Spotify Onboarding & Offboarding
Redesign of Spotify's account onboarding and offboarding experience to make subscription sign-up and cancellation more transparent, ethical, and user-friendly.
The project
Spotify is one of the largest music streaming service providers, providing personalized services to millions of people each day. This study will examine the effects that onboarding and offboarding can have on trust, transparency, and autonomy within the process of subscription.
The challenge
The user faces barriers and emotional struggles when creating an account and unsubscribing from a service. The goal was to redesign these experiences in order to make them more ethical and user-friendly while still meeting Spotify's objectives.
User comments
It should be easier to cancel directly in the app.
I want to explore the platform before committing.
The solution
Our redesign of Spotify's onboard and offboard process focused on minimizing psychological friction, increasing transparency, and putting users in more control regarding their subscriptions and data. Our new product included: • Guest/Demo exploration • Subscription comparison • Cancellation ethics • Data transparency
The process
- 01Research
Understanding onboarding and cancellation friction
Research focused on identifying usability issues, emotional resistance and dark patterns across Spotify's subscription journey.
- 02Define
Framing the experience gaps
Defining the usability, transparency and decision-making issues affecting Spotify's subscription journey from onboarding to cancellation.
- 03Ideate
Shaping the experience
We transformed research insights into a more guided and flexible Spotify experience focused on exploration, informed decisions and seamless subscription management. Instead of pushing users directly into commitment, the redesigned flow introduces moments of discovery before subscription.
- 04Design
Designing the redesigned experience
High-fidelity screens covering the full redesigned Spotify journey — from brand foundations and explore mode to transparent plans, personalized setup, the 7-day Premium trial, flexible plan management and ethical cancellation.
Solution feedback
Being able to try the app without signing up removed all pressure.
I finally understood what plan I was paying for and why.