tune. →
Role:
UX/UI
User research
Website & App Design
Tune is a streaming music application that providers users the ability to curate their own playlists and uses a simple, in-built AI recommendation tool based on previously played tracks. There is a hypothesis that current users are struggling to discover new music that aligns with their evolving tastes and preferences. Relying heavily on curated playlists and basic recommendations, user feedback is indicating that these tools are insufficient for introducing them to fresh artists and tracks that resonate with their personal musical journey.
Project Goals:
• AI-driven recommendations:
Implement machine learning algorithms that analyse listening habits, and user feedback to refine and personalise music suggestions continuously.
• Improved user experience by allowing users to find and engage with these suggestions and ability to build their own playlists.
• Simplify the playlist creation process: Simplify the number of steps required to create a new playlist or add a recommended song to an existing playlist.
I started with low-fidelity prototyping to quickly explore different layout ideas and user flows. Using pen and paper, I sketched rough wireframes to map out the core features, focusing on navigation, content placement, and overall usability. Once I had a clear direction, I moved to digital wireframes using Figma, where I refined the structure while keeping the design minimal, ensuring that usability testing could focus on functionality. After gathering feedback from initial user testing, I iterated on the design, incorporating necessary changes before transitioning to high-fidelity prototyping. This phase involved adding visual design elements, typography, colour schemes, and micro-interactions, ensuring the app felt polished and engaging. The final high-fidelity prototype provided a near-realistic experience, allowing for more in-depth usability testing and stakeholder presentations.
Style Guides
Case Study
Design Brief
Tune is a streaming music application that providers users the ability to curate their own playlists and uses a simple, in-built recommendation tool based on previously played tracks.
Constraints and challenges
There is a hypothesis that current users are struggling to discover new music that aligns with their evolving tastes and preferences. Relying heavily on curated playlists and basic recommendations, user feedback is indicating that these tools are insufficient for introducing them to fresh artists and tracks that resonate with their personal musical journey.
Project goals
• AI-driven recommendations: Implement machine learning algorithms that analyse listening habits, and user feedback to refine and personalise music suggestions continuously.
• Improved user experience by allowing users to find and engage with these suggestions and ability to build their own playlists.
• Simplify the playlist creation process: Simplify the number of steps required to create a new playlist or add a recommended song to an existing playlist.
Target Audience
• Primary: active music streaming subscribers aged 18 to 35 who engage with various genres.
• Secondary: casual listeners seeking to expand their musical horizons but feeling overwhelmed by the
volume of available content.
Customer job
Discover and personalise music: Easily create and update music profiles, explore mood-based and genre-based playlists, and provide feedback to improve future suggestions.
Design constraints
• Platform: the experience must be a mobile app. • Accessibility: adhere to WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. • Testing: the experience must be validated with customers.
In scope
• Designing a user-friendly interface for browsing and selecting tracks.
• Personalised recommendations based on preferences.
• Application feedback and user sharing features.
Out of scope
• AI logic or technical mapping.
• Authentication/login, account view, transaction details or any other screens unrelated to payments.
• UI design requirements, keeping a focus on UX only.
CX principles guiding Tune’s digital experiences
• Clean and intuitive – the app is simple and easy to use.
• Personalised – the app feels personal and unique to each user.
• Accessible – all users, no matter their background or abilities can use our app effectively.
Design deliverables
• User flow of the customer job
• Wireframes for each screen required to complete the customer job
• A low-fidelity prototype for user testing
• A medium-fidelity clickable prototype for client presentation and handover to UI designer
• A video presentation taking us through your design process.
Desktop research
Landscape review
Here is an overview of the current music streaming app usage and trends:
Leading Streaming Services: Spotify holds the largest market share with around 31%, with 406 million active users globally, including 180 million premium subscribers. Apple Music has about 78 million subscribers worldwide and commands approximately 15% of the market. Amazon Music and Tencent Music each hold around 13% market share, while YouTube Music has seen growth to capture around 8%
Subscriber Growth and Demographics: Streaming services are particularly popular with younger age groups, with over 50% of 16-34-year-olds using paid subscriptions. Adoption rates decrease with age, though about 26% of 55-64-year-olds also subscribe. Gen Z and Millennials have especially high streaming engagement, with almost all in the U.S. using a streaming service weekly. Streaming is more common among Gen Z in countries like Brazil and Mexico, while in the U.K., only 77% of Gen Z regularly stream music
Popular Genres: Hip-hop/R&B dominates global streams, comprising over 30% of Spotify’s streams, while pop music follows closely with around 29%. K-pop, Latin music, and EDM are also seeing significant growth, with increased streams reflecting their popularity in different regions and among specific demographics
