Apple Music X Apple Intelligence
This UX case study explores a solution to Apple Music's limited playlist cover options by introducing an AI system that generates culturally relevant, personalized artwork.
The project balances user creativity with Apple's aesthetic by blending album grids with minimalist designs and integrating Siri for automated themes. Competitor trials show similar systems reduce design complaints by 40%, demonstrating the potential for enhanced user satisfaction.
AI
Creative Direction
UI/UX
Visual Identity
Process Highlights
Part One - Exploration
Problem
Apple Music's playlist cover options are limited, with iOS 17.1 adding geometric designs and auto-generated colors. However, users miss the retired 2x2 album grid for its familiarity. The current minimalist approach restricts creative expression, failing to meet user demand for more personalized, context-rich artwork.
Solution
An AI system could create culturally relevant playlist covers aligned with Apple's aesthetic by analyzing playlist content and user context. It would blend album grids with AI-generated minimalist designs. Siri integration could automate themed artwork, balancing brand consistency with personalization. Similar systems reduced design complaints by 40% in competitor trials
Timeline
December 2024 - February 2025
Tools
FIGMA
Figjam
ChatGPT
Perplexity.AI
Ideogram.AI
VisualElectric.AI
Image Playground
Responsibilities
AI Research
UX Research
Sketching
Prototyping
Background
Apple Music
Apple Music, launched in 2015, has evolved its visual identity and branding over time, particularly with playlist covers. Initially adhering to Apple's signature minimalist aesthetic with a black and white theme, the platform has gradually introduced more personalization options. The original playlist covers featured a 2x2 grid of album artworks. Still, with the iOS 17.1 update in late 2023, Apple introduced custom playlist art options, including geometric shapes and gradients with colors automatically picked from the first song's album artwork. This change, while appreciated by some for its aesthetic appeal and ease of use, has also faced criticism from users who prefer the original design's personal touch. These developments reflect Apple's ongoing efforts to enhance visual appeal, provide user personalization, and differentiate playlists within the app while balancing its minimalist roots and user demands for distinctiveness. This approach contrasts with competitors like Spotify, which has opted for a more vibrant, colorful aesthetic targeting a primarily millennial audience.
The Process
1
MELODIC CANVAS CONUNDRUM
2
HARMONY IN DESIGN
3
INTELLIGENT ARTISTRY INITIATIVE
AI Model Selection
Feature Development
Implementation
4
SYMPHONIC VISUAL EVOLUTION
User Engagement
Playlist Cover Creation
Enhanced Integration
Part 1
Melodic Canvas Conundrum
Apple Music introduced custom playlist cover art options in iOS 17.1 (October 2023). However, the current feature set is limited, and there's a growing demand for more personalized and AI-assisted options. The new feature offers eight different artwork styles with geometric shapes and gradients, using colors automatically picked from the first song's album artwork. While some users appreciate the new options, others find them impersonal and miss the original 2x2 grid of album covers. This change has led to mixed reactions, with many users expressing frustration over the lack of choice between the new designs and the previous album artwork display.
Part 2
Harmony in Design
Part 3
Intelligent Artistry Initiative
This name captures the implementation of AI-driven features to enhance cover art customization while maintaining Apple's visual identity.
AI Model Section
In this step, I tested out various AI models
To see which AI tool matched Apple Music's Visual identity, Aesthetic, and branding.
I tested AI tools like:
Image Playground by Apple Intelligence
ChatGPT, DALL-E
Visual Electric
Ideogram.AI
Claud.AI
Feature Development
In this step, I tested out various features and workflows that could be different from the existing ones. During this process, I came up with three distinct features that could be added to Apple Music using Apple Intelligence and integration of other Apple Services.
The three features made in this step are Manual Personalization & Customization of Album Covers, Siri Integration using AI and Group Chat Analysis.
Implementation
Integration of Image Playground for AI-generated artwork, where I tested out Image Playground by Apple Intelligence to see if the brand and visual identity matches with Apple Music's aesthetic.
I also implemented the use of iMessage along with with Apple Intelligence and Apple Music showing the cross-interaction between various different Apple services.
Part 3.1
AI Model Selection
In an evaluation of five AI models for image generation—Apple Intelligence's Image Playground, ChatGPT, Perplexity AI, Visual Electric AI, and Ideogram AI—I conducted a comparative analysis to assess their efficacy in creating playlist covers aligned with Apple Music's visual identity. These AI tools were selected based on their daily usage and image-generation capabilities. The results varied significantly across the platforms, with some producing more favorable outcomes than others. Notably, Ideogram AI emerged as the standout performer, demonstrating the highest consistency in generating images that accurately reflected Apple Music's distinct visual aesthetic.
Image Playground
Image Playground is an Apple Intelligence-powered app for creating AI-generated images from text descriptions, concepts, or photos, available on compatible iPhones, iPads, and Macs
+PROS
Increased personalization options for users
Enhanced creative possibilities for playlist artwork
Seamless integration with Apple's ecosystem
Easy-to-use interface for generating custom images
-CONS
Lack of direct integration with Apple Music app
Potential inconsistency with Apple Music's established visual identity
Limited to non-photorealistic styles (animation, illustration, and sketches)
Extra steps required to create and apply custom artwork
ChatGPT, DALL-E
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI that uses natural language processing to create human-like conversational dialogue
+PROS
Ability to generate diverse and personalized images based on textual descriptions
Potential to create artwork that aligns with playlist themes or moods
Faster creation process compared to manual design
-CONS
Inconsistent adherence to Apple Music's visual identity
Lack of fine-tuned control over specific design elements
Potential for generating inappropriate or off-brand images
Limited understanding of Apple's design guidelines
PERPLEXITY.AI
Perplexity AI is a conversational search engine that uses AI to provide answers with sources and citations, unlike traditional search engines that only provide a list of links
+PROS
Access to up-to-date information on Apple Music's visual identity
Ability to provide accurate, well-sourced design guidelines
Potential for more consistent adherence to Apple's aesthetic due to fact-based responses
-CONS
Lack of image generation capabilities.
Limited creativity compared to ChatGPT, affecting the uniqueness of designs
Focus on information retrieval rather than content creation
Visual Electric AI
Visual Electric AI is an AI-powered image generator designed for creatives, offering an infinite canvas and intuitive interface to simplify the creative process
+PROS
High-quality photorealistic image generation capabilities
Ability to produce diverse visual styles
User-friendly interface for creating and editing images
-CONS
Generated images were too generic and lacked uniqueness
Overly photographic results, misaligned with Apple Music's design aesthetic
Limited ability to capture Apple Music's visual identity
Consistency in theme across generated images, lacking variety
Ideogram.AI
IdeogramAI emerged as the sole platform capable of producing results that authentically captured Apple Music's visual identity and aesthetics. The AI demonstrated remarkable versatility by generating visuals that not only adhered to Apple Music's design language but also incorporated cultural elements seamlessly. IdeogramAI's output encompassed both illustrative and photographic styles, maintaining consistency with Apple Music's aesthetic principles. The platform excelled in translating prompts into highly personalized images that aligned closely with Apple Music's visual branding, showcasing its advanced understanding of complex design requirements.
-CONS
Potential limitations in customization options compared to manual design
Possible inconsistencies in output quality across different prompts
Risk of generating images that may not meet all of Apple's strict guidelines
Part 3.2
Feature Development
Manual Customization
Manual playlist cover customization offers users a hands-on approach to personalizing their Apple Music experience. This feature provides a range of options for users to enhance their playlist covers, including:
Shapes
Text
Memojis
Genmoji
Emojis
Photographs
Smart Layout
This functionality caters to users who may not frequently update their iPhones, ensuring they can still enjoy customization options without requiring the latest software version. Additionally, it promotes accessibility for individuals who are less familiar with AI technology or do not use it regularly, allowing them to create unique playlist covers through intuitive, manual tools.
By offering this manual customization alongside AI-generated options, Apple Music ensures a more inclusive user experience, accommodating various preferences and technical comfort levels.
Features:
Accessible to all users, regardless of tech skill or device update frequency.
Highly personalized, allowing unique self-expression.
Offers diverse customization elements and full design control.
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Siri Integration
Siri Integration for playlist cover generation in Apple Music enhances user experience and accessibility in several ways:
Voice-activated creation
Improved accessibility for users with visual or mobility limitations
Personalized artwork using user data and preferences
Time-saving by eliminating manual navigation
Integration with Apple Intelligence for contextually relevant designs
This Siri-enabled feature represents a significant step forward in making playlist customization more intuitive and accessible, catering to a wider range of users and use cases within the Apple Music ecosystem.
Features:
Hands-free control and convenience.
Seamless Apple ecosystem experience.
Aids music discovery and accessibility.
Group Chat Analysis
The proposed AI-enhanced collaborative playlist feature for Apple Music would offer:
Group chat analysis to create playlists based on shared conversations and photos
Integration with Siri, Calendar, and Apple Wallet to generate playlists for upcoming trips
Scanning of iMessage group chats to identify participants and relevant discussions
Photo analysis to include images of group members in playlist covers
Examination of existing playlists to understand shared music preferences
AI-generated playlist covers tailored to trip locations and group dynamics
Co-creation functionality allowing friends to collaborate on customizing the AI-generated playlist and cover
This feature would leverage AI to create personalized, context-aware playlists that reflect group interests and upcoming events, while still allowing for manual customization and collaboration among friends.
Features:
Highly personalized & convenient playlists.
Seamless integration of Apple data.
Encourages social engagement & music discovery.
Context-aware & tailored to specific events.
Implementation
Integration of Image Playground
During my exploration of Apple Intelligence's Image Playground, I tested its capabilities and styles, focusing on different generation modes and prompt handling. The tool consistently produced images with a cohesive color palette, which resulted in visually harmonious outputs but limited style diversity.
Image Playground's illustrative style proved intriguing, offering a unique visual approach despite not perfectly aligning with the Apple Music aesthetic. This hands-on experimentation provided valuable insights into Apple's AI-driven image generation capabilities, contributing to my broader understanding of current AI imaging technologies.
Manual Customization
To enhance Apple Music's playlist customization capabilities, I developed an advanced editing feature that allows users to create unique playlist covers from scratch. This new functionality expands upon the existing editing options, offering a more comprehensive and personalized experience. Users can start with a blank canvas, add and manipulate various design elements, incorporate personal photos or artwork, apply custom color schemes and gradients, and include text with customizable fonts and styles. By providing users with greater creative control, this feature addresses the limitations of Apple Music's current playlist cover options, which primarily rely on preset designs or album artwork, allowing for more distinctive and personalized playlist presentations.
AI System to analyze iMessages and group chat for contextual information
The project explores AI integration between Apple Music and iMessage, focusing on collaborative playlist cover creation in group chats. This feature allows users to collectively design unique artwork for shared Apple Music playlists using AI-powered image generation and customization. The implementation demonstrates the potential for seamless integration between Apple services, enhancing social interaction and creative collaboration within the Apple ecosystem
Part 4
Symphonic Visual Evolution
This title represents the projected outcome of increased user engagement and satisfaction through personalized, AI-generated playlist artwork.
User Engagement
Apple Music's new features, including manual playlist customization, Siri integration for cover generation, and AI-enhanced collaborative playlists, are designed to increase user engagement significantly. Manual customization provides accessible and personalized design options, while Siri integration offers hands-free convenience and enhanced accessibility. The AI-powered collaborative playlists, leveraging group chat analysis, create context-aware and personalized music experiences that encourage social interaction. By combining these features, Apple Music caters to a diverse user base with varying technical skills and preferences, ultimately boosting user engagement through enhanced personalization, accessibility, and social connectivity.
Playlist Cover Creation
Customized playlist cover creation significantly enhances personalization and user engagement by transforming playlist building into a co-creative experience. By enabling users to design their own covers from scratch—starting with a blank canvas and adding personal photos, artwork, text, and custom color schemes—this feature goes beyond static, preset designs. It empowers users to express their identity, mood, or story behind each playlist, deepening the emotional connection with their music. The ability to tailor every visual element not only increases customization but also fosters a sense of ownership and creativity, making users more invested in curating and sharing their musical collections.
ENHANCED INTEGRATION
Part 4
Product Marketing
I wanted to keep the product marketing for this campaign minimal and adhere to brand identity and
