My Role
Tools
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1 Design intern (me)
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Adobe Photoshop
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1 Product designer
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Adobe Illustrator
What needs to be solved
Shazam had a retention problem. Users downloaded the app, used it a few times, then left — sometimes for weeks or months. The core song-identification feature was beloved, but it wasn't enough to keep people coming back daily. Shazam was perceived as a one-trick app.
My goal as an intern: Identify why engagement dropped off and propose a design solution that could turn Shazam into an app people visited regularly — not just when they heard an unfamiliar song.
Understanding the drop-off
Through user research conducted during my internship, I identified two distinct groups driving the engagement problem:
Long-time users — People who downloaded Shazam over a year ago and had gradually stopped opening it. Some lost the initial excitement, some forgot they had it, others lost interest in the core feature altogether.
One-time users — People who downloaded the app for a single moment — heard a song they loved, needed to know the name — and never returned after getting their answer.
What both groups had in common: they didn't realize Shazam could offer them more. The app had never given them a reason to come back.
When I spoke with users, one insight stood out clearly: if someone is motivated enough to open Shazam and identify a song, they're emotionally connected to that moment. That's a powerful signal — and the app was doing nothing with it.
"I wish Shazam could tell me more about the artist after I identify a song."
"I have hundreds of Shazams and I never look at them — I don't even know what to do with them."
"I'd use it more if it felt like it knew my taste."
My proposal was to design a personalized profile experience built entirely from a user's Shazam history — turning passive listening data into an engaging, personal music identity.
The profile would surface five types of content:
Song recommendations
Based on past Shazams, surfaces new music the user is likely to enjoy, keeping them engaged between identification moments.
Taste profile
Visualizes the genres a user Shazams most, showing interesting patterns about their music identity. Users told us this felt like Shazam "getting" them.
Artist updates
Surfaces new releases, events, and news from artists the user has Shazamed, creating a reason to check back regularly.
Track similarities
Highlights connections between songs a user has Shazamed — patterns they may not have noticed themselves.
Listening patterns
Shows when and how often a user Shazams, adding a layer of personal reflection to the experience.
What I'd do differently
This was a concept developed during my internship and wasn't taken to production during my time there. If I were to continue, I'd want to validate the profile concept with A/B testing — specifically measuring whether profile engagement translates to increased session frequency. The risk with any personalization feature is building something users find interesting once but don't return to. The design would need to feel fresh on every visit to truly solve the retention problem.