music, for the
ones with taste.
music, for the
ones with taste.
Be Creative with Spotify
ROLE
What is Syncro?
The Challenge
Product Designer
Syncro (Short for Synchronization) lets users customize their music by adjusting pitch and speed, offering a more personalized listening experience.
TOOLS USED
1 Product Designer,
1 Product Manager
TEAM
Figma, Framer, Zoom, Slack, Google forms
SKILLS
Product Design, Prototyping, Research
Provide a personalized, engaging music experience that justifies the Premium cost of Spotify.
DURATION
May 2024 - Jul 2024
IN A NUTSHELL
The Spotify listening experience is flawed, as half of users believe the equalizer could greatly enhance their experience, yet they are unable to fully engage with it, even if they want to.
"How can I help Spotify users create a more personalized and engaging music experience that feels worth the Premium cost?"
• Make music customization intuitive and accessible to all users.
• Enable users to personalize their music experience.
• Differentiate Spotify through innovative features that increase user satisfaction and engagement.
AUDIENCES I AM SOLVING FOR
Elliot, a musical nerd, loves playing around with songs, adjusting them to suit his unique taste and preferences.
Chloe, a busy runner, prefers faster tracks but doesn’t have time to find the perfect songs on the go. She needs an easy way to get upbeat music for her runs.
• Given pie chart below justifies the reason of this case study. More than 50% of users feel that music customization can significantly improve their listening experience in Spotify.
According to the survey conducted:
• 36% of users do not use the equalizer feature at all in Spotify. 8.2% of the users feel difficult using the equalizer and the 28% of users neither use it or avoid using it altogether.
Brief
Problem Statement
Enter Spotify Syncro, where every beat, every note, becomes a canvas for your personal touch. Join the wave of innovation, and let your music journey be as unique musical journey.
How Spotify Syncro Stands Out
The Future of Music!
Simplifying Spotify
Your Custom Collection
Store your personalized tracks in a dedicated playlist for easy access.
Your Music, Your Way
Change the pitch, speed and overall equalizer to get a new perspective!
Join the Syncro Movement
Join the community of music lovers who have discovered the ultimate freedom in music personalization.
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Discover new trends across social media
Trends are happening all the time! You can find it in the altered mode
The customized songs are given a number as a depiction of the pitch the user has saved the song under. This avoids the confusion between the customized and non customized version of the song. The '-' before a number denotes that the song is the slowed version.
Whereas a '+' denotes the song as a faster or sped up version of the original song.
Access Customized Songs:
Once you save a customization for a song, it will be added to a separate playlist dedicated to your customized tracks. This playlist is independent of your other playlists and is specifically designed for your creative edits.
This brush with a plus icon saves the customization of the particular song. It expands into two options. You can:
Save the song with that particular setting
Play all the songs on that specific setting.
This gives a sense of wide range of options for the user to choose from making it fruitful of their investment.
Set Your Sound Preferences!
The color gradient changes accordingly to different songs. This represents strong visual detail and gives the user a new experience.
Creative Mode:
The goal of this mode is to provide users with a space where they can customize songs. However, I aimed to ensure the default interface would be intuitive, preventing any confusion about the new UI. Therefore, I designed it based on the commonly understood concept of an equalizer at the time.
The modes are visually represented by this gradient involving green (Spotify's primary color) and black to add more visibility and texture to the design.
The toggle that differentiates between the Creative mode and Altered mode is represented by a brush icon. This icon denotes the creative aspect of the design.
Switch between Modes:
A new toggle button has been added, allowing users to easily switch between Creative and Altered modes for a customized experience.
Driven by user feedback and research, I designed Syncro to make each song a space for creative exploration. With features to adjust pitch, tempo, and more, Syncro empowers users to personalize their music experience through Creative and Altered modes, offering flexibility and control.
Define your beat!
A Personalized
Music Experience
Version 2:
Now users can have options to save their creativity without having second thoughts!
Save Customization option:
Version 1:
Users didn't find this helpful as they had to hit save again for the same reason which lacks options in it.
Version 2:
"This makes much more sense and gives the button the justification."
Version 1:
As drafted in the user flow, I started testing the prototype with my users and I got quite a few positive affirmation and helpful remarks on the design itself. Here are some common ones:
Save Customization button:
Dealing with
User Testing
"I feel like the save customization button hinders the 'Add to playlist' button which I feel is more important here."
Home (Creative Mode)
Altered Mode
Creative Mode(Default)
Pitched up/ Slowed Down Songs
Album Screen
Save to my Creative Playlist
Not saved in a seperate playlist
Touches Altered Mode
Chooses a Song
Continues to listen
Apply to all the current songs
How do I want to alter a song?
How do I want to save the customization?
Recently Played Section on Home Screen
Continues to listen
If in the mood to alter the song even more
Continues to listen
Just as an Extensive option
Exit
Exit
Exit
Home
Creative Mode (Default)
Altered Mode
Recently Played
Album Screen
Apply to all the current songs
Accessible in a seperate playlist
Touches Recently Played
Chooses a Song
Starts Customizing the song
Save only for this song
How do I want to alter a song?
How do I want to save the customization?
Pitched up/ Slowed Down Songs
Continues to listen
Continues to listen
Exit
Exit
Syncro caters to two types of users: those who want to personalize their music by adjusting beats and notes, and those who prefer curated, pre-customized tracks based on trends. Both scenarios offer an interactive, engaging listening experience.
User : Elliot (A Music Nerd)
User : Chloe (A Busy Runner)
Usability
User Flow
Thank you!
Throughout the development of Syncro, I gained valuable insights into balancing creativity with usability, especially when integrating new features that users may not have explicitly requested. The iterative design process, with continuous user feedback, played a vital role in refining the experience to ensure it was both engaging and easy to use. Syncro offers more than meets the eye, as it aims to reshape the way users interact with music beyond just customization.
Timeline:
Completion (2 months):
Conducted user testing and gathered feedback on the prototype.
Refined the interface based on user insights, focusing on usability and aesthetics.
Launched the final version, ensuring all features functioned smoothly.
Future Plans:
Explore more customization options to enhance user creativity.
Simplify the user interface further for an even more intuitive experience.
Incorporate additional interactive elements based on user feedback.
For those interested in the entire journey, feel free to access the Figma link provided to explore the process, iterations, and final designs in detail.
Learnings
Looking back on this Journey
And now, the final piece: Syncro’s prototype. See how it all comes together to transform your music experience.
The
Final Prototype