Designing with Empathy: Building Spotify User Personas
User personas are a core aspect of user experience (UX) design because they bring real, human-centered ideas into the design process. Personas are more than simple “profiles”—they are empathy tools that remind designers who they are creating for. There is no official method for creating personas, but there are standards that one should meet.
As Ben Le Ralph notes in Creating Personas, “user research should inform the layout — don’t let the layout constrain the research.”
For this project, I created comprehensive personas based on my earlier app research. I focused on Spotify, an app I use daily, to explore how two very different users interact with the same platform.
The Comprehensive Personas
I designed two personas:
Allison, “The Playlist Maker” — a graduate student and Premium subscriber who listens to her curated playlists daily.
First Impression of user “Allison”
Jonathan, “The Curious Commuter” — a young professional who uses Spotify to balance music and podcasts during commutes and work hours.
First Impression of user “Jonathan”
By looking at both personas side by side, we can see how different needs shape the way users interact with the same platform.
Their Motivation: Goals and Journey
Understanding goals and their journey there helps clarify why users engage with Spotify.
Understanding a user’s behavior is crucial for UX design. Both Allison and Jonathan are highly motivated personas, but for what reasons?
Allison builds playlists around moods and genres, valuing Spotify’s ability to store all her liked songs in one place. Her journey involves rotating through her own playlists, checking the Daily Mixes, and occasionally adding new songs she discovers on TikTok.
On the other hand, Jonathan relies heavily on discovery. He wants Spotify to introduce him to what’s new (whether music or podcasts). His journey can take many forms—phone on the subway, laptop at work, and speaker at home.
Though their goals differ, both rely on Spotify’s algorithms and personalized features to keep their experience fresh.
Influences and Environment
Both Allison and Jonathan are highly motivated users—Spotify is embedded into their daily routines. However, their experiences are shaped by different influences:
Allison is driven by TikTok music trends, the collaborative “Blend” playlist with her friends, and Spotify’s recommendation algorithm
Jonathan follows what’s trending on social media, listens to friends’ suggestions, and is influenced by Spotify’s curated, pre-made playlists
Context adds another layer.
Allison listens at home with AirPods in while studying, on the go in the car, and in the evenings, she plays upbeat music for multitasking
Jonathan listens with headphones during commutes, uses Spotify on his desktop at work for focus, and streams through a speaker at home
Takeaways: The Persona Design Experience
By creating Allison and Jonathan, I learned how personas uncover not just what users do, but why. Allison’s playlists represent routine and comfort, while Jonathan’s listening habits represent curiosity and discovery. Both are deeply engaged, but in different ways.
These differences highlight why Spotify succeeds: its flexibility satisfies users who crave repetition, discovery, podcasts, or social sharing. While hypothetical personas like these rely on assumptions rather than validated research, they remain powerful tools. Personas keep users visible during design discussions, ensuring that decisions prioritize real people instead of abstract features.
Ultimately, Allison and Jonathan are reminders that good design begins with empathy. Whether creating playlists or exploring podcasts, Spotify users want experiences that reflect their lives — and personas bring those experiences into focus.
Hi, I’m Allison!
I am a graphic and interactive designer, ready to craft strategy-driven and engaging designs for you now!