Spotify App Pain Points

In this article I will be identifying 5 pain points found in the Android Spotify Application. I will be using Heuristic evaluation in order to identify these pain points and suggest possible solutions.

User control and freedom

The app by default displays the users playlists in a linear fashion with only one column forcing the user to scroll if they have a lot of playlists. There seems to be no option to display the users playlist in a grid fashion which would greatly increase my personal enjoyment and ease of use.

Consistency and standards

each page, has its own distinct style of displaying the content, while it may help in making it clear what page you are on, I find it more confusing than anything. It would be much easier to find the content I wish if there was a consistent method of conveying information rather than multiple kinds.

Another consistency pain point is the fact that the button layout changes on the music screen when listening to the radio vs your library. When listening to radio the plus icon that is used to add a song to the library is replaced by the heart icon. While these buttons preform similar functions, it is not immediately obvious and has cause me a lot of confusion.

Flexibility and efficiency of use

The search bar is near the top of the screen which is very inefficient forcing me to move my hand position on the phone. This is a common thing in many apps and it really should be close to the bottom near where the user would type.

Visibility of system status

When you tab the options section while listening to a song a scrollable menu pops up, the issue is that the menu shows no indication that it is scrollable or that there are more options to scroll to so someone might think that an option isn't there when they just need to scroll.