Today’s design brief is a redesign of an existing platform namely Spotify’s music app.

This is the seventh design brief or practice project for UI and UX designers looking to build a portfolio of credible work. Each detailed client brief is time-boxed, detailed, and crafted realistically enough to give you a hands-on experience of doing a real project. The design brief is meant to help you create realistic work you can add to your portfolio and test if design really is for you.

Designing an app is unique in that there are particular guidelines and best practices already outlined for Android and IOS that are different in some way to web patterns. This challenges the designer to be able to understand how platform constraints affect design.

As is usually the case, I have included the following with each design brief:

• Timeline (For this to be realistic each brief has a timeline that is as close to real-world work as possible)
• Objectives (What is REQUIRED by the client. This part usually trips designers up as they go off designing what is not required)
• Platform(Where your designs will live. Understanding these platforms will give a well-considered solution)
• Target audience (Users always come first and the design must accommodate the target audience’s pain points)
• References (If you are not sure where to start, clients normally give a set of examples or references they like. The closer the design solution is to the references, the fewer revisions a designer will have to do)
• Deliverables (Most importantly how the solution should be delivered. These represent what a well-detailed portfolio case study looks like so hit it out of the park)
• Recruiter advice (Portfolio advice from creative directors, CEOs and leading design creatives from the biggest companies)

This will help you build your case study much faster as the project objectives and such are provided.

Let’s begin

Client:Spotify

Timeline
1–2 weeks. The project is expected to be completed within two weeks.

Objectives

Our goal is to redesign the Spotify music app to provide a richer and more personalized music streaming experience for users. The app should allow users to onboard, discover new music, create playlists, and easily access their favorite songs. “By 2026, the music streaming market is projected to reach $76.9 billion globally.” – Allied Market Research.berg

Success Metrics to Consider:

User engagement metrics, such as the number of songs listened to and playlists created
User signups and ratings
Conversion rate for concert ticket purchases through the app
Number of app downloads and active users

Target audience

Marcus Lee, 35 | Musician
NEEDS
Likes to create and share his own music with others. He wants a platform that allows him to easily collaborate with other artists, share his work, and get feedback from the community. Finds it challenging to get his music noticed in the crowded music industry and struggles to find a platform that caters specifically to independent artists like him.

Sophia Patel, 23 | Music Enthusiast
NEEDS
Enjoys discovering new artists and attending live concerts. She also likes to create playlists for different moods and occasions. Finds it frustrating when she cannot easily find new music recommendations or when she has to switch between multiple apps to listen to different genres.

Sandra Jenkins, 28 | Fitness Enthusiast
NEEDS

Enjoys working out and needs music to keep her motivated during her exercise routine. She wants a platform that allows her to easily create workout playlists and discover new music that fits her workout style. Finds it frustrating when the music app doesn’t provide enough variety in workout music or when the app doesn’t have features that help her track her fitness goals.

Requirements

Please test our existing app with users to understand how the current functionality could be improved. Address their biggest pain point.


• User-friendly interface that allows for easy navigation
• Ability to personalize music recommendations based on user preferences
• Option to create and save playlists
• Feature for offline listening as a stronger offering
• Integration with social media platforms for easy sharing
• Ability to purchase concert tickets through the app

Platform

The app should be compatible with either iOS or Android devices. Pay attention to IOS and Android guidelines.

IOS guidelines
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/ios/visual-design/adaptivity-and-layout/

Android guidelines
https://material.io/design/usability/accessibility.html#hierar

References

References that our company would like the app to follow in terms of structure and layout. It will be your job to replicate something close to these examples but add your creative flair to it.

Youtube Music
Apple Music
Pandora

Deliverables

• Onboarding screens – These screens will introduce the app to new users and explain how to use it. They might include a welcome message, an explanation of the app’s features, and instructions on how to create an account.
• Homepage – displays recommended music based on user preferences, popular playlists, and trending songs.
• Search – allows users to search for songs, artists, and playlists.
• Playlist – allows users to create and save their own playlists.
• Player – displays the current song playing, lyrics, and options for sharing or adding to a playlist.
• Settings – allows users to personalize their music preferences, including genre and artist preferences.

Testing and Results section

Show your wireframes to 5 people and ask them using your designs what they think about them, what they would improve, and an overall rating.

Take their feedback, iterate the designs, and have a final round of testing with 5 users. See that you improve your overall rating. If not go back to the drawing board and change your designs and retest.

What to do next

Download a portfolio project PDF of this design project and all the other existing design projects to do in your own time.