TIMELINE
06.2024 - 07.2024
ROLE
UI/UX Designer
TOOLS
TouchDesigner, Figma
Spotify Auras
OVERVIEW
Music identities made visible, resonant, & shared.
MY ROLE - UI/UX DESIGNER
Aura Sharing is a concept Spotify feature I designed to extend the platform’s personal connection to the user and spark more out-of-app conversation through individualized, creative audiovisuals (“auras”). This project taught me to find joy in experimenting with new tools and create something that sustains, heals, and empowers our communities.
Who it was for, and what I did
Aura Sharing is a solo concept I designed for a class, not a shipped Spotify feature. I ran it end to end over summer 2024.
Who it was for
Students who share music with friends, the same group I interviewed. They wanted a way to share and connect without leaving Spotify.
What I did
Everything, end to end: user interviews, the usability audit, lo-fi sketches, TouchDesigner visuals, the mid-fi and hi-fi prototypes, and user testing.
See it
Discover aura, a combination of all the music you listen to.
Share it
Integrated with the Jam feature to invite others and find others to play music with.
Safety First
Designed with accessibility in mind, including clear epilepsy and flashing-light warnings.
Research-
Problem
The Spotify profile feels isolating
and the app feels less social.
Interviewees wanted a way to connect with others without sharing through messaging
Try to make interactions with friends more convenient while maintaining genuine connections
The Goal
How might we enhance out of app conversation about music?
- Building a feature that brings people together - Making something to act as a melting pot of personality - Creating something unique and entertaining that sparks critical conversation
Key Features
TouchDesigner Visuals
I learned how to use TouchDesigner, a node-based visual programming platform that allowed me to make these visuals.
touchdesigner workspace ^^^
Onboarding & Warnings
I designed a set of onboarding and safety screens to introduce the feature to ensure the feature was both accessible and understandable.
Onboarding screens ^^^
accessibility warning ^^^
Lofis
I sketched eight directions, each answering a “How might we” question from research. Focus Mode and Song Synesthesia (circled) were the two I took forward, and together they became the aura visual player.
Workflow
The core flow: open the visual player from the lyrics tab, start a Jam, tap phones together, and watch both auras blend into one.
Mid-fis
Mid-fi screens for the four onboarding steps (introduce, see, share, combine), the aura visual player, and joining a friend’s Jam by tapping phones.
User Testing
Testing changed the entry point. In mid-fi, the aura star icon sat on the album art and felt off-brand; in hi-fi it moved into the player controls next to the device icon. [Add how many people tested and how.]
Hi-fi Prototype
The final hi-fi prototype, with the aura button now part of Spotify’s player controls.
Outcome
Aura Sharing is a concept, so nothing shipped. Here is what testing showed and how I’d judge it if it did.
What happened
Testing moved the aura entry point into Spotify’s control row so it reads as part of the app. [Add number of testers and one thing they said.]
How I’d measure success
How many listeners open the visual player, how many Jams start from an aura, and whether people share auras outside the app — the out-of-app conversation the project set out to spark.
Challenges & Takeaways
Successes
Deeper Connection to the music
This feature allows for users to bond more with their music. It means so much to some of us.
Connect with community and friends
Aura Sharing helps you find other like-minded music lovers.
Out of app conversation
Unlike other apps with audio visuals, Aura Sharing establishes a relationship with the user.
Constraints
My knowledge of prototyping and components has since grown much more and I would change many design choices now - 2026 Andrea
This feature attempts to connect people to each other through shared experience but Who gets left out? Does the algorithm reinforce mainstream taste? What if your music taste is shaped by a marginalized culture -does the aura honor that, strengthen it or dull it?
This project taught me how powerful speculative design can be as a tool for connection. By learning TouchDesigner, I found joy in experimenting - allowing emotion, play, and intuition to guide the process.
Designing Aura Sharing pushed me to think beyond in-app interactions and consider how digital experiences can spark conversation, intimacy, and community in the physical world.
This project taught me to embrace experimentation, design responsibly for accessibility, and critically question how algorithmic systems shape identity, culture, and belonging.