RESUME

RESUME

How I Improved the Playlist Creation Experience on Spotify Using AI

How I Improved the Playlist Creation Experience on Spotify Using AI

Date : 2025

Role : Product Designer

Scope : Ux writting, User research, Product management,

How to Reduce User Frustration and Drop-Off During Playlist Creation

How to Reduce User Frustration and Drop-Off During Playlist Creation



Creating a playlist can quickly become a complex task, especially when considering the mood users want to capture.
As a Spotify user and Product Designer, this project pushed me to explore how AI could simplify playlist creation while keeping it personal, engaging, and tailored to the user’s mood and context.

1.Spotify, Leader in Music Streaming: How AI Can Help Maintain Its Position ?

What i do ?

Over the course of two months, independently, I conducted a competitor benchmark, carried out user research, built a prototype, and ran user tests.

The goal was to design a mobile experience that allows users to create playlists quickly and effortlessly, with the feature naturally discoverable within the existing UX, while addressing the key user pain points identified.

+600

users worldwide, Spotify is the leader in music streaming. the industry is rapidly evolving and pushing Spotify to continuously innovate and enhance its products to maintain its position.

2.Competitor Analysis and Understanding User Needs

I started by analyzing direct competitors, such as Deezer, where less than 5% of premium users in the U.S. had access to AI features, and Amazon Music, which, despite offering AI tools, is not considered users’ top choice. I also studied Suno AI to understand how this music generation tool structured its UX for music creation.

 I distributed a survey on playlist creation habits . The results highlighted a common frustration: users often felt overwhelmed when creating a playlist quickly.

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Respondant

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Users

after I then conducted interviews with 5 users. Analysis of these sessions revealed
Users feel overwhelmed by overly long processes and want to save time during playlist creation.

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My approach was logical

My approach was logical

I moved the quick creation feature to the same location as the standard playlist creation. From there, I designed a user flow incorporating onboarding for first-time use, ensuring proper introduction to the feature while allowing users to reach their goal quickly.

I moved the quick creation feature to the same location as the standard playlist creation. From there, I designed a user flow incorporating onboarding for first-time use, ensuring proper introduction to the feature while allowing users

to reach their goal quickly.

User flow for ai playlist generation

Create a playlist in two clicks

I chose the wording


“Set the mood in just two clicks”


“Set the mood in just two clicks”


“Set the mood in just two clicks”

to engage users and encourage retention throughout the process.

3.Iterating UX Writing to Streamline the Experience

During testing, users did not encounter major difficulties when creating playlists with the prototype.

However, among the five users tested, one asked why the text mentioned “2 clicks” when they were certain they had taken three.

However, among the five users tested, one asked why the text mentioned “2 clicks” when they were certain they had taken three.

I analyzed the issue: the mood selection button is crucial because it helps the AI better understand user intent, and the other two clicks are also important.

I analyzed the issue: the mood selection button is crucial because it helps the AI better understand user intent, and the other two clicks are also important.

 I applied psychology principles and changed the wording from “click” to “step”: “Set the mood in just two steps.”

 I applied psychology principles and changed the wording from “click” to “step”: “Set the mood in just two steps.”

 I applied psychology principles and changed the wording from “click” to “step”: “Set the mood in just two steps.”

Now, users focus psychologically on the number of steps rather than the number of clicks, making the experience clearer, more intuitive, and emotionally aligned.

Spotify Indirectly Validated My Product Sense and Intuition (Bonus part)

Spotify Indirectly Validated My Product Sense and Intuition (Bonus part)

Once my case study was completed and published, I noticed that Spotify released a feature similar to mine just two months later (I cover this in more detail in a Medium article).
Both the Spotify team and I had the same UX intuitions regarding the implementation of this feature. By analyzing their product, I observed that their version could be more emotionally engaging for users.


I rewrote the header as “Ready to create your own mood” and updated the carousel prompts to better reflect user activities.

During an A/B test with four users, I asked which interface felt more engaging.

During an A/B test with four users, I asked which interface felt more engaging.

My version was preferred for clarity, engagement, and mood-based playlist creation, while all participants correctly identified Spotify’s original interface.
This confirmed that thoughtful UX and design can make a feature feel more personal and emotionally resonant, even if Spotify’s original version is more direct.


4.Having an idea isn’t enough — fast prototyping turns it into action

4.Having an idea isn’t enough — fast prototyping turns it into action

This project reinforced that having an idea is only the beginning; execution, iteration, and alignment with user needs are what create value. I strengthened skills in research, UX writing, prototyping, and product strategy, and I learned how to balance automation with customization.

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