A look into Spotify
About 2 weeks ago I submitted an application for a Product Designer role I was aspiring for. One of the documents they required was for me to review an app I used daily that I was inspired by. Since I listened to 816 hours of Spotify (podcast + music) last year, which is approximately a tenth of the year I figured Spotify would be the perfect app to review. So here am I sharing my thoughts about Spotify and why its design has made it my most used app.
For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a big Apple enthusiast. But about 18 months ago I discovered the Spotify + Hulu deal for students at $4.99. Initially, I wasn’t interested in Spotify because I had Apple Music. But the inclusion of Hulu made it a really tempting deal and it captured my interest. I was already paying $7.99 for Hulu (at that time), this provided a medium to cut my cost by $3. Although it was only $3, it was $3 I could direct towards something else. Furthermore, with Spotify, I could also play music in the background while gaming on my Xbox which I was unable to do with Apple music. All these factors made it irresistible and played a massive role in me caving in to Spotify.
About a month into the plan, I was using Spotify because I still had my Apple Music plan. Nonetheless, the few times I used Spotify I couldn’t help but notice 3 major features that made it easy and fun to use.
- I felt like the Spotify app knew me personally: One of my biggest pet peeves using Apple Music was the shuffle function. Whenever I did shuffle my playlist, Apple music tends to play a few songs from my library then repeated the same songs again. Meanwhile, with Spotify, the shuffle function ran more smoothly. While this was already amazing, Spotify took it up a notch with their music and artist suggestions. It was as though my close friend made those suggestions.
- It was easy to navigate: While Apple Music wasn’t difficult to navigate, some features were not easily discernable. Apple music classified users’ library only by music while Spotify included Podcasts. Furthermore, Spotify allowed users to search for all types of content (music and podcasts). Apple Music restricted the search function to only music. Hence, users had to use the browse tab to access their podcasts. In addition, Spotify also had my podcast on the home page so I had access to both music and podcasts once I opened the app.
- Value-added services: This was what completely sold me on switching to Spotify. Spotify made daily playlists tailored specifically to my music taste. Whereas, Apple Music provided 3 weekly playlists, and most times only one of them had songs I tend to listen to. Also, Apple Music only saved my last 3 searched items. This was low compared to the whooping 8 in which Spotify saved.
While both platforms have very similar content, Spotify has somehow found a way to outperform Apple Music. The best way I can put it is, with Spotify it's more than just music, it’s about the relationship with the user. Spotify has studied its user, understood our needs, and tailored its services to each individual user. And this dedication to their craft has earned them loyal users like myself. Spotify is an embodiment of phenomenal design and this inspires me both as a designer and music lover.
