Resume

Title

Amazon Music Reimagined

Amazon Music Reimagined

More personal, more Rewarding

More personal, more Rewarding

Showed interest in earning and redeeming rewards.

Control Over Algorithm

“if i could get recommendations more suited to my music taste”

Emotional Connect

“More social features, ability to add notes, emotes, or react to songs with friends”

Suggestion Mode

Fine-tune recommendations in real-time for a personalized experience

Rewards & Loyalty Program

Exclusive perks, discounts and engagement-based rewards

What resonated most with the people?

Project Type

Product Design, Design Innovation, Prototyping

My Role

UX Researcher, UX Designer

Project Timeline

1 Month

Client

Amazon Music

Software Used

Figma, Adobe Premier

Amazon Music

Increasing retention/Strengthening loyalty

Amazon Music asked us to explore how the platform could improve user retention. Our goal was to redesign the mobile experience to make it more personal, engaging and emotionally rewarding. Our concept centered around user agency and music-based rewards and was chosen as the winning solution by Amazon Music.

View Complete Project

Title

View Prototype

Title

Problem Statement

Amazon Music lacked emotional connection with its users. They found the recommendations inaccurate, the experience emotionally flat, and the overall platform uninspiring. Many used it simply because it came with Prime, not because they loved it.

How might we design an experience that builds loyalty, reflects user identity and makes people want to come back?

How might we design an experience that builds loyalty, reflects user identity and makes people want to come back?

Our Team

Sakshi Rane (ME!), Shreya Lohakare, Radhika Balaji, Nabhi Shah - Team 565 Collective

Sakshi Rane (ME!), Shreya Lohakare, Radhika Balaji, Nabhi Shah - Team 565 Collective

Process For The Solution

We surveyed 50 + users and conducted 10 interviews. Themes we heard :

Key Pain
Points

  1. No control over recommendations

  2. No feedback or recognition from the system

  3. No connection between music and identity

  4. No meaningful reason to return daily

Our Solution

Before narrowing in on our final solution, we explored a range of feature concepts, each aimed at addressing a different facet of user retention, emotional engagement and brand loyalty. Here’s a look at the ideas we tested:

Gamified Rewards

Users could earn "Listening Points" for time spent streaming and redeem them for artist merchandise, concert tickets, or VIP perks.

Music Journal

This feature let users pick how they got music suggestions through trending, sound match, or smart picks, making discovery more personal and in their control

Mood Concept

We also looked into syncing with wearable devices like Fitbit to detect mood or activity. The app could then suggest playlists to match physical or emotional statescurating music to suit your energy

Suggestion Mode

This feature let users pick how they got music suggestions through trending, sound match, or smart picks, making discovery more personal and in their control

Why we chose Suggestion Modes and Rewards System

Suggestion Mode

Suggestion Modes empowers users with a sense of control. It improves discovery through transparency and personalization, and offers a scalable tech solution that differentiates Amazon music from competitors aligning people and technology

What’s Trending – Based on users

Sound Match – Genre/mood-driven

Smart Suggest – A hybrid experience

Rewards & Loyalty System

Rewards & Loyalty combines user motivation with Amazon’s e-commerce power. IT increases retention by making users feel recognized, while encouraging purchases and deeper engagement aligning people and business value.

Earn points for time spent, playlist creation, and music discovery

Redeem points for artist merchandise and exclusive drops

Visual dashboard with progress and rewards

Together, these two features formed a product experience that felt personal, rewarding, and distinctly Amazon. They struck the right balance between user value and business advantage.


What We Designed

Suggestion Mode

Rewards & Loyalty

Why it's good for Amazon

Daily Engagement

Premium Subscription

Strengthen Ecosystem

Recommendation Quality

A sign white icon

Drives daily Engagement

The reward system introduces a gamified habit loop that keeps users returning to maintain progress.

A sign white icon

Micro Rewards

Micro-rewards for actions like discovering new songs or completing playlists make daily use feel satisfying.

Outcome

We created a winning mobile experience for the Amazon Music Design Challenge that boosted music discovery, gamified exploration, and linked listening to merch—earning praise from Amazon Music’s exec team.

Icon

Encourages Social Sharing & Virality

Referral rewards encourage users to invite friends. Community challenges create organic social buzz.

Icon

Encourages Social Sharing & Virality

Referral rewards encourage users to invite friends. Community challenges create organic social buzz.

Icon

High Impact Due to Listening Behavior

46% of users play a single track instead of a playlist, relying heavily on the algorithm for the next song.

Icon

High Impact Due to Listening Behavior

46% of users play a single track instead of a playlist, relying heavily on the algorithm for the next song.

Mobile Image
Icon

A Psychological Effect on Users

Gives users the sense that the algorithm is tailored specifically for them rather than passively accepting its suggestions with no choice.

Icon

A Psychological Effect on Users

Gives users the sense that the algorithm is tailored specifically for them rather than passively accepting its suggestions with no choice.

Increases Retention & Customer Lifetime Value

A tiered system keeps users coming back to maintain their status (e.g., Prime vs. Unlimited).

Increases Retention & Customer Lifetime Value

A tiered system keeps users coming back to maintain their status (e.g., Prime vs. Unlimited).

Psst! Are you on your phone?

This screen’s a bit too tiny for the full story.


Why can’t I see the full case study?!

Because your phone is too smol.

Why can’t I see the full case study?!

Because your phone is too smol.

👉🏼 Switch to a bigger screen for the real behind-the-scenes of this project full of messy sketches, big ideas, and some aha! moments.

What I Took Away

Emotional Connections

This project taught me that people return to a product when they feel like it sees them. Small touches like choosing your discovery mode or getting a reward for listening can turn a utility into a relationship.

Aligning User Needs with Business Goals

This project taught me that people return to a product when they feel like it sees them. Small touches like choosing your discovery mode or getting a reward for listening can turn a utility into a relationship.

Design That Brings People Back

This wasn’t just a design challenge it was a reminder that the best products are the ones that understand people, reward them for their time, and give them something to come back for.