UX Design: Last.fm
The Brief
Last.fm's users report they check the app once a week at most. We want to add a feature that will increase user engagement.
Results
Usage times increased in testing, website users were interested in mobile app adoption, and current users believed they'd see at least 100% increase in overall engagement
My Role
UX Designer
Abstract
Last.fm is a popular music website that allows users to automatically track their listening habits, learn about new music, and discover new events coming to their town. Right now, Last.fm's users look at the mobile app once a week if they use it at all. We want to change that.
To increase user engagement, I created a new feed on the app that utilized existing data and social networking infrastructure to make Last.fm an app worth opening every day. The "Friends" feed not only displays what your friends are listening to, but it allows users to interact with each other. In testing with current Last.fm users, I saw an increase in user interest and the users themselves believed they would use the app at least twice as much as they currently do.
Discovery
Research
Last.fm was created as a social network and still has some of that framework on its desktop site, but not on its mobile app. Users can only engage with themselves here, and if they know what they're listening to, they won't open the app as often.
Above: screens from the current iteration of Last.fm's mobile app.
For a competitive analysis, I looked at other entities in the landscape that have a social element.
Fully integrated with Last.fm
Yearly rundown of listening habits
You can be friends with other users and message them
Users can make collaborative playlists
Social-based listening app, closest to Last.fm in terms of what the product offers
Users can add friends and make graphics to show off their taste on social media
All communication is targeted at colleges and campus life
Social game connected to Spotify, users make a collaborative playlist and vote on their favorite song
Has ability to play with friends and share in the music experience
Discussion has to take place off app
User Interviews
20 current Last.fm users were surveyed about their habits and their feelings toward the product
5 of those were selected at random for detailed one-on-one interviews
100%
Describe listening to music as a "social activity"
0%
83%
Hold a favorable opinion of Last.fm
17%
"I use Last.fm because it's tracked all of my listening for two decades, but I check it once a week at most."
"When I talk to my friends about Spotify, it feels like we're all getting the exact same recommendations."
"I'm more interested in the music my friends are listening to than hearing music I might like."
Conclusions
Companies see music as a social product but they're more than willing to let someone else host that discussion
Those surveyed were mostly unaware of the social aspects, meaning that repackaging them can feel fresh
Interview subjects mentioned that their discovery algorithms don't feel accurate, what if we presented them with a feed of info rather than making guesses?
Definition
Problem Statements
Listening to music and sharing that experience is a community activity, but the Last.fm app experience is isolated
Users love recommendations for new music or events, but they do not like it when those recs are inaccurate or feel impersonal
KPIs
Survey respondents averaged one session a week on Last.fm, but the amount of time each person spends on the website varied from user to user. I wanted to add sessions more than increase the amount of time spent on the site, but I think more sessions on the site will lead people to learning more about what Last.fm has to offer.
Concept
Last.fm's mobile app is restricted to one user, but music is culture: It's art and a social event. A feed dedicated to a user's community would build on data and community features we already have while enriching the mobile experience.
Feature List
Essential
Friend listening activity in feed
Specific listening and general listening breakdowns (Think albums and artists vs. genres)
Listening-based recommendations
Should Have
Proximity-based recommendations for live events based on listening habits
Commenting on user activity
Sending music to friends
Nice To Have
Collaborative playlists
Groups/Forums
Reintroducing: Obsessions
When considering features, I wanted to bring back Obsessions. These are sort of like Facebook's statuses or tweets, but they're just a song that you're obsessed with, with no commentary. It's an old-school feature, but adding it to the feed allows for some user interactivity that isn't there now.
User Flows
Design
I wanted to show users a reality that's already possible with the data they submit to Last.fm every time they listen to music. Using current data, I was able to construct a feed with interesting insights and new places to explore in the database.
High Fidelity Wireframes
Testing
Testers are all current Last.fm users
10 testers in total: Five for mid fidelity prototype, five for high fidelity prototype
Determine what should be on the Friends feed
Evaluate user attitudes around a reintroduction of social features on Last.fm
Learn more about how users explore this app
Users will take a guided tour of the Last.fm Friends Feed
Users will explore the feed for themselves
Users will take a survey of their thoughts and feelings at the end of their testing
Conclusions
Users explored the feed without prompting or direction, meaning they found it intuitive and found it worth perusing
100% of testers believed they'd use the social capabilities of the app to talk to friends either on or off the app, which feels like a win
Last.fm is a unique product already, adding something like this makes it feel even more unique
Select quotes:
"With the data that Last.fm has, I don't know why they don't have something like this. It seems like a no-brainer."
"…This is the kind of thing I'd much rather see than the recommendations I get on Spotify."
Testing didn't lead to many suggestions for improvement and I think that's a product of being presented with a brand new feature that users hadn't considered. That being said, of the few suggestions I got, here are the ones I'd most likely implement:
Calendar integration with events suggested from the app
Add Obsessions to a playlist queue
A major consideration I hadn't made was how users' profiles would look. Currently, you cannot see another user's profile from your app, and your own profile page just takes you to your settings. On the left, I've mocked up a potential profile page that gives some recent activity, overall stats, and a user's current Obsession.
One thing that really excited me about this project was the ability to use framework that already existed and re-integrating it for a new audience. I saw how excited users were about this and I loved being able to tell them that this was already possible. I think it's great to know a product so well that you can find new ways to show off the data you already have.
I know that a lot of UX design focuses on identifying and solving problems, and while I do see this as a solution, I think it makes more sense as a way to augment users' current experiences rather than solve their problems. Augmenting the experience is what Last.fm was built on, and I think that evolving the product would make users eager to use it rather than stay passive like they are now.
Jay Papandreas
Denver, CO
2025
Jay Papandreas, 2025, all rights reserved