Discover

Shazam is more than a tool for identifying song, it’s about capturing moments, exploring emotions, and deepening our connection with music. Yet, most users only scratch the surface of what Shazam can do. We aimed to bridge this gap, turning Shazam from a quick-use app into an immersive, personalized music companion.

Understanding The Challenge

Our journey began with listening, really listening. Through 12 surveys and 10 in-depth interviews, we discovered that users loved Shazam's potential but felt lost in its interface. Many didn't even know about its rich features, with 20% uninstalling the app because they didn’t see its full value. Yet, 50% of current users desired features that were already there. This was a wake-up call: Shazam needed a clearer path for users to explore, organize, and engage with music on their own terms.

User Research Insights

Define

By creating User Persona, we brought our user’s needs, frustrations, and desires into sharp focus. This persona guided every design decision, helping us align features with real-world behaviors and preferences. It reminded us who we were designing for, a person, not just a data point, and kept our team focused on delivering an experience that truly resonates.

User Persona

Sam needs a better understanding of the app's features to personalize his music experience and discover new favorites. He currently misses out on opportunities to connect with music that aligns with his tastes, moods, and habits…

Problem Statement

How Might We?

The idea of having playlists for better organization keeps coming up in our user interviews, which is a big reason why adding them to our app is so important. Based on this feedback, we are exploring...

How might we help users organize their music?

How might we suggest personalized music to our users?

How might we help our users discover more about the music and artists they love?

Competitor analysis showed that 80% of users prefer Spotify, mainly due to its strong playlist feature. Users wanted a curated, personalized experience with control over their listening. To compete, we focused on creating a better playlist experience, aiming to offer more value to our users.

Competitive Analysis

Design

We streamlined the app’s interface, making it easier for users to find and engage with features they love, whether it’s discovering new songs, revisiting favorites, or diving into their playlists.

01.Navigation Bar

This feature empowers users to create, customize, and organize playlists that reflect their moods and tastes. From a workout playlist to a chill evening mix, the “My Playlist” feature encourages users to return to the app regularly to update, refine, and enjoy their playlists, increasing their overall time spent in the app

02.My Playlist

Our AI Chat-Bot turns music discovery into a conversation. Imagine asking for the perfect song for a rainy day and getting a personalized response instantly. It's more than just song recognition; it’s a dialogue that keeps users engaged and curious, But most importantly, it allows the business to gather valuable data on user preferences and behavior, which can inform future developments and partnerships.

03.AI Chat-Bot

Deliver

We conducted usability tests to see our designs in action. The results were exciting: user engagement time doubled, and the likelihood of recommending the app jumped from 30% to 66%. Users loved the AI Chat-Bot but wanted even more interactivity, so we made the suggestions clickable. We also refined the "Add to Playlist" button to make it more intuitive. Our goal was clear: keep iterating, keep listening, and make every click count

Usability Testing and Iteration

After synthesizing usability testing insights we implemented an onboarding process. This step-by-step guide walks users through the changes, highlighting how to use the new features and where to find everything they need.

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

As I already mentioned In our usability testing, we discovered that the "Add to Playlist" button wasn’t as intuitive as it could be. Users were sometimes confused about how to save songs to their playlists, which led to frustration and a missed opportunity for personalization. We redesigned this button to be more prominent and user-friendly, making it clear and easy to use.

Before

After

In our second round of testing, the responses from 4 participants were super positive: Each one of them said they would recommend the new Shazam app, and satisfaction soared to 9.25 out of 10. However, users expressed a need for a faster way to save songs to their playlists.

Refining the Prototype

To address the need for faster song saving, we introduced a heart button next to the “Add to Playlist” button. Now, with a single click users can instantly save their favourite songs, which are automatically stored in the “liked Songs” section. This enhancement makes it easier than ever for users to keep track of the music they love

Solution

Final Prototype

Results and Impact

We set out to make Shazam more than just a song identifier, and the results speak for themselves. User engagement time doubled an incredible leap! This means more users are discovering what Shazam can truly offer. The likelihood to recommend soared, with users expressing genuine excitement about the app's new features. Even better, 75% of users who had previously uninstalled the app said they would come back. We successfully turned Shazam into a dynamic, personalized music experience that resonates deeply with users.

We’re not stopping here! We’re planning a meeting with developers to outline the next steps for these exciting features, particularly around AI. We’re exploring partnerships to enhance our AI capabilities, making Shazam even smarter and more intuitive. More testing is on the horizon, especially to fine-tune the AI's interaction style. We’ll also revisit our partnership strategy to amplify Shazam’s reach and impact, both with current collaborators like Spotify and with new opportunities on the horizon. And, given more time, we’d love to explore adding social features, deeper AI integration, and an engaging onboarding experience to further elevate Shazam's journey.

Next Steps

This first group project was a valuable experience in both design and teamwork. It highlighted the importance of empathy and truly listening to users understanding their needs, frustrations, and desires is fundamental to creating an experience they’ll genuinely enjoy. I learned the value of iteration, embracing feedback at every stage to refine the design and make it simpler and more enjoyable. Personalization also stood out as a powerful tool. When users see a product that resonates with their unique tastes, they feel more connected and are more likely to stay engaged. Working with a team for the first time taught me the significance of collaboration and how diverse perspectives contribute to a stronger, more well-rounded design. Moving forward, I’m excited to prioritize human-centered design, ensuring every feature serves a real purpose and brings a bit of joy to the user.

Shazam