My Role

Strategy Lead

Strategy Deliverables

  • Discovery

  • Audience Strategy

  • Content Strategy

  • Information Architecture

  • Experience Principles

  • Page Briefs

  • Wireframes

SFA's Story

Spotify for Authors is Spotify's creator platform for audiobook authors and publishers, providing tools to publish, grow audiences, and better understand performance. As Spotify expanded into audiobooks, it needed an experience that felt unmistakably Spotify while serving an entirely new creator ecosystem.

The Ask

Define the strategic foundation for Spotify for Authors, including audience strategy, content strategy, information architecture, page strategy, and wireframes that would guide the launch of the new platform. The engagement also included supporting the broader brand rollout alongside creative, content, and motion teams.

The Challenge

Unlike Spotify's existing creator platforms, audiobook creators represent multiple audiences with different goals, from self-published authors to publisher-represented authors and enterprise publishers. The experience needed to clearly communicate the platform's value, support distinct user journeys, and establish a scalable foundation that could evolve alongside a rapidly growing product.

Understanding Our
Audience

Spotify for Authors serves multiple audiences with distinct goals and needs. I established an audience framework for self-published authors, publisher-represented authors, and publishers, creating a strategic foundation that informed every decision throughout the project.

Key Insights

Authors remained the primary audience, but their paths to success differed depending on whether they published independently or through a publisher.

Publisher-represented authors occupied a unique middle ground, requiring the experience to acknowledge both the author's goals and the publisher relationship.

Publishers approached the platform from an operational perspective, prioritizing catalog management, analytics, and business growth over personal audience building.

Despite differing goals, every audience shared a common objective: growing their reach through Spotify. This insight ultimately informed a benefit-driven experience rather than separating the site by audience type.

Information Architecture

Spotify for Authors serves multiple audiences with distinct goals and needs. I established an audience framework for self-published authors, publisher-represented authors, and publishers, creating a strategic foundation that informed every decision throughout the project.

Why a benefit-driven IA?

  • Prioritized the platform's core value before audience segmentation.

  • Reduced friction by allowing users to explore based on their goals rather than their role.

  • Created a scalable navigation model that could grow alongside future product features.

  • Maintained a dedicated pathway for publisher-specific functionality without overwhelming authors.

Experience Principles

With the site structure established, I defined four experience principles to guide every decision that followed. These principles aligned content, design, and messaging around a shared vision, ensuring the experience remained consistent as the product and brand continued to evolve.

Be Trustworthy

Build confidence through transparency, proof points, and authentic storytelling.

Be Clear

Communicate value through concise messaging and intuitive content hierarchy.

Be Discoverable

Help users quickly find relevant information through clear navigation and contextual pathways.

Be Integrated

Create seamless connections between product features, supporting resources, and the broader Spotify ecosystem.

Content Strategy

With the site structure and experience principles established, I developed a content strategy that translated high-level goals into actionable page definitions. Rather than approaching each page independently, I created a repeatable framework that outlined its purpose, audience needs, key messaging, desired actions, and supporting content before wireframing began. This ensured every page served a clear role within the overall user journey.

With every page strategically defined, the wireframes became an exercise in bringing those decisions to life rather than exploring what each page should do.

Wireframing

With the strategic foundation in place, I developed wireframes that brought the experience to life. Rather than exploring layouts in isolation, each page was intentionally built to reinforce the information architecture, experience principles, and content strategy established throughout the project. This created a cohesive system that could support future growth while providing clear pathways for each audience.

Final Experience

The strategic work established a shared foundation for design, content, and development, resulting in a scalable experience that introduced Spotify for Authors to a new audience while remaining true to the broader Spotify ecosystem. From landing pages and feature templates to onboarding and publisher experiences, every page was designed to reinforce the platform's value and guide users toward meaningful next steps.

Xiomara Bovell, Brand Marketing Manager, Spotify

“Your team were such amazing (and patient) creative partners. Our gorgeous website and brand assets are finally out in the world — we truly could not have done it without you!”

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