COMPANY: Sonos, renowned for its superior hi-fi audio products and seamless user experience, stands at the intersection of innovation and design.
Project: This project, undertaken as part of my UX/UI Ironhack bootcamp, aims to refine the app’s interface, focusing on four or the screens to enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
My Role
Heuristic Analysis
UI Design
Usability Testing
Timeline
2 days
Platform
iOS
Introduction:
Sonos, renowned for its superior hi-fi audio products and seamless user experience, stands at the intersection of innovation and design. However, the Sonos app, essential for daily interactions, presents usability challenges that detract from the brand's user-centric ethos. This project, undertaken as part of my UX/UI Ironhack bootcamp, aims to refine the app’s interface, focusing on the "My Sonos," "System," "Currently Playing" overlay, and "Settings" screens to enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
Problem Identification:
Despite Sonos’ excellence in product design and audio quality, the app's usability and aesthetic appeal fall short of expectations. The current interface, with its unconventional menu system and dated aesthetic, hinders user engagement and fails to leverage the full potential of Sonos' audio systems, especially for Android users reliant on the app for music streaming integration.
Screenshots from the current app (as of Dec 2023)
App redesigned
Strategic Approach
The heuristic evaluation of the Sonos app revealed redundant functionalities across its music browsing features, indicating a need for a streamlined information architecture. Acknowledging the exercise's scope to redesign based on UI heuristics, the project nevertheless embraced a comprehensive approach, incorporating competitive analysis and design trends to inform aesthetic choices and usability improvements.
Solution Develoment
To address the identified usability concerns, the app’s information architecture was restructured, consolidating duplicated music-related features into a single "Music Library" page. A "Home Screen" was introduced to provide users with a quick overview of the system’s status and key functionalities, aligning the app more closely with user expectations and Sonos’ product ecosystem.
The information architecture was revised.
Gathering information about Sonos design from their website.
Visual competitive analysis
design & testing
Informed by the brand's website palette and current design trends moving away from flat design towards depth effects and neumorphism, the redesign aimed to harmonize the app’s visual identity with Sonos' brand aesthetics. Usability testing with five participants revealed mixed feedback on specific UI elements like the night mode and voice enhancement buttons, highlighting the importance of clear iconography.
NEXT STEPS
Further development of the Sonos app redesign would benefit from in-depth user perception interviews, broader usability and desirability testing, and engagement with the Sonos product design team. Understanding the long-term goals of the Sonos brand and how the app contributes to the overall user experience will be crucial for aligning the redesign with the company’s vision and user expectations.
Challenges and Lessons Learned
The project underscored the complexity of redesigning an app without comprehensive insights into the original design's business strategy and user research. The heuristic evaluation provided a valuable starting point, but user testing revealed the nuanced preferences and understanding of app functionalities, emphasizing the need for iterative design and extensive user engagement.
Conclusion
This exercise in redesigning the Sonos app highlights the potential to enhance user interaction through thoughtful design interventions. By focusing on usability improvements and aesthetic refinement, the project aims to elevate the Sonos app experience, ensuring it reflects the quality and innovation synonymous with the Sonos brand, ultimately fostering a more intuitive and enjoyable daily user interaction with their audio systems.