Exploring the differences between two major music apps
Apple Music or Spotify?
Re-stock your debate arsenal with tangible UX evidence.
We have all experienced the innocuous debate regarding which music streaming platform is superior: Apple Music or Spotify. However, these debates often lack actual evidence or explanations stating why one application is preferred over the other. Instead, my peers’ arguments often begin and end with “it’s just better.”
Now, I understand that brand loyalty is a powerful and unexplainable aspect of this argument, so “it’s just better” may seem like an adequate answer to some. But if you really think about it, how can users argue that one platform is better, when there is a good chance they haven’t even used the other? Are we really going to accept one-sided arguments, or opinions rather, that fail to look at what the competitor may offer? We shouldn’t.
I’m not here to tell you to cancel your Apple Music subscription or vice versa. Rather, I’m here to take a closer look at the rationale behind each side of this unanswerable question, so the next time you hear it, “are you an Apple Music or Spotify kind of gal/guy?” you can answer with substance.
The Landing Page
Let’s begin by taking a look at Spotify’s landing page (left image). Spotify opens to your “home page” and immediately greets you with “Good afternoon.” Now, I believe an exclamation point could go a long way here, but even without it, the greeting creates a positive first impression on the user and encourages them to keep exploring. At the top of your home page, your most frequent and recently played albums are available for quick, easy access. If you scroll even further, you can access your personal playlists without having to open your library.
Additionally, Spotify’s home page entices you to “Discover something new.” The microcopy here is friendly and encouraging. Since the albums are catered to you based on your personal music metrics, they want to stimulate new interests and keep you hooked.
Now, let’s take a look at Apple Music’s landing page.
Apple Music immediately brings you to the library which we can assume is your personal library (although that isn’t immediately clear). Within your library, you can access all your different music and content, which is also broken into sections for more narrowly defined searching. This may be extremely helpful for situations when you want to listen to a specific genre or artist. You can also quickly access recently added music at the bottom of the page, so you can show your friends your new favorite song without having to tediously search for it.
The Bottom Toolbar:
Let’s move on to one of the most important elements within each application: the bottom toolbar. This is where you can jump back and forth between different pages. Spotify has simplified its toolbar, granting access to three major components: Home, Search, and Your Library. All of these elements are extremely straightforward; you know the basis of what you’re getting by clicking on these pages.
Apple Music’s bottom toolbar is slightly more complex and includes five different pages: Listen Now, Browse, Radio, Library, and Search. The microcopy here can be a little misleading and may spark a few user questions: Why is the landing page, which one might expect to be located first or in the center of the toolbar, placed in the fourth position? What will the ‘listen now’ page provide? What are the key differences between the ‘search’ and ‘browse’ pages? Is having them both really necessary? Personally, I feel the design here could use some work. The simplicity of Spotify’s toolbar eases and enhances the user experience while Apple Music definitely sparks a few questions that may discourage the user from continuing their exploration.
The Search Page:
The search page for both applications is pretty standard and straightforward. Spotify contains a camera and voice element at the top which enhances the page’s overall accessibility for users, allowing them to speak or scan codes if they are unable to type at any given moment. Spotify also addresses the user specifically and uses second-person pronouns like “your” to create a more user-focused experience (it does this throughout the application). I think Apple music could take a few notes here, the different categories displayed on the search pages are very generic, and having more personalized options could be beneficial for their users.
The Play Page:
The differences between these pages may seem minuscule at first glance, however, when you dive deeper you can see how the elements and buttons vary. Spotify (left image) instantly grants access to lyric viewing, encouraging the user to sing along. Once you click on the meatball button (three horizontal dots) you can like the song, add it to your queue or a playlist, and share, if desired. By clicking the button on the right of the share tool, you can view your queued song list and make changes. And that’s about it, the overall page is very simple which leaves little room for user questioning, this is a good thing!
Apple music’s play page is slightly more complex (which doesn’t necessarily mean bad). To access song lyrics, you either have to click the quotation button or hit “view full lyrics” from the meatball button. There, you are given a list of options: download the song, add it to playlists, like/dislike, and more. You are also able to make changes/shuffle and can access your queued song list by clicking the bottom right button.
The play page comes down to personal preference, both pages are sufficient and provide access to essentially the same widgets. The preference here may just come from user familiarity and comfortability.
Your Library: Spotify
This is the last page to explore within the Spotify application. On the “your library” page, you can access all your different songs, playlists, and albums and can even choose how you want them to be sorted (by clicking on the arrows next to “recently played”). You can also search within the specific page and can narrow your search by clicking on the different buttons at the top (playlists, artists, albums, and downloaded). This is similar to Apple Music’s “library.”
In general, the two applications essentially provide access to similar things, however, the overall usability and layout of Spotify’s application is notable. It’s simplicity allows users to explore the application without having to toggle back and forth between many different pages. The microcopy is friendly, encouraging, and conversational, and always addresses the user specifically to create a more authentic experience.
Radio, Browse, & Listen Now: Apple Music
There are three other pages on Apple Music that we haven’t had the chance to explore. The radio page is dedicated to showcasing new music to users. It allows you to explore different genres, top hits, and even listen to different radio hosts/podcasts. Here we see Apple’s first attempt to actually address the user, “Songs you know and love,” however, when you actually click into it, the songs are still random and are often ones you’ve never heard of (I know this from personal experience).
The browse page is a bit more random and seems kind of all over the place. I am not sure what the intention behind this page was; it seems to be a compilation of random playlists and albums with no specific objective or personalization for the user. I think this would be a great space for Apple to highlight new playlists tailored to the account owner.
The listen now page aims to provide quick and easy access to your recently used albums and playlists. When you first set up your Apple Music account, the listen now page prompts you to select your favorite genres and artists. This is one of Apple Music’s first attempts at personalization, I wish they had gone further with this.
I won’t keep you here all day.
I could keep you here all day by dissecting every element within these two applications, but I know you have other things on your plate. My intention of this article is not to exploit either application for having good or bad UX design. Instead, I just wanted to highlight some of the major differences between the two applications, because the ambiguity behind “one is just better” became intolerable.
Personally, I find that Spotify has a much simpler design overall, which enhances usability and leaves less room for user questions. It provides greater accessibility by incorporating a microphone and scanning element on the search page, as well as a more authentic user experience by using friendlier headings and subheadings. Apple Music, on the other hand, has greater complexity and provides more outlets for music exploration. But does the complexity make for a more challenging user experience? Maybe, maybe not, you tell me!
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