Literature Review

I am currently in the process of analyzing how people discover new music, whether it's through social networks or music recommender systems. I don't want to reveal too much until the project is complete, but the research has uncovered some predictable and not so predictable findings. Stay tuned. 

Audience Analysis

Using NPR.org as an example, I created the typical persona that I'd expect to use the website. Then, I analyzed the site analytics using alexa.com to find that my assumptions were close to the actual audience, but I ignored a major group that uses the NPR website. 

Meet Simon. 

Case Study: Spotify vs. Last.fm

Spotify and Last.fm are two music recommender systems that incorporate social networking as a major part of each site. However, Spotify has had more success recently. This case study takes a look at what the differences are in visuals, navigation, personalization/customization, and of course, social networking. 

Spotify vs. Last.fm