YouTube Music
2024
Identified Critical Gaps in YouTube Music's Automotive Experience
Understanding how drivers experience YouTube Music across Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
Highlights
Improving reporting efficiency
Google needed to understand how car owners experienced YouTube Music in their vehicles before broader rollout. The study evaluated usability across Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, identified resonant use cases, and uncovered functionality challenges to inform product improvements.
Research Methods & Findings
Study Design and Findings
The study spanned two weeks with five sessions per participant. In Week 1, participants completed an in-vehicle audio setup walkthrough while parked (Session 1), followed by an organic 20-30 minute drive demonstrating their typical audio use (Session 2), and a YouTube Music-focused drive (Session 3).
Week 2 began with 25 directed tasks testing key user journeys, completed while parked for safety (Session 4), and concluded with a final YouTube Music drive (Session 5).
Participants rated each task on satisfaction, ease of use, completeness, and overall impression. A subset of 8 participants completed 60-minute follow-up interviews to provide deeper qualitative insights.
My Role and Learnings
Study Design and Findings
This study required unusual technical complexity, participants needed to install GoPro cameras, mounting stands, and secondary devices in their vehicles before Session 1. I managed the technical setup and troubleshooting process for all 40 participants to ensure equipment functioned properly before the study began.
I also managed session scheduling and completion tracking across the two-week study, processed survey data from the 25 task evaluations, helped organize video footage captured by participant GoPros, and supported qualitative analysis by pulling representative quotes that illustrated key findings.
