uwischool
Understanding Users of Commercial Music Services
Jin Ha Lee and Rachel Price
Most of the literature on music users’ needs, habits, and interactions with music information retrieval (MIR) systems focuses on particular demographics or testing the usability of specific interfaces/systems. In order to improve our understanding of how users’ personalities and characteristics affect their needs and interactions with MIR systems, we conducted a qualitative user study across multiple commercial music services. Based on the empirical user data, we have developed seven personas. These personas offer a deeper understanding of the different types of MIR system users and the relative importance of various design implications for each user type. Implications for system design include a renegotiation of our understanding of desired user engagement, especially with the habit of context-switching, designing systems for specialized uses, and addressing user concerns around privacy, transparency, and control.
Understanding Users of Commercial Music Services
Jin Ha Lee and Rachel Price
Most of the literature on music users’ needs, habits, and interactions with music information retrieval (MIR) systems focuses on particular demographics or testing the usability of specific interfaces/systems. In order to improve our understanding of how users’ personalities and characteristics affect their needs and interactions with MIR systems, we conducted a qualitative user study across multiple commercial music services. Based on the empirical user data, we have developed seven personas. These personas offer a deeper understanding of the different types of MIR system users and the relative importance of various design implications for each user type. Implications for system design include a renegotiation of our understanding of desired user engagement, especially with the habit of context-switching, designing systems for specialized uses, and addressing user concerns around privacy, transparency, and control.