Improving Spotify Music App’s Usability Through Heuristic Evaluation

Used Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics to identify usability issues and develop solutions to address them.

Spotify Music App | Home Page and Settings Page | Modified Screens

TL;DR:

• Spotify Music App underwent a usability heuristic evaluation using Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics.
• Identified problems include inconsistency in UI, lack of flexibility, absence of a sleep timer, and cluttered settings page.
• Solutions include adding a profile button, explore button, a search bar to the top, a sleep timer feature, and categorizing settings based on type.
• Usability testing was conducted with two users and feedback was used to improve the design.

Overview:

Spotify is a widely-used music streaming app with great user experience but as someone who believes that there is always room to improve the user experience with the product. So after conducting Jakob’s Usability Heuristic evaluation of the app, some issues were identified, such as inconsistency in the user interface, lack of flexibility, absence of a sleep timer setting on the settings page, and cluttered settings page. To enhance the user experience, I have implemented some design changes to address these issues and make the app even more user-friendly.

Challenges:

The main challenge was to improve the app’s usability without disturbing the app’s existing user base, which is used to the app’s interface.

Approach:

To overcome the challenge of improving the app’s usability without disturbing the app’s existing user base, I took the following steps:

1. Identified the issues using Jakob’s Usability Heuristics.
2. Brainstormed ideas to address the identified issues.
3. Created low-fidelity paper wireframes to visualize the ideas.
4. Developed high-fidelity prototypes based on the feedback received.
5. Tested the prototypes with users and collected feedback.
6. Iterated the design based on the feedback received.
7. Developed a final solution that addressed the identified issues.

Problems Identified:

After conducting Jakob’s Usability Heuristic evaluation of the app, I noticed some problems that affected the app’s usability. Here are the problems I identified:

Home Page:

1. Consistency and Standards — There is no profile picture at the top for the user profile and other settings which most of the popular apps use.
2. Flexibility and Efficiency of Use — There could have been an ‘explore’ button to explore the different types of songs when users don’t have a particular song in mind and want to try different songs.

Spotify Home Page | Original

Settings Page:

1. User Control and Freedom — The settings page lacks a sleep timer feature, which is a common functionality found in most music apps, such as Wynk Music. This feature enables users to set a specific time for the music to turn off automatically.
2. Aesthetic and Minimalist Design — There are a lot of options on the settings page with no proper dividers between one type to another type of settings.

Spotify Settings Page | Original

Improvement:
Thinking of solutions for the problems identified:

To address these problems, I came up with several ideas and created low-fidelity wireframes to visualize them. Then, I refined the wireframes and created high-fidelity prototypes that I tested with several users. Here are the solutions I came up with:

1. Added a profile button at the top of the home page which includes all settings related to the user — This is based on Jakob’s law::

• Benefits to the user — This change is made with the reference from Jakob’s law, which states to maintain consistency and standards so that the user doesn’t require a tutorial to understand them.
• Business benefits — Since users will be familiar with the things so it may reduce the session length in knowing things, so users can keep most of the time exploring and listening to songs.

2. Added explore button in the menu — This idea is a reference from Flexibility and Efficiency of Use:

• Benefits to the user — With this explore feature users tend to explore different types of music will increase user session length in Spotify.
• Benefits to business — As session length increases the time investment increases so it may trigger the user to come back to the platform, thereby affecting retention metrics.

3. Moved search bar to the top — This is based on Jakob’s law:

• Benefits to the user — This is based on Jakob’s law to maintain consistent standards so that the user doesn’t require a tutorial to understand them, once the user clicks on the search bar, with the search bar, we can show recently played songs in the below so that it reduces the options in the top of the home page (recent played songs icon) which is by reference of Hick’s law(time taken to make decision reduces as the complexity of choices reduces).
• Business benefits — Fewer options (Hick’s law), with consistent and standard functionality and icons (Jakob’s law), reduce the time to make decisions and session length in understanding options, thereby increasing session length in listening to music.

4. Added sleep timer in the profile preferences settings — This is based on User Control and Freedom:

• Benefits to the user — Added sleep timer in the profile preference so that the user has more control and freedom on the app.
• Business benefits — Since the user has more control and freedom within an app, this can lead to increased user satisfaction, which in turn can help build brand loyalty and drive customer retention.

5. All the settings are sorted based on the setting type with related headers, specific sub-settings related to the setting options will be shown as they click on the setting option — This is based on Hick’s law:

• Benefits to the user — As the number of options reduces, the time taken to make a decision will be reduced, thereby reducing session length in choosing the option can be reduced, and the capability of decision-making could be increased. This is the reference from ‘Recognition Rather than Recall’.

Spotify Home page and Settings page | Modified | First Iteration | High Fidelity Prototype

Usability Test:

After completing the design, I conducted a small usability study with two users to gather feedback on the new design. Upon analyzing their responses, I realized that certain modifications had a positive impact, but there were still a few areas that needed attention. To address these concerns, I initiated an investigation and began ideating potential solutions. Here are some of the issues I observed and the ideas I brainstormed to address them:

1. I discovered that users frequently accessed the menu located at the bottom of the screen. This piqued my curiosity, and I began to evaluate the reasons behind this trend. After some research, I came across Fitt’s Law, which states that the time to acquire a target is a function of its distance and size. In other words, the closer and larger the interactive element, the easier it is to use. With this in mind, as the profile setting contains all the user settings and is one of the most frequently used element. To make accessing these settings more convenient and efficient, I decided to move the profile setting to the menu icons located at the bottom of the home page. This change will make the app more user-friendly and enjoyable to use.
2. I noticed that the recent play icon on the top of the page was causing confusion for users as they were not sure if it indicated recently played songs or a sleep timer. To resolve this issue, I removed the icon and added a new section at the top of the home page that included recently played songs, liked songs, and new releases. To ensure that these options are easily visible to the user, I used big pictures and positioned them prominently on the page. The reason for this change is that users tend to use these options frequently, and having them easily accessible on the home page will improve the overall user experience.
3. Furthermore, I modified the way the app suggested users go premium by moving the option to the top of the page. I also added a label with good contrast, reading ‘Go Premium,’ so that it catches the user’s eye without causing any inconvenience.

Finally, it was heartening to see that users found the ‘explore’ button in the menu and search bar on the top useful for discovering new songs. Additionally, users appreciated the clear and easy-to-find settings on the sorted settings page without any confusion. All in all, the changes made to the design have had a positive impact on user experience, and I am excited to see how these modifications will continue to improve the app.

Spotify Home page and Settings page | Modified | Second Iteration | High Fidelity Prototype

Conclusion:

The recommended solution is a home page that is user-friendly and intuitive, with a clear layout and concise instructions for users to follow. The profile, explore, and search features are conveniently located for easy access, while the sleep timer function in the profile settings offers users greater control over their listening experience. Additionally, the sorted settings page helps users quickly locate specific settings, which reduces the time required to make decisions and enhances the overall usability of the app.

Although there is always room for improvement, the proposed solution is designed to provide an excellent user experience. In the future, there may be opportunities to further enhance the app’s design and functionality to provide an even better experience for users.

I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to UX Anudeep for his exceptional mentoring, Thank you.

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Spotify | Spotify Design

Glossary:

Here’s a glossary for the case study on “Improving Spotify Music App’s Usability Through Heuristic Evaluation”:

1. Usability: The ease of use and user-friendliness of a product.
2. Heuristic evaluation: A usability inspection method used to identify usability issues in a product’s user interface based on Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics.
3. Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics: A set of ten principles for user interface design that help to evaluate and improve the usability of a product.
4. Low-fidelity wireframes: Simple and basic sketches of the user interface of a product used to visualize design ideas and test them.
5. High-fidelity prototypes: Detailed and realistic models of the user interface of a product used to test and improve the design.
6. User control and freedom: A principle of Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics which states that users should have control and freedom in using a product.
7. Aesthetic and minimalist design: A principle of Jakob Nielsen’s Usability Heuristics that states that the design of a product should be visually appealing and simple.
8. Hick’s law: A principle of psychology that states that the time taken to make a decision increases with the number of choices available.
9. User session length: The amount of time a user spends on a product in a single session.
10. Retention metrics: The measurements of how often users return to a product after their initial visit.