Spotify my Ride

The goal of the company bet, Spotify my Ride, was to accelerate growth of total Spotify mobile consumption in the car by combining a car-optimized multi-modal UX with personalization, content and marketing. We knew that a large percentage of cars in our primary market, the US, were 10+ years old and did not have the technology to support embedded listening. The design goal was to provide users with a safe and engaging Spotify experience for their drive by giving them more control through multi-modal voice & touch while also surfacing content relevant to their commute.

It’s important to note that any Spotify product intended for in-car use was legally required to undergo rigorous safety testing before release. We conducted testing in a high-fidelity car simulator equipped with advanced eye-tracking technology to ensure compliance with strict automotive regulations. Legally, a user cannot look at their phone for longer than two seconds while driving, so every interaction in our interface had to meet that threshold. This process was essential to certify the product’s safety and to bring any car-specific Spotify experience to market.

Research

We began the project with an in-depth diary study in Chicago, where I partnered with our lead researcher to observe real users in their natural environment—behind the wheel. By riding along in users’ cars, we were able to gain first-hand insight into how they interacted with Spotify while driving. What we saw was clear: multitasking was the norm, and using the standard Spotify app on the road posed a major safety concern. The interface was too cluttered, making it difficult to quickly find and play content without distraction.

Key Insight

This research shaped the foundation of our solution. We identified a need to streamline the in-car experience—reducing friction and simplifying search and playback. We also uncovered that for many users, defaulting to traditional radio was still common. This insight led to an early hypothesis: if we could replicate the radio experience through a blend of music and short-form news, we could better meet user expectations while modernizing the driving experience. This insight became the Spotify Daily Drive playlist.

AI Voice

In order to create an in-car experience that passed strict glanceability and driver distraction standards, we knew we couldn’t rely on conventional input methods like typed search—typing on a phone demands too much visual and cognitive attention. To address this, we took a voice-first approach, working closely with Spotify’s AI and machine learning teams to develop a custom voice interface that enabled users to search, browse, and play content safely while driving. This custom voice search became the foundation for what would later evolve into Spotify’s broader voice technology efforts.

While the original in-car product is no longer available, the underlying voice capabilities we helped develop now power several high-profile features across Spotify’s ecosystem, including Spotify DJ, Voice Interactions on Car Thing, and voice-enabled playlist generation. These technologies continue to support more natural and hands-free ways of navigating Spotify’s vast content library.

Spotify’s Top Shelf

During our in-car research, we discovered that users often wanted their favorite songs first—but struggled to find them quickly in the cluttered app. In response, I led the design of a highlighted Top Shelf, a prominent row of large, tappable tiles surfacing the users’ top five tracks. This design greatly improved visibility and ease of access to preferred content.

The introduction of Top Shelf markedly boosted engagement: Spotify noted a significant increase in listener volume from the shortcuts row, validating the design through online A/B testing. Within six months, models built atop Top Shelf showed a 26.7% increase in accuracy over heuristic-based recommendations, translating directly into more streams from the shelf area.