Dear Spotify, can we just get a table of songs? (neil.computer)

Article summary

The article discusses the author's frustration with Spotify's desktop app, specifically the search results interface, which they find to be cluttered and unfunctional. The author compares it to the simplicity of iTunes and expresses their desire for a simple table of songs. The article also touches on the idea that many tech companies, including Spotify, prioritize engagement and profit over user experience. The author believes that a functional interface should be a priority, and they propose the idea of a

Main themes

• Poor user interface design
• Prioritization of engagement and profit
• Streaming services and piracy
• Functionalism vs. algorithm-driven interfaces
• Dark patterns and manipulative design
• User experience and convenience trade-offs
• Tech companies and user needs

What commenters say

• Some users prefer a simple and functional interface, such as a table of songs, over the current cluttered and algorithm-driven interfaces of streaming services.
• The prioritization of engagement and profit over user experience is a common issue among tech companies, including Spotify and Netflix.
• Forced interoperability and open APIs could potentially solve the problem of poor user interfaces by allowing users to choose their own presentation layer.
• Piracy can sometimes offer a better user experience than legitimate streaming services, which can be frustrating for users who want to support creators but are driven away by poor interfaces.
• The design choices of streaming services may be intended to hide the limitations of their catalogs, rather than providing a good user experience.
• Some users feel that the current interfaces of streaming services are so bad that they are willing to consider piracy or alternative services, even if it means giving up some convenience.
• The use of dark patterns and manipulative design elements can be seen as a deliberate attempt to control user behavior and increase engagement, rather than providing a good user experience.
• There is a trade-off between the convenience of streaming services and the quality of the user experience, with some users prioritizing one over the other.