This master thesis explores how the music streaming service Spotify by a conceptual
experience (re)design can approach more meaningful and engaging experiences,
especially in matters of music discovery.
The thesis followed the Double Diamond design process, where the preliminary Discoverphase was explored by a literature review. This was followed by an autoethnographic
method of my own experiences interacting with Spotify, and thereafter thinking aloudtests and interviews with other Spotify users. These other users were all music interested
individuals who use Spotify on a routine basis. By analyzing data from the methods, I
moved to the Define-phase of the design process. The data analysis generated insights of
advantages and disadvantages of Spotify’s existing conceptual design for exploring and
listening to music. These insights made it possible, along with theoretical insights, to
define design specifications for conceptual designs for evoking more meaningful and
engaging experiences on Spotify. These design specifications consist of two overall
specifications and three particular specifications. The three particular specifications
manifest in one concept each, along with the two general specifications. The two general
design specifications for evoking more meaningful and engaging experiences on Spotify
is that it must evoke more hedonic experiences with more user control and has to
evoke enough stimulating and pleasurable experiences for the users to
continuously return to the concepts. The three particular design specifications consist
of 1) better transparency in exposition of recommended content, 2) that the
Kanvas- and Genius-content is more connected to the music and can approach
different user preferences and 3) meaningful clarification of how music tracks
relate in their auditive design. After defining these design specifications, the Developphase started by idea generating and sketching potential conceptual solutions. As a result
of idea generating, three concepts were defined and named 1) Visual connection to
music, 2) Transparency in recommendations and 3) Auditive relations. These were
developed as low fidelity digital prototypes and presented for the music interested
individuals who use Spotify on a routine basis. The concepts were presented for
evaluation as animated sequences with user scenarios in a focus group. The evaluation
revealed that the three concepts are all meeting the design specifications, and they are examples of how more meaningful and engaging experiences can occur on Spotify,
especially in matters of exploring music. But the evaluation also revealed improvement
suggestions for the concepts for more meaningful and engaging experiences on Spotify.
By implementing these improvements, the final Deliver-phase of the design process is to
enter.