Towards a New Interface for Music Listening: A User Experience Study on YouTube

In light of the enduring success of music streaming services, it is noteworthy that an increasing number of users are positively gravitating toward YouTube as their preferred platform for listening to music. YouTube differs from traditional music streaming services in that they provide a diverse range of music-related videos as well as soundtracks. However, notwithstanding the surge in the platform's utilization as a music consumption tool, there is a lack of thorough research on the phenomenon. To investigate its usability and interface satisfaction as a music listening tool, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 users who listen to music through YouTube more than three times a week. Our qualitative analysis found that YouTube has five main meanings for users as a music streaming service: 1) exploring musical diversity, 2) sharing unique playlists, 3) providing visual satisfaction, 4) facilitating user interaction, and 5) allowing free and easy access. We also propose wireframes of a video streaming service for better audio-visual music listening in two stages: search and listening. By these wireframes, we offer practical solutions to enhance user satisfaction with YouTube for music listening. It has implications not only for YouTube but also for other streaming services for music.