SOLUTION
Introducing a 'Continue Listening' feature to address the challenge of active listening for extended periods of time, as podcasts can be lengthy
Users may struggle to find partially played episodes in their liked podcast channel, as they don’t always appear at the top, requiring excessive scrolling.
Adding a "continue listening" button to the episodes page
PROBLEM 02:
Trim Silence + Voice Boost
USER SCENARIO
SOLUTION
I proposed expanding Spotify's podcast customization by updating the 1x speed icon to reveal additional features.
This would provide access to existing controls while introducing options like silence trimming and audio enhancement—without taking up extra screen space.
Spotify's podcast customization is limited to playback speed and a sleep timer, leaving users wanting more personalized features.
Trim silence , changing the current speed for better audio
PROBLEM 03:
Taking Notes:
USER SCENARIO
SOLUTION
Adding a highlight button would let users save key transcript sections, making it easy to track important podcast information for future reference.
Though transcripts are available, podcasts often require note-taking for key points like links or examples, a challenge I’ve personally faced.
Streamlined Highlight button and enhanced transcripts
