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“I love getting book ideas from creators I follow, but everything is so scattered - recommendations, reviews, actual audiobooks - I want discovery to feel unified.”

TL;DR

Spotify

My role:
Project timeline:
Scope:
Platform:
UI/UX Designer
80 hours
Add a feature
Mobile MVP
Tools:
Figma, FigJam, Miro, PS
Key methods:
User Interviews, Affinity Map, Persona, Wireframes, Usability Test, Prototype

Audiobook discovery on Spotify lacks the depth and intentionality that users experience with music. While listeners rely heavily on trusted creators and social recommendations to choose what to read next, those signals live outside the platform — scattered across YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit. This creates friction, research fatigue, and missed opportunities for meaningful engagement within Spotify’s audiobook ecosystem.

This project reimagines audiobook discovery as a curator-led experience, bringing trusted recommendations, contextual review clips, and seamless saving into one cohesive flow. By integrating social trust signals directly into the platform, the feature reduces fragmented discovery and helps users move confidently from recommendation to listening. The result is a more specialized, guided audiobook experience that feels intentional, credible, and aligned with how listeners actually find their next great title.

Integrating the Feature into Spotify

I created an interactive prototype of this new feature in Figma, complete with animations and effects to show the complete user flow integrated within Spotify's current UI.

Find the Voices You Trust

Looking for a curator you already love? Search by name or filter for curators to cut through the noise.

We make it easy to follow people whose taste resonates, so your audiobook picks feel personal, not random.

Your Curators & Curations In One Place

Your followed curators live right inside the Audiobooks section, ready when you are.

Switch seamlessly between curator's profiles, shelves, and recommendations and instantly save what clicks.

Hear The 'Why' Before You Commit

Curators don't just recommend, they tell you why a book is worth your time.

Watch short review clips from their library, and save books to your list directly if it clicks. No more switching between platforms.

Spotting a Gap in Spotify’s Audiobook Experience

I was tasked with designing a new feature for Spotify. As a reader and loyal Spotify user, I knew I wanted to focus on its audiobook space.

I compared Spotify’s audiobook and music interfaces to identify any gaps. As I went through the user flows of both, I immediately noticed a lack of specialization in the audiobook interface. I also reviewed user feedback regarding the lack of dedicated features on blogs and social media. To understand the market, I analyzed established competitors like Audible, Libby, and Hoopla.

Through this research, I developed an understanding of users' unmet needs and common frustrations. I started with the hypothesis:

Hypothesis

Spotify audiobook listeners need dedicated features for an enhanced experience along with an elevated interface that matches Spotify's appeal.

Filtering: mood-based, length, etc

Most listeners don't write reviews but reading/checking ratings is imp.

ABs are a way to feel productive while doing menial tasks or multi-tasking

Can't take notes with AB because of multi-tasking or commuting

Recommendations from: friends, podcasts, social media, fav authors

I like to read whats trending. I like to be in the know of what's being talked about

I love having specific lists on Goodreads

I think reading isn't as cool as music yet which is why the UI doesn't get as much love

I don't write reviews but I love reading them

Conducting Targeted User Research

To validate my hypothesis, I conducted virtual research interviews with five audiobook listeners. The participant pool consisted of a mix of users of Spotify and its competing products. During the interviews I found that not every user felt the need for additional features, while those on competing platforms with a plethora of dedicated features didn’t use most of them.

I organized and synthesized my research findings through affinity mapping. As I analyzed the results, I uncovered a key pattern of how users discover new audiobook content outside of their primary audiobook platform. I found that all participants used some form of social media - specifically their trusted book recommenders - to pick their new read, with some expressing this process of content discovery as fragmented. I identified an opportunity to consolidate this fragmented process of audiobook discovery through social media creators within Spotify.

Key Insight

While not all users feel the need for additional dedicated audiobook features, all participants use some form of social media - specifically their trusted recommenders - to pick their new read, with some finding the current process of content discovery to be fragmented.

From these key insights, I developed a user persona and defined the problem statement.

Persona: The Audiobook Enthusiast

“I love getting book ideas from creators I follow, but everything is so scattered - recommendations, reviews, actual audiobooks - I want discovery to feel unified.”

Holly Green

I am a 25 year-old Fashion Designer and a Spotify user who loves listening to Audiobooks. I want to quickly discover new titles that I will enjoy from trusted sources.

I aim to

  • Discover audiobooks I'll love

  • Stay up-to-date with trusted social media creators' recommendations

  • Spend time engaging with books, not deciding which to pick

I'm motivated by

  • Human recommendations from reviewers

  • Staying up-to-date on trends

  • Efficiency of discovering already-loved books

  • Self-improvement and productivity

I need

  • A discovery space with tools

  • Trusted curators’ recommendations

  • Real feedback to build trust

  • Save to lists to listen later

I'm frustrated by

  • Fragmented experience on various platforms

  • Wasting time researching titles

  • Not knowing status of AB

  • Not having specific wishlists

Problem Statement

Consistent audiobook listeners need a unified experience for discovering new titles because the current process spans various platforms, feeling fragmented and time-consuming.

Designing a Feature for Content Discoverability

I brainstormed different ideas and decided to expand on the concept of bringing trusted social media reviewers onboard as audiobook ‘curators’. To properly visualize this solution I created a storyboard and began sketching low-fidelity screens. I then designed key flows around finding curator profiles and audiobook matches.

Feature direction

This new features provides a unified discovery experience that combines social creators' recommendations, reviews, and listening in one flow within Spotify. Each curator's 'reading room' consists of 'bookshelves' or lists with their curated recommendations, shortening the path from recommendation to listening.

To fully visualize the integration of this new feature, I created polished high-fidelity screens within the constraints of Spotify’s current UI design and branding.

Testing for Clarity

I gathered feedback from five users on the user flow and the interface of this solution. I discovered that users preferred multiple pathways to the curator profiles and deeper insights into their reviews and recommendations.

I iterated on user feedback by introducing short review clips, enriched curator profiles with genres and statistics. I also expanded the discovery surface so users can find curators in more natural ways through their audiobook section.