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While I was driving, I found myself constantly
changing the EQ settings in my car.
When I’m listening to a playlist with different genres from different artists, the same settings don’t work best for every song...
I thought to myself:
"What if every song came with a set of instructions on how to make it sound the best?"
Where/who should these
"instructions" come from?
To help me decide, I reached out to the people who know all about bringing the best out of a song: mixing and mastering engineers.
One of the interviews I conducted was with Tobias Donohue, a Cincinnati-based music producer who was the head sound engineer for Bootsy Collins.
I asked them about their process, if my idea made sense, and if there was any room in the mixing process to implement it.
They said they were excited about a potential
hardware solution, but wanted me to make sure a
software solution couldn’t do the same thing.
I looked into a software-only fix, but it couldn’t change the fact that every listening device is built and tuned differently.
I realized that to fix the sound, I had to fix the source. So, I decided to design headphones to solve a problem most brands ignore:
Modern headphones don't let us hear our music correctly.
They are tuned for brand identity, not authenticity.
Brands tune their hardware to create a signature sound that defines them, but this comes at a cost:
Whether it’s an emphasis bass or mid-range, these tonal inconsistencies mean listeners never hear the track the way it was finalized in the studio.
Authenticity is lost the moment a brand decides how our music should sound.
A pair of headphones worn during mixing & mastering and by music listeners.
I proposed a solution:
The more I refined the solution, the more I realized how vital music streaming would be to its success
Streaming serves as the bridge between the studio and the listener, offering a level of interaction that a hardware-only solution could never achieve alone.
Spotify was the service I found was most compatible with the idea.
With features like:
An integrated shop that lets artists offer limited-edition merch directly to their most dedicated fans.
An annual, recap that celebrates the relationship between listeners and their favorite songs/artists.
An event hub that connects fans to local shows and tickets the moment they discover a new artist.
Spotify is more than just streaming, it’s a social platform.
Since, my solution was about connecting listeners to authentic art, I wanted to use a platform that prioritized connection.
How would these Spotify Headphones work?
1. A song is mixed using Spotify
Headphones in the music studio.
2. This new mix, alongside the
original, are uploaded to Spotify.
3. Listeners connect their own
Spotify Headphones to a device.
4. Once the Spotify app is open,
it recognizes the Headphones.
5. Spotify plays the mix of the
song tuned for the Headphones.
Not a Remix, a Refresh.
For decades artists have released "remixed", versions of their songs with changes to style, production, and even the genre.
When an engineer "re-mixes" a song for the Spotify headphones, this is now called a Refresh.
Now, artists can release "Refreshed" versions of their music to provide a more authentic listening experience for fans.
Listeners get a listening experience free of brand bias
Listeners get to hear music the way the artist intended
Fans get to feel closer to their favorite artists
Listeners don't have to switch EQ settings for different songs anbd genres
Everybody Wins!
These Spotify headphones would enable more than just a better listening experience, they'd create a 3-way mutual relationship between listeners, artists/engineers and Spotify:
Artists get paid more for each stream on a Refreshed song
Artists get to provide their fans with a more authentic listening experience
Artists can release exclusive collab colorways for fans
Engineers see increased demand to make Refreshes
Spotify gains good press for paying artists more
Spotify gets more loyal users because of the exclusivity of Refreshed Mixes
Spotify builds an ecosystem with a loyal base
Spotify takes users from platforms lacking this feature
Drawing Out the DNA
To make the hardware and software feel like one seamless experience, I started with thumbnail sketches to explore forms that felt as curated and personal as Spotify does to its users.
Refining the Details
I took the most promising directions and began building out the details. This stage was about thinking through each concept and bringing them to life.
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Participants overwhelmingly stated that the sloped forms were the most comfortable to rotate and interact with. I kept this in mind when developing the final design.
Ergonomic Studies
I translated some of the final directions into 3D ergonomic test studies. I 3D printed a standard base and interchangeable rotating heads and conducted experiments on comfort.
UI for the Streaming Era
Streaming has also changed how we physically interact with our favorite tunes. We have come a long way from simply playing, pausing, rewinding and fast-forwarding through our libraries of music.
Today, when streaming, we perform actions such as:
Designing the UI
Keeping modern streaming in mind, I first designed the UI to be simple to understand. I chose to use a rotating dial and a central button on both sides to control everything.
The left side controls are Spotify-powered features and the right side has the standard headphone features.
With the finished prototype, I created a series of tests I asked participants to perform with the headset. The tests were used to compare what "felt natural" with my original plans.
The Results:
After tallying up everyone's results and notes, I compiled the data in Excel and found that:
Testing the User Interface
I built a rough working prototype of the button-dial
interaction using cardboard, ball bearings, and keyboard
caps for validation testing.
4 in 5 people said the volume and scrubbing interaction felt most natural with the dial.
2 in 5 people mentioned that three taps felt too much for any interaction.
3 in 5 people performed above 75 percent on memorizing the interaction in the final round.
5 in 5 people said they would never want an “unlike” feature due to accidental touches.
3 in 5 people said they would be okay with an auto shut off feature (if it was reliable).
5 in 5 people said that holding down a button should be how the headphones turn on.
Listing actions at random and asking participants to interact with the model in a way that feel most natural
Listing actions in order and asking participants to interact to see if anything changes
Providing the UI I originally designed, seeing if it was easy to remember, and comparing to their preferences
Finalizing the Form
Building the headphones in CAD was more straightforward than normal. Since most of the development was done physically, most iterations were for small details.
Color. Material. Finish
Spotify is well known for its frequent use of gradient across its graphic design language, this would serve as the main inspiration for the final headphone's CMF.
Color Shifting Inspiration
When brainstorming on translating Spotify's gradient into physical form, I found inspiration in the iridescent world of color-shifting auto paints and wraps.
Making the Models
I decided to make three final models. They all required days of 3D printing, sanding, filling, priming, painting and powdering, before the big assembly.
Testing the Colors
After experimenting in Keyshot with different paint materials and films, I used the strongest results as a reference when developing the finishes for the models.
After days of spraying spoons with primer and mica powders, I settled on these five color formulations.
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In-Context Photoshoot
Once the models were painted and polished, it was time to shoot them in action. I wanted to show how the design could pop or blend-in depending on the wearer.
Now, with the design finalized, user experience defined, and models finished, it's time to tie everything together with the...
Marketing
Campaign.
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The Name.
Spotify Tune got its name from every hand that touches them. From the mixing and mastering engineers who Refresh songs with them, to the Spotify user who covers them in stickers and tunes them to their personality.
A Style for Everyone.
Everyone marches to their own beat. That's why there's a Spotify Tune colorway for every personality: from subtle purple-shifted Eclipse to the punchy crimson-shifted Sunset.
The Personality Quiz!
Once Spotify Tune gets announced, Spotify users are prompted with a "What's Your Tune?" personality quiz in the app. The quiz consists of questions about their music tastes and listening habits and assigns them a colorway.
Please take
the quiz as
many times
as you'd like!
Please take the quiz as many times as you'd like!
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What's in the Box?
After ordering their pair, Spotify listeners are given a cohesive packaging experience. Each box comes with a pair of Tunes, color matching 3.5mm and USB-C cables, an iconic drawstring bag, and instructions that unfold into a flower.
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