SPOTIFY
PROJECT ROLE
Lead Designer
YEAR
2023
CONTRIBUTION
UI Design & Motion
Challenge
In recent years, Spotify has rapidly expanded its market and introduced several new paid offerings. This growth brings complexity and potential cracks in user experience. Aiming to boost revenue from premium subscriptions and new products while growing the free service, Spotify approached us for a fresh external perspective to enhance these areas.
Approach
The strategy was centred around developing a seamless and intuitive user experience, aligning closely with Spotify brand identity and brand practices. Our UX team developed extensive research into various plans, markets and devices - conducting through audience research and combining all finding and recommendations into a comprehensive experience map.
Our visual approach was to elevate Spotify voice and bring the subscription services to life in a clear and simple execution - one that would connect with users through storytelling, personalisation and educational design.
The purpose of the digital experience was two-fold: to infuse the premium service with the brand's emotional essence while showcasing product benefits through personalisation and simplicity.
The digital experience leveraged a distinct and harmonious colour palette to reflect the premium nature of the service and reinforce brand identity, utilized intuitive and recognizable assets to guide users and enhance visual appeal, improved accessibility best practices to ensure inclusivity and ease of use, customized the user journey based on individual preferences and behaviors for more relevant and engaging interactions, and employed clear design cues to direct attention to key features and benefits, simplifying navigation and improving the overall user experience.
Increasing Awareness to Premium Services
To boost awareness of our premium service, we revamped the premium page to make key details pop, making it easier for users to quickly get the information they need and drive conversions. We crafted eye-catching premium ads for the mobile page, tweaking their frequency and design so they're hard to miss. Plus, we updated the design system across the website, app, and all communications, creating a cohesive and visually stunning experience that ties the premium service together at every touchpoint, effectively boosting engagement.
Simplifying Plan Changes across Spotify
We streamlined the process of changing plans within the Spotify app, making upgrades and downgrades smoother and more user-friendly. We enhanced visibility for premium by spotlighting it right from signup, creating engaging welcome emails, and giving the page a fresh, prominent design. Our approach included vibrant promotions and dynamic motion elements to capture attention and encourage users to explore the free trial. With clear messaging and an intuitive step-by-step guide, we transformed plan management into a seamless and enjoyable experience, significantly improving user engagement with Premium.
Personalisation at the Core
Personalized experiences are key to building brand loyalty and leaving a lasting impression, and Spotify is already renowned for its recommendations. However, until now, the user experience was uniform across all plans and listening habits. We updated messaging and content to reflect a deeper understanding of users, enhancing their experience both personally and broadly. Our new design assets focused on storytelling and bringing the product to life, connecting users with its functionality and emotional impact. By creating engaging, human-centered experiences, we aimed to bring the product to life through both simple yet meaningful content.
Our work has helped Spotify to unify their teams and position themselves for future growth in the competitive streaming landscape. Building on our recommendations, Spotify has already started rolling out exciting changes. They've redesigned pages across mobile and web, introduced consistent and accessible colour schemes, and refined their communications for greater clarity and impact. By better leveraging their existing channels, Spotify is now offering a more personalized and engaging experience for their 500 million global monthly users.
