#casestudy

A case study exploring how I redesigned Spotify's onboarding, discovery and listening experience while learning product thinking and user-centered design.

Introduction

Some redesign projects start with a simple question.

For me, it was this:

"What would Spotify look like if I redesigned it while still keeping the experience familiar?"

Spotify is one of those products that millions of people already enjoy using every day. That made this project both exciting and challenging. Instead of trying to reinvent the app, I wanted to explore how small, thoughtful changes could improve the overall experience while respecting the product people already know.

This redesign became an opportunity to practice product thinking, improve my UI/UX skills, and pay closer attention to how users move through an application from the very first screen to the final interaction.

Authentication

These screens focus on creating a clean and consistent first impression. Rather than making the onboarding process feel overwhelming, I wanted every step to be simple, predictable, and easy to follow.

Onboarding

Spotify's experience becomes more personal over time, so I wanted the onboarding flow to reflect that from the beginning. Breaking the process into smaller steps keeps the experience approachable while gradually learning more about the user.

Personalisation

Choosing genres early helps shape the listening experience before users even reach the Home screen. I wanted this part of the journey to feel engaging without asking for too much information at once.

Artist Selection

Selecting favourite artists gives Spotify a better starting point for recommendations while making the experience feel more personal from day one.

Home Experience

The Home screen was where I spent the most time refining layout, spacing, and content hierarchy. My goal wasn't to redesign Spotify's identity—it was to make browsing feel cleaner, more organised, and easier to navigate.

Search

The Search experience focuses on discoverability. Large category cards, a clear search bar, and organised content make it easier to explore music even when users don't know exactly what they want to listen to.

Podcasts & Wrapped

As Spotify continues to grow beyond music, I wanted podcasts to have a dedicated experience that still feels connected to the rest of the app.

Spotify Wrapped has become one of the platform's most recognisable experiences. Instead of changing it completely, I explored how it could fit naturally within the overall redesign while keeping its familiar personality.

Music Player

The player is where users spend most of their uninterrupted time, so I kept the controls familiar while refining spacing, typography, and overall visual balance.

Library & Premium

The Library experience focuses on organisation and accessibility, making it easier to manage playlists, saved music, and podcasts without adding unnecessary visual clutter.

The Premium section explores a cleaner presentation of plans and pricing while maintaining Spotify's existing visual language.

Closing Thoughts

This redesign wasn't about replacing Spotify or suggesting that the current product needs to be completely different.

It was a personal challenge to better understand product design, user flows, and the small design decisions that shape everyday experiences. Working on a product that people already know so well taught me that meaningful improvements often come from refining existing ideas rather than starting from scratch.

There are still plenty of directions I could explore in future iterations, and that's one of the things I enjoy most about redesign projects, they're never truly finished.

If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to look through my work. I'd genuinely love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or ideas.

Connect With Me

If you'd like to explore the project beyond this post, here's where you can find the complete case study, interactive prototype, and a few more details about the redesign:

🌐 Portfolio (Website + Resume)

https://www.shifasiddiqui.xyz/

💼 LinkedIn (Project Announcement & Updates)

https://www.linkedin.com/shifasiddiquii/

🎨 Behance (Complete Case Study)

https://www.behance.net/gallery/217078209/Spotify-Deconstructed-A-UIUX-Breakdown⁠

🏀 Dribbble (Project Showcase)

https://dribbble.com/shots/25420857-Spotify⁠

🎯 Figma Prototype (Interactive Preview)

https://www.figma.com/proto/yoMXfj7fIQEs1CMaWRstdj?node-id=3-41⁠

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed exploring the project as much as I enjoyed designing it. If you have any thoughts or feedback, I'd genuinely love to hear them.

It's 2019. My graphic design journey has started.

Firstly, I did stuff in Photoshop. I always love to connect real world with abstract elements. First image is a self portrait with stain, second is a party flyer design and third is a photomanipulation with sliced head

It is my name in Polish with cool glass effect

Infinity (2019)

I see in that smoke shape a dancing lady holding infinity. // photography + digital

Attempt to stop-motion animation (2021) / student project

Typographic interpretation of the word "isolation"

I also made some patterns in Adobe Illustrator

This was my first task on graphic design lesson in 2019. I made up a festival and named it "Fun Fest". I have made a logo, business card, flyer and map. After couple of years I see things that now I would do different and better. 

SHOP: ANTI SOCIAL SOCIAL CLUB x Casestudy Flag T-shirt Blue

‘Wagner’s Fables,’ Qingdao, Shandong province, China,

Waterfrom Design,

‘Wagner’s Fables,’ Qingdao, Shandong province, China,

Waterfrom Design,