Wiktor Wdowiak | Apple Music on Google Nest Hub

Redesign

YEAR

2024

SERVICES

RESEARCH

DURATION

2 weeks

SUMMARY

I led a two-week redesign of the Apple Music app for Google Nest Hub to solve its core problem: a fragmented, feature-poor experience that felt disconnected from the Apple brand. The final solution is a simple, lightweight interface that aligns with Apple's design elegance while respecting the Nest Hub's hardware limitations.

SOLUTION

Apple Music Redesign

is a simple, lightweight interface tailored to the Google Nest Hub's hardware limitations. It reinforces Apple’s brand identity through minimalistic design, balancing functionality and elegance for an intuitive, clutter-free user experience.

SUCCESS METRICS

To ensure the redesign was successful,

I established three key metrics that would validate the solution:

Reduce Task Complexity

Decrease the number of taps required for core user flows

(e.g., playing a specific playlist from the home screen) by 30% to address user frustrations with navigation.

Decrease the number of taps required for core user flows

(e.g., playing a specific playlist from the home screen) by 30% to address user frustrations with navigation.

Wiktor Wdowiak

Increase Adoption Rate

Design for a 50% adoption rate of newly introduced essential features, like lyrics, which were a major pain point in the original app.

Wiktor Wdowiak

Improve Brand Cohesion

Achieve a 90%+ score in user testing when asking users if the "design feels like an authentic Apple product," bridging the brand gap.

Wiktor Wdowiak

CHALLENGE

Despite there being an Apple Music app on Nest Hub,

the Apple Music app lacked the distinct Apple “vibe” and brand coherence. It also lacked several essential features that one could expect from a music streaming service, impacting usability and engagement - especially since the competitors had these features.

The design felt out of place.

My Process in Brief

I followed a user-centered design process that included user research, competitor analysis, journey mapping, information architecture, wireframing, and prototyping to arrive at the final, validated solution.

04
DECISIONS

My research and analysis led me to three critical design decisions that shaped the final product:

Prioritize a minimalist “Apple-like” UI

What I did

I stripped back the interface to its essential components, using generous spacing, clean typography, and familiar Apple iconography.

I focused on a layout that was both resource-light for the Nest Hub's hardware and instantly recognizable as an Apple product.

I stripped back the interface to its essential components, using generous spacing, clean typography, and familiar Apple iconography.

I focused on a layout that was both resource-light for the Nest Hub's hardware and instantly recognizable as an Apple product.

Wiktor Wdowiak

Why it mattered

This directly addressed the core problem of brand dissonance and platform constraints.

It created a premium "vibe" that users expect from Apple, ensuring the app felt intentional,

not like an afterthought.

This directly addressed the core problem of brand dissonance and platform constraints.

It created a premium "vibe" that users expect from Apple, ensuring the app felt intentional,

not like an afterthought.

Wiktor Wdowiak

Simplify the Information Architecture

What I did

I restructured the IA around four key sections: Home, Library, Details, and Now Playing.

This flattened the navigation, making content accessible with minimal interaction.

I restructured the IA around four key sections: Home, Library, Details, and Now Playing.

This flattened the navigation, making content accessible with minimal interaction.

Wiktor Wdowiak

Why it mattered

User feedback pointed to a confusing and cluttered navigation. This new IA reduced cognitive load, allowing users to find their music effortlessly, which was a primary goal for both of my user personas (Maya and Michael).

Wiktor Wdowiak

Home

Recently Played

Top Picks for You

Library

Now Playing

Details

Play

Shuffle Play

Individual Play

Back

Now Playing

Library

Playlists

Albums

Mixes

Individual Albums

Home

Now Playing

Play/Pause

Repeat

Shuffle

Lyrics

Star

Recommended

Home

Splash Screen

Integrate high-demand features

What I did

I identified "lyrics display" as a critical missing feature through competitor analysis and user pain points. I designed a simple, non-intrusive user flow for turning lyrics on and off directly from the
"Now Playing" screen.

Wiktor Wdowiak

Why it mattered

This brought the app to feature parity with competitors on the platform and Apple Music on other platforms, directly solving a major user frustration and significantly enhancing the core listening experience.

Wiktor Wdowiak

Step 1

The user is on the Now Playing screen, showing basic song info (cover, album, title, artist) as well as brand new media controls (like/dislike, play/pause, previous/next, shuffle, repeat, lyrics) and recommended at the bottom.

Step 2

The users clicks on the Lyrics button and is presented with the lyrics.

User Flow:

Turning on Lyrics

LEARNINGS

Constraints drove my Creativity

The Nest Hub's limited processing power was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to be ruthless in my prioritization, focusing only on what truly mattered to the user. This reinforced the principle that a simpler, more focused product is often a better one.

Brand is an Experience, not just a Logo

Creating the "Apple vibe" was less about using the Apple logo and more about replicating the feeling of an Apple product—smooth, intuitive, and predictable. This project taught me to think of brand identity as an interactive principle that guides every design choice.

RESULTS

After some iteration,

the redesigned Apple Music app preserved Apple’s elegance while optimizing for the Nest Hub’s hardware. It balances simplicity with functionality, enabling smooth interactions without straining the device or user.

DISCLAIMER: The Apple logo and Apple Music logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. This project is an independent concept and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Apple Inc.

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