Discover
In this stage, my objective was to gain an understanding of the problem space and the needs/goals of stakeholders and users. I conducted market research, user research, and a heuristic evaluation.
Market Research
Spotify & Podcast
Since 2019, Spotify has invested heavily in the podcast industry, spending over $1 billion on podcast-related acquisitions and developing its own content and technology. With 489 million monthly active users, Spotify has quickly taken control of 28% of the market share. In particular, 53% of monthly Spotify listeners aged 12-24 also listened to a podcast in the last month, up from 32% in 2018.
The Podcast Industry
The podcast industry has seen significant growth in recent years:
- Over 79% of the U.S. population 12+ are familiar with podcasts.
- 62% had listened to a podcast in 2022, up from 51% in 2019.
- 41% listen to podcasts monthly, up from 32% in 2019.
User Research
Community Comments
To prepare for my user interviews, I researched the Spotify community page to identify common pain points and frustrations users face while listening to podcasts on the PC application.
Key insight: Challenge of easily discovering the latest episodes from followed podcasts
User Interview
To gather data on podcast listening habits and the use of Spotify's mobile and PC applications, I distributed a Google Forms screener survey to my research methods class. The survey asked participants about their podcast listening frequency, preferred podcast apps, and if they use both the mobile and PC applications of Spotify.
- 18 out of 24 listened to podcast
- 7 out of 18 listened to podcast on spotify
- 3 out of those 7 use both the mobile and PC applications
To gain deeper insights into user behaviors, frustrations, and opportunities for improvement, I conducted 3 in-person user interviews after class. The questions were designed to be open-ended to encourage participants to think aloud and provide detailed responses. Some of the questions I asked included:
- How would you describe your podcast listening experience on the Spotify mobile and PC app?
- Can you walk me through your process of listening to the latest episode of your favorite podcast on Spotify?
- In your opinion, what could be easier about listening to new episodes on Spotify?
- Do you have any suggestions for improving the Spotify podcast service?
Heuristic Evaluation
I briefly evaluated the current design and functionality of the podcast features on the Spotify PC application against its mobile counterparts.
1. Lack of New Episodes Page on PC Application
Issue: The PC app lacks a dedicated "New Episodes" page unlike the mobile app, and users must rely on memory instead of having an easy-to-find page, leading to confusion, frustration, decreased efficiency and productivity as users have to search for new episodes.
Category: Flexibility and efficiency of use, Recognition rather than recall
Priority: High
Recommendation: The PC app should maintain consistency with the mobile app by providing a dedicated "New Episodes" page that is easy to access and navigate.
Left Sidebar Navigation Menu
2. Lack of Visible indication of New Episodes for followed podcast
Issue: The PC application does not have a clear and visible indication of new episodes for followed podcasts. Users are forced to navigate to each podcast page and manually search for the latest episode, which is time-consuming.
Category: Flexibility and efficiency of use, Visibility of system status
Priority: Moderate
Recommendation: The PC application should include a clear and visible indication of new episodes for followed podcasts, similar to the blue dot indicator within a podcast page.
Home → Your library → Podcast page
Podcast Show Page
Define
In this stage, I precisely defined the problem and design challenge by synthesizing, analyzing, and organizing the data collected from the discover phase to identify patterns, themes, and insights. I developed a thematic analysis, personas, and user stories.
Thematic Analysis
Inconvenience and Frustration:
- Users expressed frustration with the inconvenience of not having a dedicated “New Episodes” page on the PC app.
- Users expressed frustration with having to search for new episodes for each individual podcast.
Lack of Visibility:
- Users complained about and desired a clear and visible indication of new episodes for their followed podcasts on the PC app.
- Users found the process of searching for new episodes on the PC app difficult and time-consuming.
Comparison to Mobile App:
- Users frequently compared the PC app to the mobile app and noted the differences in functionality and convenience, particularly with regards to the "New Episodes" page.
- Users desired a page similar to the mobile app where they could easily access all the new episodes for their followed podcasts.
Design Recommendations
- The PC app should have a dedicated "New Episodes" page that is easy to access to maintain consistency with the mobile app.
- The PC app should include a clear and visible indication of new episodes for followed podcasts reducing the need for users to search for new episodes individually.
Personas
I created two personas based on two types of mobile and PC Spotify podcast listeners - a busy worker and a hardworking student.
User Stories
I developed two user stories to aid in understanding the user's perspective and context of use, guiding the design and development process.
Develop
In this stage, I explored design concepts and solutions by creating user flows, wireframes, high fidelity UI screens, and interactive prototypes.
Flow Diagram
To better understand how users will navigate through the app when performing specific task, I created a simple task flow diagram.
Wireframes
After creating the flow diagram, I established a set psychology-based design principles to guide me in the design process. I then began sketching low-fidelity wireframes of potential layouts for the main components. To further visualize these components I created mid-fidelity wireframes.
Design Principles:
Consistency
- Stay true to Spotify’s existing design language and aesthetics.
- User should not have to wonder or predict what to expect from the app.
Easy access
- Users should be able to find what they're looking for quickly and easily.
- Navigation should be simple and intuitive, with the most important features easily accessible and not buried under layers of menus.
- Hick’s law suggest that the more options a user has, the longer it will take for them to make a decision, so keep the number of options as limited as possible.
Easy access
- This principle states that the simplest solution is usually the correct one, i.e avoid unnecessary complexity.
- Integrate new feature and design concepts in a way that is seamless and does not disrupt the familiarity of Spotify.
Components
The New Episodes page was seamlessly integrated into the existing information architecture, ensuring that the current navigation was not disrupted while providing a simple and intuitive way for users to access it.
Navigation Sidebar
The New Episodes page was seamlessly integrated into the existing information architecture, ensuring that the current navigation was not disrupted while providing a simple and intuitive way for users to access it.
New Episodes Page Show Card
The show card now features Spotify's new episode indicator, which enhances its recognition and allows for quick identification of new episodes.
New Episode Show Card Indicator
Mid-fidelity Screens
Home
New Episodes Page
Podcast Page
Show Page
Episode Page
High-Fidelity UI
Once the mid-fidelity screens were completed, I began designing the main screens while maintaining consistency with Spotify’s existing design language and aesthetics.
Prototype
I connected my high-fidelity screens into a clickable prototype that will allow me to test the app on a group of users.
Deliver
In this stage, I aimed to evaluate and validate the effectiveness of my design solution. To achieve this, I conducted a mini usability study and developed a list of potential outcomes that could result from implementing the redesigned features.
Usability Testing
I conducted in-person usability testing of my prototype with three users. Each user was given a specific scenario and task to complete, followed by a post-task questionnaire to gather feedback on their experience. An example of the scenario and task are provided below.
Scenario
You are a regular listener of the podcast “Unexplainable.” you just got home from work and want to catch up on the latest episode while on your desktop PC.
Task
Find the latest episode of Unexplainable
Post-Task Questionnaire
- Were you able to find the latest episodes of your Unexplainable? How easy was it?
- How clear and visible was the new episode indicator ?
- Did the “New Episodes” page meet your expectations in terms of ease of access and consistency across devices?
- Any additional feedback or suggestions for improving the podcast features on the Spotify PC app?
Study Results
It was a success!
- All three users were able to easily find the latest episode of "Unexplainable" using the redesigned "New Episodes" page.
- Two out of three users found the new episode indicator on the show card to be very helpful in identifying new episodes.
- Two out of three users reported feeling more satisfied with the PC app's podcast feature after using the redesigned version.
Potential outcomes
Even though this redesign is a conceptual project, I have compiled a list of potential outcomes that could result from its implementation based on feedback received from users.
- Improved user engagement and brand loyalty: Users may become more loyal to Spotify as their primary podcast platform, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to use and recommend the app to others.
- Increased user acquisition: Potential to attract new users who prioritize a streamlined podcast experience.
- Increased revenue: The redesign could potentially lead to increased revenue through higher engagement rates and improved market position, which can attract more advertisers.
Conclusion
My Takeaways
This was my first UX design project, it provided practical experience that complemented the theoretical knowledge I had gained. The project taught me two important lessons. Firstly, it affirmed my belief that I want to pursue product design as a career. Secondly, I learned that not every problem needs a complex solution. Often, the solutions to most problems are already present, and we only need to think of new ways to apply them.
As someone with a background in cognitive neuroscience, I am well-versed in systematic approaches to problem-solving. However, design requires a slightly different approach. Instead of a linear process, design is an iterative process that involves understanding the problem, proposing a solution, testing the solution, and then reevaluating and repeat the process until you arrive at an effective solution.
What’s next?
In a recent idea posted on the Spotify community forum, a user suggested adding the New Episodes page to the desktop version of the app, as it is already available on the mobile app. Despite receiving support from other users, the idea ticket was closed without any indication of whether or not Spotify plans to implement the feature. The resistance to the idea may stem from the small percentage of people who listen to podcasts on their PCs (13%) and the declining share of podcast listening compared to other audio sources (6% to 5%).
Until Spotify decides to implement the feature, users will have to rely on alternative methods for accessing new podcast episodes on their desktops.
