Ratings for Spotify - Feature Design
Overview
1. The Problem
Spotify rates music based on its number of streams. However, artists with more fame get more streams because of their exposure.
2. The Solution
Giving users the ability to rate music would directly indicate how much they like it. High ratings could give lesser-known artists more exposure.
3. The Goal
Create a rating system for Spotify.
4. The Results
A 5-star rating feature for artists, albums, and songs.
3 ratings-based playlists.
3 ratings-based album playlists.
User Interviews
"Why rate music?"
"To remember the albums I like. I listen to so many."
"So Spotify can recommend me better songs."
"Artists that aren't popular could get exposure."
"I could listen to 5-star rated songs only."
"What's possible with ratings?"
"I could listen to all my 5-star albums in a playlist."
"A Discover Weekly, but only with 5 star-rated songs."
"If people have the same ratings as you, you can listen to the music they like, which you haven't listened to yet."
Planning
Final Decisions
5-Star Ratings
Your Top-Rated
A 5-star rating feature for each song, album, and artist.
2 playlists called Your Top Albums and Your Top Songs.
World's Top-Rated
Discover by Ratings
2 playlists called The World's Top Albums and The World's Top Songs.
These hold albums and songs with the highest 5-star to listener ratio.
2 playlists called Discover Albums and Discover Songs.
These playlists use a technique called Collaborative Filtering, which Spotify currently uses, but the ratings will add another level of user data.
Ratings breakdown:
User Flow
Wireframes
Final Interface
Thank you for reading.
Have a great day.
A very special thank you to L.B who inspired this case study.
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