Spotify

Optimizing podcast discovery to enhance recommendations and content exploration

OVERVIEW

Spotify allows users to access a library of both songs and now podcasts. Podcasts have gained immense popularity in the United States, with more than 82 million people tuning in to podcasts. Although Spotify is clearly capitalizing on the growing popularity of podcasts to expand its empire, the current design of the platform does not adequately reflect this shift.

ROLE

UX/UI Designer

PROJECT

Feature development

TIMEFRAME

Jan 2023


Discover

DISCOVERING THE PROBLEM

There was a constant stream of complaints from my friends — we were on a never ending quest for new podcasts but held an ongoing grudge against Spotify for its lackluster suggestions.

Thus, I embarked on an investigative journey on the internet to uncover if others shared our discontent. I found that my friends and I were in fact not the only ones experiencing this frustration. My investigation revealed two key issues:

  1. Podcasts aren’t as accessible as music.

  2. Podcast discovery recommendations are sub par compared to their music counterpart.

THE PROBLEM

The podcast experience on Spotify is currently hindered by an overwhelming UI and impersonal recommendations, making it difficult for users to navigate and discover new content. As a result, users are left feeling disengaged, causing them to turn to other platforms.

Research

MARKET RESEARCH

Who does recommendations the best?

Continuing my research, I conducted an analysis of other apps that offer listeners a platform to stream podcasts. I used each platform thoroughly for a few days and identified some similarities.

Takeaways

  1. Recommendations lean heavily on popular content, less diversity, and limited personalization.

  2. Discovery relies on manual search

  3. UI can be dense with suggestions = less intuitive and overwhelming

NONE of the podcasting platforms incorporated a rigorous filtering option, whereas an indirect competitor like Youtube, allows users to personalize and filter through a vast library of content. (View in depth research here)

USER SURVEY

Getting a pulse on how users view the current app

A survey was sent to 19 participants who are avid podcast listeners on Spotify and people who have used Spotify in the past and moved to another platform. User data revealed:

USER RESEARCH + INSIGHTS

Users don’t want to spend extra time researching

Digging deeper, I carried out a round of user research. I found that users typically want to discover new content, whether in their usual breadth or completely new topics - but…

Define

USER PERSONA

Consolidating research into key archetypes

Through affinity mapping my research and quotes, I found most people fell into either 1 of 2 archetypes. Kathy the avid listener who has grown tired of listening to the same podcasts and hosts. Then there’s John, the podcast newbie who has trouble finding hosts or podcasts he likes.

USER & BUSINESS GOALS

Achieving balance with user and business goals

It’s critical to comprehend the goals of both the user and business in order to identify the problem I’m solving for. The intersection of these goals enables me to prioritize which objectives are most critical and allowing me to determine the solutions that will meet both parties' requirements.

Ideation

HOW MIGHT WE

Reframing the HMW in context of the existing product

Keeping the user pain points and business goals in mind, there were two clear areas to address: discovery and efficiency. I wanted a solution that would address the problem across the board

SOLUTION

Jumbles — podcast snippet feature that highlights key segments of an episode with customizable search filters for easy discovery and a personalized experience.

USER FLOWS

Redeveloped user flow for seamless integration of feature

Although Spotify has podcast explore section, it is not informative or user friendly, and limited in their search. Users aren’t able to filter and narrow down their options. With the redesigned user flow, I focused on incorporating a seamless way of exploration that is user friendly and convenient.

Design

WIREFRAMES & UI DESIGN

Visualizing and designing concepts - where should this feature live?

It was critical for me to reference Spotify’s brand guidelines to ensure my designs were consistent to their current patterns. Taking inspiration from the current UI, I ultimately utilized a scrollable card format that users were already familiar with.

There were three locations to introduce this feature:

  • Concept A, an addition to the podcast section category.

  • Concept B a new category under ‘Browse All’ in the ‘Search’ Tab

  • Concept C introduce as a new tab on the navigation pane. (Abandoned - incorporating a feature exclusive to podcasts didn't align with the nature of a platform that offers both music and podcasts).

Test & Iterate

A/B TESTING

Conducting A/B testing to determine the optimal user flow

To determine the most intuitive placement of the Podcast Jumble feature, I carried out A/B testing with two concepts among nine Spotify users, asking where they would navigate in the app to discover a new podcast.

Humans are more likely to be drawn to what they are already familiar with, rather than what is completely new aka ‘The mere-exposure effect’.

Feedback indicated that users preferred discovering podcasts through the familiar 'Podcast' category, finding Concept A more intuitive. Concept B, labeled 'Podcast Jumble', was less apparent and not a go-to choice. Based on this, Concept A was integrated.

USABILITY TESTING

Measuring product improvement with statistics

I conducted usability tests with six participants, having them navigate Spotify's current interface and then explore the Hi-Fi prototype. They rated their experience in finding podcasts on both the existing app and the prototype with new features.

ITERATIONS

Implementing user feedback through more iterations

Based on the findings, I selected 3 iterations to implement into the final design and prototype. I considered frequency and severity, as well as what would have the biggest impact within the time constraints of the project.

USER PROBLEM #1

Users were unclear about the meaning of 'Exclude from taste profile'.

SOLUTION

Introduced clearer icons and wording to enable users to tailor content.

USER PROBLEM #2

Users didn’t understand how to view more content & had trouble understanding what the play and ‘+’ buttons indicated

SOLUTION

Implemented an animated NUX to efficiently guide users through navigating the new feature.

USER PROBLEM #3

The word "All" was intimidating for users, causing hesitation to click.

SOLUTION

Improved copywriting by rephrasing titles & statement for clear communication to the target audience.

Introducing Podcast Jumble

Podcast highlights that autoplays an episodes best moments.

Save time: A snippet allows users to determine whether the podcast is relevant and interesting.

Make informed decisions: Users can make informed decisions about whether they want to continue listening or even subscribe to the podcast.

Navigate through the vast podcast library with ease.

Sort and filter: Prevents decision paralysis, allows users to narrow down options and make a more manageable decision.

Number of likes and plays: If users are unsure, it serves as social proof that the episode is popular and well received by others.

Creating a feedback loop

Like or disliking podcasts: Providing a feedback loop, helping Spotify understand a user’s taste better.

Share with friends: Share and receive recommendations from friends.

Addendum

WHAT I LEARNED

Copy writing is imperative. Copy writing may just as critical as elements of design. Incorrect wording can also impact user behavior.

Test in small and in multiple rounds. Testing in small rounds enabled me to identify issues early on in the design process and being able to rectify them before moving forward and addressing them at a later time. this saved me time and I can see this preventing major issues from arising in the developmental process at a larger scale. I was able to make incremental improvements to the design. This ensured that the final design is highly user friendly and meets the needs of its intended audience.

Spotify Update: June 19, 2023

Spotify actually rolled out a new feature similar to what my project proposed!!! Several months after my project concluded, one of my interviewees contacted me to share that Spotify had implemented a feature for music reminiscent of Podcast Jumbles.

As more week’s progress, I noticed that Spotify started incorporating this feature to podcasts as well!!

Old Spotify ‘Podcast & Shows’ section

Spotify newly updated

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