Spotify is taking some big swings with its app design as it looks to revamp its current design. These changes come in by maintaining some of the old charm and a mix of new interesting ideas. The update comes with new features that help the audio experience and take a big swing in terms of videos on the platform. Spotify goes full TikTok on some of the new updates which seems like the direction social apps are heading toward with the push. Videos seem to be a huge focus of all these apps. The looks are not all of it as there are some new features included.
Some of these features that the users can look to it’s the vertical scrolling “Discovery” feeds and the “Smart Shuffle” feature made for playlists. The discovery feeds feature will be a vertical feed that gives users recommendations based on their preferences on the app. It will also be available to everyone whereas the “Smart Shuffle” comes exclusively to the subscribers. This is to help with discovery as it will create a personal playlist curated for the user. Other features include the Autoplay feature coming to the podcasts. These features will roll out in some markets before others and will arrive at different intervals.
The company claims the user interface change is to remove the cluster and make the user experience more interactive and feel more alive. This can’t be taken on the surface level as it can provide another avenue on the platform to make ads available. This is a possibility that is very exciting for the streamer. It is very reminiscent of how Instagram introduced reels and later used them as a platform to sell more ads. These changes bring excitement in-house with the possibilities it comes with them.
The new designs build on the updates released on August 2022, which had the music and podcast feeds separated. There have been major changes. The main page has some updates that do away with the clutter previously there. There is a new discovery point, the vertical scrolling video feeds. This is a big swing but existing users should not worry that much because the tabs we’ve been used to sit up top and take us to where we like. These curated playlists have always been the personal touch that users a familiar with on Spotify. The scroll feed brings a visual experience; the artist can show their canvas videos, visualizers being useful here and adding to their creativity.
TikTok-heavy aesthetics doesn’t seem like everyone’s cup of tea. It annoys users that all their social apps are being turned into TikTok. Big changes like this come with a lot of uncertainties. Spotify’s redesign comes as mobile-only first and will be available on other devices later. The rollout will be gradual and may not be seen immediately but will arrive soon.
