Spotify: Mobile vs. Tablet

Test the user experience of Spotify's mobile and tablet applications, examining how design choices impact usability and user satisfaction. By comparing the two versions, we aim to identify strengths and weaknesses to determine which device is more user friendly.

My User Experience Analysis Process

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2

Study Userbase

Assess experience

3

Assess Content

4

Takeaways

Tools

iPhone
iPad

My Role

UX research

Timeline

Overall: 1 week

Users

The 3 primary users of this app can be summed up in the following:

Friends & Family : Individuals that want to make a payment or request a payment.

Employer: Individuals seeking to pay their employees without setting up banking transfers.

Merchants: Individuals running a small business who want quick and easy payments from clients at any time, from anywhere in the world.

Here are personas of 2 of those users:

Creating personas helped me zero in on key values of the users and understand their needs. I used this information to then determine which features are more valuable to different users. In the end, this proved to be invaluable because I was then able to compare the two devices to figure out which one was more user friendly.

Assessment of Experience

Size of Device

Looking at Spotify on the phone and tablet, I can feel a difference. Although they perform the same function, the tablet feels more clunky and it is difficult to hold in my small hands.

Tablet

When I try to look through my music library on the tablet, I feel overwhelmed by the choices on the screen. there is too much information for me to process at once. When I listen to music, I like to slowly look at each item on the screen and with so many items showing at once I am quickly reminded of how many options I have to listen to.

Mobile

The phone provides a more user-friendly experience for individuals who struggle with decision-making. By limiting the information displayed on the screen, the phone assists in guiding users towards making choices. Once a playlist is chosen, the application is now being utilized for its intended purpose.

Handling Content

Both the phone and tablet showcase identical content on most screens, but the phone offers a smoother flow due to its ability to stack text vertically. When presenting titles and subtitles, the experience is enhanced by minimizing empty space around them. Similar to data tables, this format ensures easy readability and helps the user easily scan information.

Key Features That Set Them Apart

On the tablet, the menu items are located on the left side of the screen. The side bar includes the navigation menu, album artwork and the play functions. I think this is a good use of space because the play button needs to always be showing on screen and here you don’t have it overlapping other content. Play and stop functions typically reside at the bottom of the screen, choosing to design the navigation in the bottom left side makes this very intuitive and easy to find. This function makes this application more user friendly.

On the iPhone, all of the menu buttons are on the bottom of the page. This is a useful location because I can access it quickly with my thumb. When I think about my phone, I think quick access to information on the go. This makes the application user friendly.

Overall Experience

The application on both devices are very user friendly. The application as a whole is intuitive, creating ease for users. Users can navigate quickly, see song and artist information, create playlists and find other playlists easily. In the context of comparing the mobile and tablet versions of the Spotify application, the location of elements plays a crucial role in usability. The mobile version, with its placement of menu buttons at the bottom of the page for quick access, enhances user-friendliness, particularly for on-the-go usage. In contrast, the tablet version's layout may feel clunkier, with navigation items located on the left side of the screen. This difference in element placement contributes to the perception that the mobile version offers a more intuitive and user-friendly experience. In summary, integrating aesthetic considerations into the design process is essential for enhancing usability and overall user experience. The findings from comparing the mobile and tablet versions of the Spotify application underscore the importance of element placement in optimizing user-friendliness and usability, reinforcing the principles of user-centered design and the aesthetic-usability effect.

My Takeaways

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The importance of maintaining a streamlined approach in design, focusing on core features rather than adding unnecessary complexities.

The value of user-centric design, emphasizing the essential functionalities that address users' primary needs.

The significance of clarity of purpose and commitment to solving the main issue in creating an outstanding user experience.