Youtube music circle

Hear it. Share it. Feel it.

Youtube Music Circle brings a social rhythm to YouTube Music - letting users share, react, and connect through every beat they love.

  • Role: UX Designer & Researcher
    Project Type: Personal Project
    User Group: Music Streamers, Social Media Users, Content Sharers
    Duration: 3 Months
    Tools: Figma, FigJam
    Skills Applied: UX Research · Interaction Design · Wireframing · Prototyping · Feature Design · Usability Testing

  • Design a lightweight social layer for YouTube Music that makes listening feel more shared, spontaneous, and emotionally connected without interrupting the core music experience.

  • In user testing, 80% of participants said Music Circle made YouTube Music feel more personal and engaging.
    70% reported they’d be more likely to share songs directly through the app rather than switching to other platforms like Instagram or iMessage.

  • Competitive Analysis

    User Interviews

    Affinity Mapping

    Persona Development

    Feature Set Definition

    User Flow Mapping

  • Adding social features to a solo-first platform meant designing connection without disruption. I had to balance visibility, timing, and emotional feedback, making sharing feel natural, not intrusive.

  • As the sole UX Designer and Researcher, I led the project from concept to prototype, conducting user research, mapping flows, and designing wireframes to embed seamless social features into YouTube Music without disrupting the core experience.

  • Young adults (18–30) who stream music daily

    Socially engaged users who already share songs via messaging apps

    YouTube Music subscribers seeking a more connected, community-driven experience

    Music discovery enthusiasts who value recommendations from friends

    Casual listeners who want lightweight interaction without switching platforms

Where Social Listening Comes to Life

  • Now Playing: See what friends are listening to live for instant, shared discovery.

  • Trending in Circle: Highlights top tracks among friends to spark social listening.

  • Add to Circle: Quickly share songs with friends from the Add button, live or intentionally.

  • Reverbs from Friends: View a real-time feed of shared tracks for connected discovery.

  • Live Friend Playlists: Tune into what your circle is playing now and explore together.

  • Collaborative Playlists: Build playlists together in real time for a shared music vibe.

  • Effortlessly reverb any song with one tap—share your vibe instantly, without leaving the screen. Turn listening into a real-time conversation.

  • Your social music profile highlights what you're into, tracks your reverbs and repeats, and lets you connect with friends through shared music moments.

Approach

User Interviews Summary

I conducted 5 remote 1:1 interviews (ages 19–33) with YouTube Music users, including casual listeners, playlist creators, and music sharers, to uncover social listening patterns and platform gaps—click here to view the interview guide.

The Connector

I created a persona to guide features around social sharing, friend activity, and music discovery.

Key Insights

  • YouTube Music feels isolated. Users want social features but can’t connect or see what others are listening to.

  • No native sharing = missed connection: Users had to leave the app to share music, making the experience clunky and reducing in-app engagement.

  • Limited discovery through friends: Users wanted to expand their taste by seeing what friends listen to, but YouTube Music lacks a social layer to enable it.


  • Maya Thompson
    Age: 20 | Location: Chicago, IL | Occupation: UX Copywriter

    About:
    Maya listens to music 2–3 hours/day, mostly on mobile during commutes and evenings. She regularly shares songs through DMs or Instagram, but finds it inconvenient to leave the app just to connect with others.

    Goals:

    • Discover new music through trusted friends

    • Share songs without switching apps

    • Feel socially connected while listening

    Frustrations:

    • Sharing music feels clunky and disconnected

    • No visibility into what friends are listening to

    • Recommender systems often miss the nuance of her taste

    Quote:
    "Music is how I connect with people—I just wish the apps made that part easier."

Affinity Map

Used an affinity map to uncover key patterns and pain points from user interviews.

Takeaways

  • YouTube Music lacks native social features, making sharing feel disconnected. Users want a seamless way to see, share, and explore music with friends—all within the app.

Conducted a competitive analysis to identify gaps in social music features and uncover opportunities for differentiation.

Goals

Defined shared goals across user needs, business growth, and project vision to guide a seamless social music experience.

    • Introduce a native social layer within YouTube Music

    • Boost discovery through friend-driven interaction

    • Design a lightweight, intuitive experience that fosters connection without disrupting listening

    • Leverage YouTube’s community strengths to enrich the music experience

    • Increase user engagement and session duration within YouTube Music

    • Reduce dependence on external platforms for sharing and discovery

    • Differentiate the platform by embedding social connection

    • Boost retention through deeper emotional investment

    • Discover music through friend activity

    • Feel connected without interrupting listening flow

    • Track shared songs in one centralized, intuitive space

    • Make listening more interactive and emotionally connected

    • Boost in-app engagement and reduce drop-off

    • Foster community without overwhelming the user

    • Balance connection and simplicity to enhance user flow

Feature Set

I designed a social-first feature set to let users share and discover music seamlessly within their network.

User Flow

I created a streamlined user flow that keeps sharing, discovery, and listening all within the YouTube Music experience.

Low Fidelity Wireframes

Iteritations

After usability testing, I implemented targeted UI updates to improve content visibility and reduce friction around social interactions, ensuring a smoother and more engaging experience.

Before

Song Search

After

UI KIT

Before, the interface felt flat and transactional; after refining it with card-based layouts, visual hierarchy, and clearer share actions, it became more intuitive, social, and emotionally engaging.

User Profile

High Fidelity Wire Frames

The original profile layout was dense and repetitive, making social activity easy to miss. I redesigned it with a clear user banner and a dedicated “Reverbed by you” section, creating a more scannable, engaging, and socially-driven experience.

Before

After

Final High Fidelity User Testing

Usability Testing Objective

Validate the usability and emotional impact of the Music Circle feature, ensuring users could engage socially without disrupting the core listening flow.

Key Findings

  • Familiar feel: Users immediately understood Music Circle as a space for social listening.

  • Discovery boost: Shared songs encouraged exploration outside typical tastes.

  • Minor confusion: Some icons (e.g., share vs. save) caused hesitation.

Takeaways

  • Intuitive Design Matters: A familiar interaction model made the feature instantly usable with minimal learning curve.

  • Social Sharing Drives Discovery: Users were more open to exploring new music when it came from friends.

  • Clarity Is Key: Even small ambiguities in icons impacted confidence. Clear visuals and labels are critical.

The Outcome

Music Circle reimagines YouTube Music as a connected, social experience where discovery is driven by community, not just algorithms.

Through user research, iterative wireframing, and high-fidelity prototyping, I built a concept that users found both intuitive and compelling. They loved seeing what friends were listening to, exploring trending tracks in their circle, and contributing to shared playlists all without interrupting their listening flow.

This project proved that lightweight social design, when done with care, can deepen engagement and turn a solo activity into a space for connection and conversation.

Case Studies

Aura Voice

Jet Set Airways

Vow Venue

Cake Palette