Wearable Radio
Showcasing how smartwatches can harness Pandora's music streaming strengths to reclaim market share.
Conducted in 2018, this study investigates whether Pandora could leverage wearable experiences to boost user engagement and competitive positioning, drawing insights from Spotify's industry-leading music library and personalized features.
Average time spent per month per user [hh:mm:ss], US Adults, Ages 18+
Average session duration [hh:mm:ss], US Adults, Ages 18+
Leveraging Pandora's Strengths
Our journey begins with a deep dive into Pandora's unique strengths: a vast addressable market, a robust free user base, and the innovative Music Genome Project. Through personalized research and strategic insights, we sought to harness these assets to enhance the user experience and redefine digital interaction.
Decoding Pandora's UX Landscape
Comparing Pandora against Spotify and Apple Music shed light on Pandora's unique strengths and areas for improvement. Additionally, studying user behaviors within the music streaming realm and conducting a SWOT analysis provided a roadmap for enhancing Pandora's UX and market presence.
Addressing the Challenge
Our primary challenge was to boost user engagement on the Apple Watch, particularly in scenarios favoring radio curation. Despite Pandora's dominance in radio streaming, extending listening sessions posed a significant hurdle. Our goal was clear, to develop features that promote more radio listening on the Apple Watch, including:
Audio Search: Ability to search based on music in your surroundings and select similar categories and moods.
Dynamic Stations: Curated radio stations based on your audio search.
Proximity Play: Seamlessly hand off your music listening experience to nearby devices as you move through the day.
Pandora Remote Control: An extension to your music player that moves with you.
Music Player
Settings Menu
Crafting the Solution
Through dynamic design charrettes, we brainstormed ideas while adhering to Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines. This pushed us to leverage the device’s force touch for our newly proposed features. By doing so, we created a seamless design that manages user expectations through consistent interactions with the rest of the device and its apps.
Introducing Pandora for the Apple Watch with features aimed to enhance flexibility in listening experiences, thereby increasing user engagement and overall service value.
Audio Search
Expanding on the popular song identification feature, what if recognized songs could also curate music based on genres, playlists, and artists?
This enhancement boosts music discoverability and personalizes the user's listening experience, setting a new standard for audio search functionalities and enriching the music exploration journey.
Nearby Suggestions
Suggestions for nearby activities and dining could be an added benefit for travelers that have delays or have arrived early. This has an added potential for fostering partnerships with local businesses to provide added benefits to the customers as well.
Proximity Play
Continuing to use Pandora across different environments can feel cumbersome. Reconnecting and re-selecting stations is a hassle, often leading users to opt out.
Imagine if Pandora remembered paired devices and transition preferences seamlessly. Whether in your car or at home, what if the experience adjusted to your preferred settings?
Advancements in Bluetooth technology make this feature—a responsive proximity play—robust and feasible. Pandora can enhance user convenience, offering a seamless listening experience that adapts effortlessly to various contexts.
Remote Control
Controlling music playback via a Pandora-enabled smartwatch adds flexibility to the user experience. No more searching for device-specific controllers; control is conveniently attached to the wrist.
With smartwatch capabilities, users can manage playback effortlessly without reaching for their phone. This integration enhances convenience and streamlines the listening experience.
Takeaways
Embrace Strengths for Growth: Leveraging Pandora's strengths is key to sustainable growth and user retention.
Tailored Tunes for Every Moment: Personalizing the music experience for different situations enhances user engagement.
Seamless Ads for Better Experience: Balancing ad revenue with user experience requires unobtrusive ad placement to maintain user satisfaction.
