May 2023 - Present
UX Design
Visual Design
Video Editing
Branding
John H. (Researcher)
Marina W. (Lead Developer)
Hamda O. (Developer)
Takumi S. (Designer)
Me! (Lead Designer)
Moments is a location-based music sharing app that allows users to organically find and share music by dropping and collecting songs on a map.
I came up with the idea for Moments while walking my dog in the park during sunset, and feeling like the song I was listening to was a perfect encapsulation of that moment. I envisioned it as a companion app for Spotify, allowing users to drop songs on a map right from the app. In fact, the initial design for moments, which I pitched to our current team was called 'Spotify Moments,' and utilized Spotify's current interface. Upon starting the project, we decided to make Moments its own app, utilizing Spotify's API.
Streaming platforms have made accessing music easier than ever, but their algorithm-driven recommendations often lack the personal touch that fosters real connections. Many listeners, especially Gen Z, crave a more authentic and communal music experience.
Moments is a social app that fosters community by allowing users to “drop” and “collect” songs at real-world locations. By integrating with Spotify’s API and using geospatial sharing, Moments lets users connect with each other through shared tracks and the places they visit, creating an authentic and communal music experience that goes beyond traditional streaming services.
We initially envisioned Moments as an organic music discovery tool, meant to break repetitive algorithmic recommendations, and get people out of their comfort zone. News flash: people usually want to stay in their comfort zone because it is... comfortable.
We learned that most music discovery tools fall into two categories: streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, which use algorithms to recommend tracks, and social media apps like TikTok and Instagram, which redirect users to streaming platforms based on popular trends. Other apps, like AirBuds, Stats.fm, and Shazam, focus on more organic music discovery through one's network/environment rather than algorithms.
most popular Music discovery platforms
Some of the main insights we gathered were:
1. We could not find apps which utilize location-based music discovery like Moments.
2. Most music discovery apps rely on algorithms, leading to a passive experience.
3. In social media apps, music often complements other content to create a specific vibe.
4. Many apps cater to users’ curiosity about their/others' listening habits.
John (our researcher) conducted 45 guerilla interviews on the University of Washington campus, and I conducted 8 in-depth zoom interviews to explore users' listening habits, music discovery processes, and gauge their interest in using Moments to diversify their music libraries.
zoom interview with a potential user
Some of the main insights we gathered were:
1. 20 out of 53 students reported issues with repetitive music recommendations, but most weren't overly bothered and relied on friends/social media for discovery.
2. 50% of students spend over 15 minutes weekly discovering music. The rest mainly listen to playlists or use autoplay, not actively seeking new music.
3. People liked Moments for its social aspect, being more interested in friends' listening habits and locations than in randomized music discovery.
People's excitement about the social aspect of Moments highlighted their desire for real-life interaction. Unlike traditional social media, Moments brings music into real-world spaces, enabling genuine shared experiences. Music discovery becomes secondary, much like in other social apps.
During that time, I had to take a break form this project to focus on my internship at Shure (that's a different story you can read here). Drawing inspiration from my designs for Spotify Moments, the team drafted a map-based interface, showing all of the moments in the area as pins.
The goal was to simplify sharing moments and focus on the community aspect. Takumi explored features like comments and profile feeds to showcase users' liked and shared moments.
moments iteration 1
As I came back from my internship, Marina was working on the MVP, based on Takumi's wireframes. My first task was to conduct a critique of the (then) current functional product, before taking it to users.
Design critique screenshot, I am J :)
Compared to apps like Airbuds and Stats.fm, Moments felt visually dull. The genre buttons acted as links instead of filters, the location welcome notification was unnecessary, and the moment's caption was visually confusing. Inconsistent language, icons, typography, and colors were noticeable. Additionally, the moment screen had fast-forward arrows and a slider-knob, despite the app only allowing 30-second previews (due to Spotify's restrictions for 3rd party apps).
After conducting my critique and speaking to a few potential users, the team felt like we needed a visual rebrand. Thus, I curated a new visual identity for Moments.
moments old vs new logo
I created concept screens to test new components and conducted A/B testing with 10 users. On average, my designs scored 30% higher in usability (6.5 → 8.5) and 45% higher in visual appeal (6.0 → 8.7) compared to the old designs. These results confirmed that we should proceed with this direction.
new concept screens
1
Based on user feedback I simplified the New Moment form and added anonymous moments
Main changes:
1. Allow anonymous moments without link to profile
2. Eliminate Spotify CTA, instead add a link to the song
2. Move 'Drop' button to the bottom, make it sticky
3. Character count
4. Add moment expiration warning
Simplified Form
old vs new moments banner
2
Users found the banner to be overwhelming, and it did not adhere to Spotify's design guidelines.
Main changes:
1. Made Spotify CTA sticky
2. Allowed dropping a moment from navbar
3. Selected state for filters, making them affect map
4. Deleted location photos section
5. Added a "view all" secondary button
6. Spacing & typography adjustments
3
To mitigate concerns about inappropriate captions, we gave users the ability to report moments.
Simplified Form
old vs new taste profile
4
Users wanted to see more information on their taste profile.
Main changes:
1. Top genres of users' moments
2. Link to Spotify profile
3. Number of moments
5
Users expressed interest in having comments under each moment, aiding to the community-building aspect.
Moment Comments
Old vs new moment screen
6
Users felt like the previous moment screen lacked color, so I added more!
Main changes:
1. Set dominant color as background
2. Add caption timestamp
3. Remove fast-forward arrows & slider knob (since Spotify only allows 30 second previews)
After downloading the app and completing onboarding—creating a profile, connecting Spotify, and enabling location sharing—the user sees a map displaying nearby moments. They can explore the map, which updates by district, and interact with moments by listening, liking, and commenting.
To drop their own moment, the user clicks the plus icon in the navbar, searches for a song, writes a caption, chooses to make it public or anonymous, and drops it.
All dropped and liked moments appear in the user's taste profile, which also links to their Spotify profile. Users can follow others and receive notifications when new moments are dropped.
Moments onboarding
exploring someone's Moment
Dropping a moment
We conducted additional user testing using the app's fully-functional beta version. The Beta will go offline temporarily starting August 2024 to implement user feedback.
Here’s a video showcasing the product (with slight differences from the wireframes above, as they are more up-to-date)
Moments beta walkthrough
During beta testing, users raised concerns about their location being visible. We're addressing this by adding an optional radius for dropping moments, ensuring locations aren't exact. We're also introducing private accounts, where followers must be approved, and only they can see your moments on the map. Finally, we are planning to add a filter to show moments only from people you follow.
We are brainstorming ways to make Moments more user-centric. One feature that came up a lot was photos attached to moments. This will require us to figure out a certain level of content moderation.
I am in the process of designing an interface which showcases a large amount of Moments dropped at one spot.
We are currently in a stretch of design & development, as we implement feedback from beta testing. We plan to officially release the app by the end of 2024, and begin focusing on marketing.
1. I would document more. While we summarized insights form the interviews in a spreadsheet, I wish we wrote down more of the things people were saying. I also wish we took more photos of the process :)
2. I would listen to users from the beginning. The signs were always there - people did not care for "organic" music discovery, they cared for a social experience which involves music. It took us long to realize that, since we were set on the "repetitive recommendations" problem.
3. I would spend more time exploring niche social music apps. Diving into successful apps like "Airbuds" has the potential to inspire new features for Moments.
4. I would design for big and small screen sizes. I was initially asked to design for small screens, however that created issue with development for iPhone X. If I could go back I would do both right away.
Thanks for reading :)
