Overview
As an avid music listener and long-time Spotify user, I was motivated to research the User Experience (UX) of Spotify and how it can be enhanced to allow the music streaming service (MSS) to excel globally.
Spotify's current reason for success is primarily due to its successful music discovery and aesthetic, easy-to-use UX. As Spotify focuses heavily on these features, its failure to observe the addition of social interaction features can be vital. It allows main competitors such as Apple Music, Amazon Prime, YouTube Music Premium, and Soundcloud to capitalize on any innovative additions.
With 55% of Spotify's users being millennials (Spajic, 2020) and the current social media-millennial-driven world we live in, the addition of social features on the MSS was a vital option to explore during this research.
Problem Statement
Spotify offers limited social features, making it hard for users to connect, share music meaningfully, or engage with each other's listening habits. This creates a gap in user interaction and reduces opportunities for social discovery within the platform.
Our Process
Discover
Literature Review, Stakeholder Map, Primary Research,
Define
Competitive Analysis, Product Mapping,
Deliver
HMWs, Personas, Updated Literature Review
Design
Lo-Fi & High-Fi Prototypes
Discover
Discover
The discovery phase is where I explored the research question, "How can we enhance the UX?". I had done a literature review to find the features that can allow Spotify's UX to excel, which led me to unstructured research findings. In this literature review, I researched music sharing, social interaction, music discoverability, functionality, and user control features in Spotify that could enhance the UX.
My hypothesis for this research was that:
Adding a comment section in Spotify would be a way for the UX to be enhanced.
I initially used the literature review to validate whether this finding was correct.
Research
I explored (diverge) the different factors that affect the UX of Spotify (music discovery, social interaction, functionality, user control, and discoverability) with a literature review throughout my initial research. The study found that exploring these variables allowed me to perceive what gaps are in Spotify's current platform.
Design research is vital when creating services, products, systems that respond to user needs (Lee, 2012). Exploring and meeting user needs was significant to address this question. The unobservance of design research is frequent within many industries, although the information gathered by these industries is 'design research.' However, the absence of systemization results in the process not being unlocked to its full potential.
Research Plan
I had started with a research plan with potential solutions to answer my question. This helped me identify and prioritize the key variables I needed to explore in my literature review and market research. The research plan allows me to structure my research correctly, and me being able to see it visually will enable me to make more sense of my findings.


Literature Review
Why Does It Matter?
A literature review is a vital tool for developing a research idea. Back up my question/hypothesis with peer-reviewed information will allow me to reinforce the research even further. Reviewing what is already known about Spotify and its UX will enable me to recognize potential openings, which I can proceed to further research and address any shortfalls.
My hypothesis alongside my research question is "Adding a comment section in Spotify would be a way for the social interactivity to be enhanced." Researching the social interaction features in Spotify will allow me to validate this. Due to this hypothesis, I highly prioritized researching papers regarding social interaction/music sharing features on MSS's.
The Plan
With the initial research plan conducted, I was ready to start my first literature review on the key variables that could enhance Spotify. I collected peer-reviewed research papers from Google Scholar. Keywords that I searched on the database were:
['spotify', 'spotify ux', 'music streaming', 'spotify music streaming', 'spotify music sharing', 'spotify social interaction', 'spotify user control', 'spotify music discovery', 'spotify user behaviour']
From the papers found with these keywords, I had refined it even more by reading the abstract and conclusions to see if the study would answer my research. From there, I had refined the papers down to 10 articles.
Stakeholder Map
As I am initially researching the enhancement of the UX of Spotify, with seeking the validation of adding a comment section, the main stakeholders identified were the music listeners. The primary demographic of MSS users were 18-24-year-olds, with 61.2%.

Discover
Competitor Analysis
A competitive analysis is a design tool used to identify significant competitors and research their products and, in this case, their social interaction features. Conducting this analysis allowed me to make sense of Spotify and its competitor's strengths and weaknesses. The study allowed me to find a gap within the MSS market, and it helped me identify how I can enhance the social interaction of Spotify. I collected qualitative data from App Store reviews (e.g., Google Play and Apple Store).
The MSS's that I analysed were Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Google Play, and Soundcloud.
Spotify
Pros +
Offline Listening
Music Discovery with Personalized Playlists
Large Music Catalog
History Feature
Aesthetic Interface
Curated Playlists, Discover Weekly
Friends Activity feature, connected with Facebook
Cons -
No Manual Pay feature
Can't listen to music on more than one device at a time
Too Many Ads on the Free Model
App Crashes, Bugs
Radio Feature; the like and dislike button on the playback screen is gone.
'Echo chambers', music recommendations can be the same type of music, doesn't give the user diverse music
Apple Music
Pros +
New Lossless Audio format
360° sound with Dolby Atmos
Lyrics View
Can manage library
Can upload your MP3s to your library
Radio Stations
Royalty Pay-out Rate
Cons -
Recordings are not at a consistent volume
Can't search songs in playlists
Glitches and bugs while Chrome casting to a TV.
Sharing Lyrics pathways are limited
App Crashes, Songs Skip and Library continuously fails to load (on Android)
Unsatisfactory UI especially on Android
Can't sort playlists unless it is manually
User flow is too long, time consuming UX.
YouTube Music
Pros +
Exclusive Music Content (e.g. live performances, covers, remixes)
Personalised Playlists and Mixes
Song Lyrics
Can upload songs from your devices
Large Availability
Can switch between audio and video
Can transfer music from Spotify to YouTube
Music Selection Algorithm
Offline Mode
Clean UI
Syncs your YouTube listening history to the platform
Cons -
Bluetooth Issues
Lack or organising music/queues options
Outdated
Lag Issues
No search bar for downloaded videos
Not all songs are available for download
Has been complaints of download contents getting lost
Soundcloud
Pros +
Availability of Different Music (e.g. Leaks/Remixes/Covers)
Community built on platform
Great platform for underrated and smaller artists to get exposed
Great Algorithm
Fan Powered Royalties
Consistent Branding
Downloading songs is easy
UI encourages listeners to put up their own music with constant promotion
Cons -
Too many Ads
If payment is missed, then automatically cancels your subscription. Have to redownload everything
Unsatisfactory UI
Large volume of crashes
Incompatible with devices below iOS 13
Substandard sound quality
Discover
User Needs
Users need better social interaction features
Only 1 out of 4 platforms (SoundCloud) supports meaningful social engagement.Users want more flexible sharing options
YouTube Music Premium leads with 14 sharing pathways, showing high demand for diverse sharing methods.Users expect clean, usable interfaces alongside social tools
SoundCloud enables social interaction but its poor UI reduces usability. Spotify and YouTube Music have cleaner UIs but limited interaction.Users need richer in-app friend features
Spotify’s Friend Activity offers a basic level of interaction but lacks depth like commenting or direct messaging.Users on Apple Music have limited sharing options
With only 5 pathways and no social media integration, users are restricted in how they share music.Users are unfamiliar with social features like comments or DMs in music apps
These ideas need clear introduction and validation through design.User reviews don’t reveal much about social interaction needs
Targeted user research is necessary to better understand and design for these gaps. Ask ChatGPT
Define
I had converged my research into enhancing social interaction and found the gap of social interaction features in MSS's. From there, I had gone and done an updated literature review (primarily focusing on social interaction features), created personas (based on the demographic that was found by the updated literature review), and a customer journey map to see how a Spotify user currently uses Spotify to share and discuss music.
Key Takeaways from Updated Literature Review
Music sharing and discussing reinforce an individual's self-expression and self-identity. 30.8% of the user motives of MSS's contributed to social interaction
Music is a foundation for social identity and a signal for subjective norms
55% of Spotify's users are millennials, ranging from 18-34-year-olds.
Millennials spend an average of 2 hours and 34 minutes on social media daily, a 2:25 ratio compared to the average internet user. An opportunity to capitalize on this on Spotify
Online Music Communities have been formed on YouTube and Soundcloud
Comment Sections allow users to discuss music with certain affinity groups
HMW Statements
1
How might we allow Spotify user's to interact with each other?
2
How might we interact a comment section on Spotify?
3
How might we allow Spotify user's to share their thoughts about the music they're listening to?
4
How might we build online music communities on Spotify?
Define
Personas
Personas are a generalization of human profiles that were based on my secondary research (literature review). Personas are helpful because they allow me to focus on the user and their goals, leading to more user-friendly designs. From the findings of my updated literature review, I found that the main demographic of Spotify users, and therefore I based my 3 personas within this age group.
Spotify Premium User
Faris
Location
New York
Years of Experience
Student
Experience
Entry Level
Goals
Discover new, niche music no one else knows
Connect with others who share similar music tastes
Create and share playlists for different occasions
Build a personal identity through music and social media
Enjoy a seamless, ad-free music experience
Needs
Features that make music discovery easier and more personalized
Social features to engage with friends or like-minded listeners
A clean, aesthetic, and intuitive UI
Better playlist sharing and visibility tools
Integration with social platforms for smoother sharing
Pain Points
Limited in-app social interaction (e.g. no DMs or comments)
Hard to connect with others over shared music tastes
Sharing is functional but lacks depth (e.g. no context or reactions)
Social discovery is underdeveloped on Spotify
Current features don’t fully support expressing or discussing music interests within the app
Spotify Free User
Dave
Location
Oakland
Years of Experience
2-3 Years
Experience
Mid Level
Goals
Listen to familiar, nostalgic music without hassle
Access podcasts and music in one place for convenience
Make workouts and gym sessions more enjoyable through music
Use an easy-to-navigate platform without complex features
Avoid ads and interruptions while listening
Needs
A simple, intuitive UI with quick access to favorite content
Easy access to both music and podcasts on one platform
Offline listening and uninterrupted playback
Recommendations that balance familiar music with occasional discovery
Integration with platforms he already uses, like YouTube or Facebook
Pain Points
Limited time and interest in exploring new music
Reliance on YouTube for song or podcast opinions instead of in-app discussion features
Ads and skip limits in the free version disrupt listening
Lack of deep social features to engage with others about music or podcasts
Music discovery tools may feel overwhelming or irrelevant given his preference for familiar tracks
Define
Customer Journey
After developing personas, I built on these profiles and visually displayed how they would interact with Spotify to share and discuss music. The map shows the stage, steps, thoughts, touchpoints, actors, and emotions while interacting with Spotify. This is known as a customer journey map. These are vital in the design process as it shows the engagement with the user and Spotify and what can be improved with these interactions.
The map found that when the user wants to discuss their thoughts on a song, they find themselves switching to a different platform to make this happen. Having a feature such as a comment section will bridge this gap and prevent users from leaving Spotify.
Scenario
Faris is a 20-year-old student who listens to music daily and loves discovering underground tracks. While exploring new songs on Spotify, he comes across a track with a sample he doesn’t recognize. Curious, he wants to find out the original source and talk about it with others who appreciate music like he does.
Starting
"I’ve been listening to the same stuff for a while, I want to find something new and understand it"
Sifting
"I got my answer, but it didn’t feel like a shared experience."
Conflicting
"I got my answer, but it didn’t feel like a shared experience."
Quitting
"I got my answer, but it didn’t feel like a shared experience."
No way to learn more about the song or its origins directly in Spotify
Needs to leave the app to search for answers
No in-app space to discuss or connect with others
Lack of community or conversation around music discovery
Develop
Develop
In this phase, I created a comment section prototype which, with the findings, I believe that it will allow the enhance the social interaction of Spotify.
After the prototype is made, I will conduct testing and validation to see if it is appropriate to add on Spotify.
Introducing Spotify Comments
A way for Spotify users to interact with other friends, fans, and artists like never before

How It Works
Swipe Tab Up
Comment Your Thoughts On The Song
Send!

Conclusion
Conclusion
Throughout this research, I have used many design tools and methods to explore how I can enhance social interaction in Spotify. Findings have found that adding a social interaction feature such as a comment section will reinforce the user's self-identity and allow online music communities to form. Testing and validation are still needed to reinforce the need for a comment section on Spotify. As this was a semester project, I did not have enough time to conduct primary research, which limited me as I could not find specific user feedback on social interaction features.
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