Apple Music: FRIENDS ACTIVITY
APPLE MUSIC: FRIENDS ACTIVITY
DURATION:
2 Months
2025
CONTEXT:
Apple Music Feature
UX/UI
ROLE:
Product Design
Interaction Design
TOOLS:
Figma
Apple Music
A 7-week project exploring how social listening can be more visible and integrated within Apple Music. This is a feature that lets users discover music through their friends’ real listening activity instead of algorithms.
A 7-week project exploring how social listening can be more visible and integrated within Apple Music. This is a feature that lets users discover music through their friends’ real listening activity instead of algorithms.
RESEARCH PROBLEM
RESEARCH PROBLEM
Why?
Apple Music does not clearly surface friends’ listening activity, making social discovery feel secondary and difficult to access.
Apple Music does not clearly surface friends’ listening activity, making social discovery feel secondary and difficult to access.
Research
Research
Industry Audit
Industry Audit
A comparative audit of social listening across major music platforms.
A comparative audit of social listening across major music platforms.
AUDIT FOCUS
AUDIT FOCUS
What?
While conducting a broader audit of music platforms, I narrowed my focus to how each platform supports social listening and shared music experiences.
How do users see what friends are listening to?
How is social activity surfaced?
How easy is it to interact with or act on that activity?
While conducting a broader audit of music platforms, I narrowed my focus to how each platform supports social listening and shared music experiences.
How do users see what friends are listening to?
How is social activity surfaced?
How easy is it to interact with or act on that activity?
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Spotify
Spotify surfaces social listening more clearly than Apple Music. On mobile, users can see and react to friends’ activity, while desktop maintains a persistent, real-time feed that reinforces a passive sense of shared listening.
Spotify surfaces social listening more clearly than Apple Music. On mobile, users can see and react to friends’ activity, while desktop maintains a persistent, real-time feed that reinforces a passive sense of shared listening.
SELF AUDIT
SELF AUDIT
Apple Music
Apple Music includes social features such as friend profiles and shared playlists, but these interactions are buried within account settings and secondary screens. As a result, social listening exists, but lacks visibility and immediacy within the core listening experience.
Apple Music includes social features such as friend profiles and shared playlists, but these interactions are buried within account settings and secondary screens. As a result, social listening exists, but lacks visibility and immediacy within the core listening experience.
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
INTERVIEW INSIGHTS
Who?
Five participants who regularly use music streaming platforms revealed that social listening only feels valuable when it's immediate and visible. Hidden features get forgotten. Users want music sharing to feel effortless and automatic — but with control over what others can see.
Five participants who regularly use music streaming platforms revealed that social listening only feels valuable when it's immediate and visible. Hidden features get forgotten. Users want music sharing to feel effortless and automatic — but with control over what others can see.
SYNTHESIS
SYNTHESIS
What I Found
PROBLEM STATEMENT
PROBLEM STATEMENT
What?
Apple Music does not clearly surface friends’ listening activity, making social discovery feel secondary and difficult to access. As a result, users who value shared listening are more likely to prefer platforms like Spotify.
Apple Music does not clearly surface friends’ listening activity, making social discovery feel secondary and difficult to access. As a result, users who value shared listening are more likely to prefer platforms like Spotify.
HOW MIGHT WE STATEMENTS
HOW MIGHT WE STATEMENTS
HMW?
How might we design a lightweight, visible, and contextual way for users to experience their friends’ listening activity in real time?
How might we make friends’ listening activity visible and effortless within Apple Music?
How might we prioritize close relationships to increase relevance?
How might we support passive sharing without added effort?
How might we design a lightweight, visible, and contextual way for users to experience their friends’ listening activity in real time?
How might we make friends’ listening activity visible and effortless within Apple Music?
How might we prioritize close relationships to increase relevance?
How might we support passive sharing without added effort?
Design
Design
With the problem defined, I explored how Apple Music could surface friends' listening activity without disrupting the existing experience.
With the problem defined, I explored how Apple Music could surface friends' listening activity without disrupting the existing experience.
Wireframes
Wireframes
I explored multiple interaction patterns to understand how friends’ listening activity could integrate naturally into the browsing experience. These variations tested visibility, placement, and interaction behavior to determine what feels intuitive without disrupting how users already engage with music.
I explored multiple interaction patterns to understand how friends’ listening activity could integrate naturally into the browsing experience. These variations tested visibility, placement, and interaction behavior to determine what feels intuitive without disrupting how users already engage with music.
THE SHIFT
THE SHIFT
Epiphany
Through my explorations, I kept running into the same wall — I was designing for visibility, not feeling. I stepped back and asked: What does it actually feel like to share music with someone you care about? That reframing changed everything.
Through my explorations, I kept running into the same wall — I was designing for visibility, not feeling. I stepped back and asked: What does it actually feel like to share music with someone you care about? That reframing changed everything.
Final Design
Final Design
The reframe led to a feature built around feeling — not just function. Friends' listening activity surfaces natively within Apple Music, using video and motion to make sharing feel personal, ambient, and alive.
The reframe led to a feature built around feeling — not just function. Friends' listening activity surfaces natively within Apple Music, using video and motion to make sharing feel personal, ambient, and alive.
Final Prototype
Final Prototype
More works