ACADEMY XI - DESIGN CHALLENGE RESPONSE | UX UI DESIGNER - ATIF TORLAKOVIC
Platforms: Mac OSX / Responsive web
Spotify has decided to give artists control of their catalogues on their platform. For the first time, artists can manage their own albums, upload their own artwork, sell specific merchandise, add lyrics to their music etc. and it’s all on their own terms.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Artists who are feeling restricted by the lack of control they have over their own music want to find creative ways to connect with their audience but are limited by the platforms, record label contracts and unique userbases from existing products.
RESEARCH PLANNING
PLANNINg and competitor analysis
As there are already far more established platforms offering a superior service I wanted to identify the key motivators for artists looking to manage their presence on Spotify.
Are they looking to climb the ranks, breakthrough or to earn a side income? What were their expectations of the proposed new platform and would it be relevant to their genre and current audience?
Some of the insights from the competitor analysis show tight knit communities and indie artist focused tools for merchandising.
Key insights
Unique userbases ~ Free to use ~ Social platform ~ Self-managed ~ Indie focused
~ Unique monetization capabilities
USER RESEARCH
4 User interviews (1 hour+) reflecting on various stages of their music journey.
All artists were either on Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube, Apple Music or Spotify or a combination.
RESEARCH SYNTHESIS
Affinity mapping, empathy mapping and personas.
To summarise, the most common themes revovled around the following “As an artist, I want to provide a richer experience online so that my audience can connect with me on multiple levels.”
PERSONAS
Two key personas were extrapolated from the research. Spotify artists fell between the emerging artist and established artist spectrum.
Spotify is seen as a world stage with various playlists having millions of followers, creating a demand for artists who are looking to break-into the industry or keep up and stay relevant.
EMPATHY MAPPING - PAINS
Spotify lacks the creative capabilities when compared to competitors.
EMPATHY MAPPING - GAINS
To be able to support myself as an artist and get my music heard.
Pain Points
Getting music onto the platform has too many hurdles. Artists have to use a 3rd party distributor service to list music on Spotify.
All social interaction with the music is happening off-platform through sharing on Instagram, YouTube or organically with TikTok mashups.
OPPORTUNITIES
Offer creative ways to engage with a broader audience
Offer unique ways for artists to monetise their merchandise
“How might we empower our artists to connect with and reach broader audiences more effectively?”
