Apple Music X Apple Intelligence
INDUSTRY
Tech
Music
AI
CONCENTRATION
GenAI
Creative Direction
Visual Identity
UI/UX Design
OVERVIEW
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.
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
Since launching in 2015, Apple Music has steadily refined its visual identity—shifting from minimalist, black-and-white playlist covers to personalized, geometric designs in iOS 17.1. While some users enjoy these new auto-colored gradients, others miss the original 2x2 album grid's personal touch. Apple's evolving aesthetic balances minimalism, personalization, and visual differentiation, setting itself apart from Spotify’s vibrant, millennial-focused style.
The Process
Melodic Canvas Conundrum
Apple Music’s custom playlist covers in iOS 17.1 offer eight geometric styles, auto-colored from your first song’s artwork. But users want more—personalization feels limited, and many miss the classic 2x2 album grid. Time for Apple to tune into AI-assisted options?
Harmony in Design
Started by decoding Apple’s visual identity—clarity, consistency, minimalism, and emotional resonance. Guided by the Human Interface Guidelines, we tackled Apple Music’s playlist art limitations head-on.
Intelligent Artistry Initiative
Blends advanced AI with thoughtful design, making playlist covers on Apple Music personal yet perfectly Apple. Machine learning becomes your creative partner, suggesting art that’s expressive, cohesive, and elegantly aligned with Apple’s visual DNA. Personalization, elevated.
Symphonic Visual Evolution
Like a symphony, this title reflects Apple Music’s AI-powered playlist covers—personalized, dynamic, and deeply engaging. Intelligent design evolves with each user, always staying true to Apple’s minimalist identity.
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
I tested AI models, including Image Playground, ChatGPT, DALL-E, Visual Electric, Ideogram.AI, and Claude, to find the perfect fit for Apple Music’s visual identity.
Feature Development
I explored new workflows and uncovered three powerful features for Apple Music, powered by Apple Intelligence:
Custom Album Covers
AI-Driven Siri Integration
Group Chat Analysis
Implementation
I tested Image Playground by Apple Intelligence for AI-generated artwork, ensuring it matched Apple Music’s aesthetic. Additionally, I integrated iMessage with Apple Intelligence and Apple Music for seamless cross-service interaction.
Part 3.2
Feature Development
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.
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.
An AI System to analyze iMessages and group chats 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.
Part 4
Product Marketing
I wanted to keep the product marketing for this campaign minimal and adhere to brand identity and
