1.
Process Roadmap
Discovery
Phase
Phase
Identify pain points and user goals.
2.
Concept
Development
Development
Explore ways to address user needs.
3.
Prototyping
Phase
Phase
Iterate on concepts based on feedback.
4.
Validation
Phase
Phase
Probe and measure concept performance.
Key Discovery Insights
Through Jobs to Be Done Interview, we found that Friends, Not Algorithms is The True Source of Music Discovery
Most users get their most influential music recommendations from friends, not Spotify’s algorithm. During our discovery phase, we conducted need-finding interviews using the Jobs to Be Done framework and found that most music discovery happens outside the app. While Spotify heavily invests in its algorithm, users value friend-based recommendations more, as these not only shape their listening habits but also expand their musical tastes.
Why using the Jobs to Be Done framework?
The Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework helps businesses understand the progress customers seek to make in specific circumstances, shifting focus from surface-level correlations to uncovering deeper motivations behind their actions.
User Pain Points
- Poor algorithmic recommendations
“I think the recommendations are hit or miss…” - Lack of feedback from friends
“...I want props for my listening tastes…” - Discovery & engagement often handled outside of Spotify
> SMS, Shazam, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Soundcloud
Competitive Analysis
Gaps Identified
- Limited interactivity in playlist sharing (Apple Music's emojis are limited)
- Lack of incentivized music discovery (across all competitors)
- Limited personalized experience for group playlists
By incentivizing contribution to shared playlists with features like emoji reactions, contribution tracking, and competitive dashboards, Spotify can transform passive playlist sharing into an engaging social experience.
Unique Features
#1. Fun playlist awards to make sharing more exciting
#2. Interactive timeline to show who added what songs and when
#3. More emoji reactions and easy-to-read stats to spark engagement
OKRs and Business Goals
High-level Objective: User Engagement and Usage
Increase Meaningful Engagement: Focus on fostering stronger user connections through features that promote collaboration, social interaction, and emotional expression within shared playlists
Key results to measure success
- Increase in User-Generated Shared Playlists
- Growth in Playlist Interactions
- Increase in Daily and Weekly Active Users (DAUs/WAUs)
- Session Duration Increase
Low-level Objective: Improve Content Discovery Engagement
Users trying to discover new music to add to their shared playlist to boost their rankings
Lo-fi Prototypes: Shared playlist
#1. Encourage users to share more music through rankings
Three key features are displayed on the main page: Best Vibe-Check, Most Songs Added, and Spotify Winner. By presenting data visually, the features encourage healthy competition among friends, motivating them to share more music and increasing their time spent on the app.
"These features help me understand my friends’ music preferences, and I can follow their playlists or recommendations to discover songs I might like."
>> Users found the timeline feature helpful, but location was confusing
After user testing, participants found the timeline feature interesting, but unlike the other two features, it didn’t have a competitive aspect.
"Seeing who added what song makes it feel really collaborative, not just a flat experience like on other platforms."
Prototype Iteration
Kept timeline feature but moved to a separate section
>> Users found the accolade tiles confusing, so we used colors, visuals, and explanatory text to distinguish
For Best Vibe-Check and Spotify Winner, users expressed confusion about what the labels represented. To address this, we used colors and visuals to distinguish their meanings and added explanatory text on the respective pages.
“Because I want to be the winner, I will engage more in exploring new songs, and we might have conversations about who the winner is this week.”
Summary
Research revealed that shared playlists strengthen social bonds, with features like timelines and emoji reactions boosting engagement.
Our feature enhances Spotify’s shared playlist experience by integrating social elements like reactions and a micro-dashboard of stats, fostering music discovery, playful interactions, and friendly competition while reflecting Spotify’s values of innovation and collaboration. Gamified elements were well-received but suffered from unclear terminology, while users sought personalization to make playlists unique to their groups.
The next steps include transforming the timeline into a dynamic story/slideshow linking to concert tickets, testing clearer copy for accolades, and prototyping descriptive accolades to drive deeper engagement.
The next steps include transforming the timeline into a dynamic story/slideshow linking to concert tickets, testing clearer copy for accolades, and prototyping descriptive accolades to drive deeper engagement.