Creative Research Approaches at Spotify

Spotify has adopted innovative research methods, particularly through the implementation of personas in user experience design to better understand their diverse user base. The initiative to create personas began in early 2017 when the team identified a lack of consistent user understanding, resulting in varied perspectives among departments. By establishing empirically-grounded personas, the aim was to facilitate empathy within and outside the design team, making it easier for all teams—including developers and product managers—to align around a common user understanding. This flexibility allowed personas to be integrated into different project workflows, ensuring they remained relevant in a rapidly evolving organizational landscape.