Improving Mix Playlist Customization in YouTube Mobile App for Premium Users.

Overview

This case study examines the limitations of YouTube’s Mix playlist feature on mobile devices. While the algorithm effectively suggests personalized music collections, users face significant barriers when attempting to customize these playlists. The study explores solutions to streamline the process of adding songs to Mix playlists and ensuring these additions persist between sessions.

Problem Statement

YouTube’s Mix playlist feature automatically generates personalized music collections but lacks intuitive customization options. Users struggle to add songs to these playlists, requiring them to exit the current playback, search for songs manually, and navigate through multiple menus to select “Add to queue” options.

Furthermore, these additions are temporary and do not persist when revisiting the Mix playlist in future sessions. This cumbersome workflow interrupts the listening experience and prevents users from effectively personalizing their automatically generated playlists, leading to frustration and reduced engagement with a potentially valuable feature.

User Research

Existing solution

YouTube’s current mobile app allows users to discover algorithmically-generated mix playlists but provides limited customization options. When users want to add songs to these suggested mix playlists, they must minimize playlist, search for new songs, and use the “Play next in queue” option. These modifications are temporary and don’t save to the suggested playlist for future sessions.

Identify the user groups and persona

I created user personas to bring the abstract problem of YouTube’s Mix playlist limitations to life through relatable human stories. By developing detailed profiles of Priya, Marcus, and Elena, I can better understand how real people interact with and are affected by YouTube’s inability to add videos to Mix playlists. These personas help identify specific pain points, goals, and scenarios that highlight why this UX problem matters to actual users.

Identyfied problems

By analyzing the goals and pain points of our three personas, we can validate the identified problems with YouTube’s Mix playlist customization and prioritize solutions.

The analysis reveals below core problems we need to solve:

  • Streamline Addition Process: Create a more direct and visible way to add songs to Mix playlists without leaving the current playback experience.
  • Ensure Persistence: Develop a mechanism to make user modifications to Mix playlists permanent across sessions.
  • Enhance Discoverability: Improve interface clarity so users like Elena can easily find and use customization features without confusion.
  • Balance Automation with Control: Preserve the algorithmic recommendations that make Mix playlists valuable while giving users like Priya the control they desire over their music collections.

These insights confirm that improving Mix playlist customization would address real user needs across different technical ability levels, potentially increasing engagement with the feature.

Product patterern studdy and new feature mapping

Based on the existing product pattern for saving videos to already created playlists, I have mapped a new feature that allows users to save videos directly to their current Mix playlist while actively listening to it. This solution maintains YouTube’s established interaction patterns while extending functionality to an area where it was previously unavailable.

The new feature would enable users to save songs to suggested playlists using the familiar “Save” mechanism they already understand, eliminating the need to interrupt playback, search separately, or navigate through complex menu options. Once a suggested playlist is saved to the user’s library, any additions would persist across sessions, solving the core problem of lost customizations.

This enhancement would significantly improve the user experience by:

  1. Reducing friction in the music discovery process
  2. Providing continuity between listening sessions
  3. Eliminating repetitive work of re-adding previously discovered songs
  4. Creating a more personalized and adaptable listening experience
  5. Maintaining consistency with YouTube’s existing interaction patterns

Updated solution

For my proposed solution, I will implement the same familiar method users already employ when saving videos to their existing playlists and apply it to YouTube’s Mix playlists. Based on that I have create the below updated solution blue print.

Updeted User journey to save a video to Youtube Mix playlist

Solution Overview

To address the difficulties users face when customizing YouTube Mix playlists, I’ve created a streamlined solution that allows users to permanently add songs to their Mix playlists without disrupting the listening experience.
I began by analyzing user pain points across different technical proficiency levels, identifying the need for simple, persistent playlist customization. Based on this analysis, I created wireframes that map the updated user journey for saving music to YouTube Mix playlists.
These wireframes were then transformed into high-fidelity designs in Figma, ensuring the solution maintains YouTube’s visual language while introducing the new functionality.

Key Features

  1. Accessible “+” Button: Integrated directly within the Mix playlist interface, providing an intuitive entry point for adding songs.
  2. In-App Search: Users can search for songs to add without leaving their current playback experience.
  3. Clear “Save to Mix” Action: Explicit button that permanently adds songs to the current Mix playlist.
  4. Confirmation Feedback: Toast notification that clearly confirms when a song has been successfully saved to the Mix playlist.

Wireframes

Solution

User Testing

To validate the solution, I conducted tests with 5 participants of varying tech proficiency levels. Each user was asked to add songs to a YouTube Mix playlist using our new interface.

Key Findings

  • All participants successfully completed the task without assistance
  • The “+” button was immediately recognized as the way to add songs
  • Task completion time decreased from 45 seconds (old method) to 12 seconds
  • The in-app search functionality was particularly appreciated by less tech-savvy users
  • All users confirmed they understood their additions would be permanent
  • The toast confirmation message provided clear feedback that was valued by users

Areas for Improvement

  • Add an undo option within the toast message for accidental additions
  • Include song recommendations related to current playlist within the search results
  • Consider adding a visual indicator showing how many songs the user has personally added
  • Provide a way to view all user-added songs in one section

The testing confirmed our solution effectively addresses the core problems while revealing minor refinements that could further enhance the experience in future iterations.

Conclusion

This case study identified a critical gap in YouTube’s Mix playlist feature, users couldn’t easily customize or permanently save additions to these algorithmically generated playlists. The proposed solution introduced a simple “+” button that allows users to search for and save songs directly within the Mix playlist experience, with clear confirmation feedback.
User testing validated the approach, showing all participants could successfully add songs without assistance. The familiar “+” icon leveraged existing mental models, making the feature immediately intuitive across different tech proficiency levels.
This enhancement transforms Mix playlists from temporary recommendations into truly personalized music collections that persist between sessions. By addressing this pain point, YouTube can increase engagement and listening time while giving users more ownership over their music experience. Minor refinements like undo functionality could further improve the feature in future iterations.

Thanks for reading.