noted

Personalized Playlists

February 2021

Article credits

Spotify Design Team

This 3x3, we spoke to three Spotify Product Designers whose job it is to craft listening experiences. We got them to tell us, in three sentences or less, the secret to making playlists unique to each listener.

What makes a great personalized playlist?

Mat Budelman

Senior Product Designer

Combine 3 oz of popular songs from your favorite genre with 1 oz of your recent listening. Add 2 dashes of songs you’ve never heard before and stir until fully combined. Pour into a playlist, garnish with hand-drawn cover art, and share with a friend.

Rachel Knoll

Senior Product Designer

A great personalized playlist produces a reliable solution with minimal effort — an upbeat tempo that powers your run, a welcoming vibe that puts guests at ease, or a knowing nostalgia that scores your drive home. It should meet you where you’re at and never force you to regret pressing play.

Ian VanNest

Product Designer

Almost any time we talk to a user, they end up telling us some variation of, “My taste in music is so weird. I like a little of this, a little of that, and something completely different.” Great personalized playlists reflect every user’s uniquely weird tastes, make them feel like they have a home on Spotify, and hopefully help them broaden their horizons even further.

Credits

Spotify Design Team

We're a cross-disciplinary team of people who love to create great experiences and make meaningful connections between listeners and creators.

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