What digital UX can learn from the physical media revival
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Vinyl, CDs and cassettes are back. What does it mean for designers?Sony Walkman WM-2011. Photo by FlorianSchmetzPhysical media has made a comeback. Sortof.While the masses are hardly abandoning streaming giants like Spotify and Netflix, something real is happening with the archaic formats they supposedly left behind forgood.And there are lessons to take away for anyone working in digitalUX.Whats happeningandwhy?Vinyl has experienced a sustained resurgence recently, with record sales steadily rising each year. Last year CD sales increased year-on-year for the first time since their peak in 2001. This year, theres been huge growth in sales of cassette tapes. Some people are even returning to DVDs. Maybe next year well start seeing signs of a revival for VHS or LaserDisc.Vinyl sales 20162023. Source:LuminateIts tempting to come up with one simple explanation for this data. But like most things, its more complicated than that. Here are a few nuances driving thistrend:Nostalgia: Aging Millennials and Gen Xers revisiting the tech of their youth, rediscovering memories and breathing new life into their CD or cassette collections.Practicality: Streaming services and their content are becoming increasingly fragmented and ephemeral. In response, more people are buying physical media so they physically own their music and movies (and it cant suddenly disappear).Culture: Retro music aesthetic and vibes are officially cool, thanks to pop culture phenomena such as Stranger Things and Guardians of the Galaxy. Stars like Taylor Swift are also putting out huge amounts of vinyl, CDs and tapes for fanbases who want to collect everything.Interesting sidenote: 50% of people buying vinyl dont even own a record player. But before rolling your eyes, consider if youd do the same about a sci-fi geek that collects mint-in-box toys with no intention of every playing withthem.While all these factors help explain this mini revival of physical media, the one that matters from a design perspective is the user experience of interacting with these archaic technologies.The UX of physicalmediaPhysical media and devices have texture. Weight. They have sensory controls, like clicky buttons, snappy lids, twisty dials and smooth sliders. You can see and hear the technology working: it crackles, hisses and spins in a viscerally satisfying way. It also has quirks and imperfections, which somehow makes it feel more human. Finally, it forces us to slow down, grounding us in the present with its format limitations and feature constraints. There are no software updates. No apps. No distractions.Cassettes are a tactile experience. Photo by cottonbro studioMaybe this appeal is accentuated by the relentless pace of technological development, specifically AI.In a world thats changing so fast, that feels so fleeting and full of existential considerations, perhaps were drawn to experiences that are tactile, unchanging and easy to understand.And in a media landscape thats become complex, opaque and driven by algorithms, the simplicity of choosing something from a limited physical music collection and going through the ritual of playing it is comforting.We should also consider the physical devices we play these formats on, which can be beautifully designed objects in their own right. Consider the aesthetic of either a vintage or sleek modern record player; products that both perform functional utility, but can also be displayed on a shelf as an object to be appreciated.Record players can create a vibe. Photo by Alice KotlyarenkThe drawbacks of digitalmediaIn contrast to physical counterparts, digital media products and services are all about convenience, speed and technical quality. In many ways, this is a good thing: weve designed a world where accessing media is quicker, easier and more reliable.But it also means weve started missing out on all the pleasures and benefits of old school physical media and devices. And thats because our tools and technology have trended towards flat screens and homogenised interactions.The obvious example is the smartphone, which has consolidated countless tools (camera, calculator, notepad, music player, etc) into a single device. While this is obviously convenient, its created a ubiquitous interface where every interaction and all intent is expressed through the same scrolling, swiping, pinching andtapping.Emerging technologies are taking it a step further to become even less tactile: AI, VR/AR, voice user interfaces (VUI) and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) promise a future that requires only gestures, speech or simply thought to interact with the world. While this brings ever increasing speed and convenienceas well as empowering users with disabilitiesit takes us even further away from the textures and pleasures of physicaldevices.And then theres the issue of unlimited choice and instant gratification.Today, we can consume everything, everywhere, anytime, immediately. But this can make media feel less valuable. More disposable.And unlike physical media, where skipping tracks and changing albums are more difficult, theres no need to stick with anything. As such, we miss out on stuff we might enjoy. And Gen Z seem to have figured this out better than any of us, because theyve been leading the revival of physical media more than any other generation.So what can digital UX learn fromthis?Firstly, we need to talk about the trap to avoid: simply making your interface look a bit like physical controls. Theres a reason why UI trends like neumorphism (new skeuomorphism) have never really taken off: it coveys the semblance of physical controls while not feeling or behaving like them. The allusion to depth and texture creates a disconnect between what we see, expect and experience; an uncanny UIvalley.Neumorphism hasnt taken off. Image by JustinmindInstead, designers should go deeper than interface aesthetics to consider what psychological needs physical media meets that digital products dont(yet).Here are some suggestions1. Reduce choice and embrace constraintsHaving access to practically all the films, TV series and music ever made sounds like a good thing. But counterintuitively, the more options we have, the less satisfied we feel with our decision. This is a concept called the paradox ofchoice.Choice paradox occurs because having too many choices requires more time and cognitive effort, leading to decision fatigue and increased regret over ourchoices.The classic example of choice paradox is the jam experiment, which showed people were more likely to make a purchase when presented with fewer options. While these sorts of studies and behavioural psychology nuggets have hidden nuances, they do suggest a problem with media streaming: we have too muchchoice.The classic jam experiment. Source: ModelThinkersThe human race has probably collectively wasted whole lifetimes stuck in a loop scrolling through movie categories and song playlists. This abundance of choice causes mass indecision, as we know if we keep searching we might find something better from the bottomless bucket ofcontent.So whats the solution? Well, using physical media as our inspiration one option is to reduce the abundance of choice for users, e.g. fewer categories, fewer playlists. This could be complemented by adding constraints to the user interface. For example, making it harder to skip a track, abandon an album or even monthly limits on albums to listen to or save in yourlibrary.Im fully aware how thissounds.Why would anyone take away user control and enforce arbitrary restrictions? Wont that lead to subscribers jumping ship to a competitor who gives them everything theywant?But what if it actuallyworks?What if less is more, and these changes actually improve the UX? Instead of flitting from one thing to another, users might prefer enjoying media within constraints, and being more present in the experience. Rather than this experience being the default, it could be offered as a different subscription tier or simply a settings opt-in for those who want to tryit.2. Less personalisation; more customisationPersonalisation sounds great in theory: algorithms learn what you like, then give you more ofit.But in reality, personalisation works against us, reinforcing our tastes by constantly spoon-feeding us more of the same. Its like going to a restaurant where the menu is based solely on what you previously ordered there. Sure, you can go off menu to find something a bit different, but youre working against how the experience has been designed.And this design didnt come about by accident. Its intentional.Media streaming platforms want to push content youll probably like to stop you leaving. So they overwhelm us with personalisation, engineering passive consumption that traps us in a loop of the same artists andgenres.This is all a bit like a marriage of convenience we wearily accept so we can still do what we wantplay music, films and seriesonline.But what many of us need is to arrange our streaming experience the same way we would with physical media collections, devices and accessories. I dont just mean organising an app library, but allowing users to customise UI layouts and categories. For example, instead of seeing endless automated playlists, we might like to organise our app home screen to show trending albums, or simply the latest releases by artists wefollow.A bad Spotify user journey. Image byauthorThe screenshots above show that to find a simple list of new music by artists you follow on Spotify you have to exit the main interface and go into this odd Whats new screen. Why cant users configure their home screen to see this? Its like Spotify doesnt want you to make active choices, just passively consume the first generated playlist they put in front ofyou.As with the previous suggestion about choice and constraints, customising your layout would be an opt-in thing rather than every user being tasked with the mental load of configuring your ownUI.Perhaps we might also want the interface to have more of a human touch, and see recommendations by real people with something to say about it. Which leads meto3. More human curation and recommendationsFinding new shows or music to enjoy on streaming services is an isolating experience. Its just us and the algorithm. While its perfectly possible to search, navigate and find things to consume, its all very impersonal. Its like the interface is saying heres the content, take it or leaveit.Of course, theres no way to replicate real-world word-of-mouth recommendations or music shop suggestions which create human connection and a sense of like-minded community, isthere?Well, maybe thereis.Years ago the UK book chain Waterstones started adding personal notes written by staff for selected books. It added a real human touch, and even inspired customers to cheekily start adding their own hand-written notes. With a simple change, the shopping experience felt more like being part of a community ofreaders.Waterstones staff notes. Source:RedditThe suggestion here is that streaming platforms add or increase the level of human curation and recommendations to their services.What would this look like in practice? Well, for a start there should be more human-created playlists and fewer generated byand featuringAI.There should be a greater sense of humans curating the best content to watch or listen to, rather than users feeling powerless and at the mercy of algorithms.At a granular level, this would involve staff notes on albums, playlists, TV series and films. Not just an Editor picks featured list, but actual human commentary similar to the Waterstones notes. Users could get involved tooperhaps there could be a system for them to submit personalised recommendations for their favourite albums ormovies.All of this would make discovering new content feel like a human, communal experience rather than a battle against technology to find something different.4. Get creative with retro emulationsWait, didnt I say dont imitate retro tech aesthetics?Yes, Idid.But Im not talking about controls, but the experience of the playbackwhat we can do to evoke the feel of enjoying media on physicalformats.Heres one example: in addition to users being able to toggle between audio and music video modes when streaming a song, allow them to switch to a cassette playing view that transformations their screen into a vintageWalkman.If Spotify emulated the Sony Walkman WM-24. Image byauthor.Users could choose their Walkman style from pre-set options, or create their own (possibly using generative AI). They could even opt to emulate the sound of a cassette, e.g. some gentlehiss.The visuals, sound effects and constraints could combine to create an immersive experience that encourages users to be present and minimises distractions.Similarly, video streaming services could offer the option of an immersive VHS player mode, which changes the aspect ratio and adds a grainy tape filter. Skipping through the video could emulate video tape fast forward. Live video could include the red record dot flashing and a date in a retro digital typeface. You get theidea.These are just random ideas, which Im sure you could improve through some iterative, collaborative, user-centred design. But the point is to give some users the option of emulating fun aspects of physicalmedia.SummaryOk, heres a summary of what UX designers could take from physical media to make digital streaming feel more human, more communal and more satisfying:Reduce choicedecreasing cognitive load, decision fatigue and userregret.Add constraintsmaking it harder to skip through or abandon content, grounding users in the present and appreciating what wed otherwise miss.Less personalisationthis traps us in a loop of repeated behaviour, avoids challenging us and limits discovery of different content.More customisationletting users configure and organise their streaming interface the way theyd have control over their physicalmedia.Increase curationadding more humanity and community to the experience of exploring and enjoyingmedia.Retro emulationsallowing people without physical media the chance to enjoy the vibes of playing a cassette or videotape.In some ways a lot of this is just better application of existing UX principles and heuristics, like minimalist design, constraints and user control. But its also a way to rethink some of those principles. For example, user control shouldnt just be about being able to do more with an interface, but choosing to doless.ConclusionThe lazy reaction to the physical media revival is to dismiss it; hand-wave it away as a small-scale and short-lived trend. After all, there are good reasons people abandoned these formats for MP3 players and then online streaming. And even now unit sales of vinyl, CDs and cassettes are a tiny fraction of their respective heydays.But I think thats amistake.Theres a lot digital UX can learn from why people are increasingly engaging with supposedly obsolete physical media. Theres something about interacting with limited physical objects that scratches a psychological itch, and in our modern world their constraints become the USP, and remind us what we trade off for speed and convenience.Im not proposing a full-on nerfing of media streaming. But perhaps by reflecting on what we appreciate about physical media, designers could improve the UX to scratch those itches digitally. And theres probably a balance that can be foundbetween:default features (enhanced human curation/user submissions)opt-in features (user customisation, reduced choice, constraints, retro emulations, etc).While this article feels like its only aimed at those working for huge streaming platforms, there are surely lessons all UX designers take from this, e.g. scaling back personalisation, or re-thinking how to implement constraints to improveUX.As for the streaming giants themselves, its possible theyll decide to do nothing. Because they think they dont need to. Were already using these services, and we have very few like-for-like alternatives. So why try harder? Why invest in more designers/curators, and more user-centred design?Well, all I can say is if they do take that attitude, they shouldnt be surprised if people increasingly shun enshittified digital services and spend more time playing records and CDs, making actual mixtapes and maybe even resurrecting the once mighty DVDboxset.The choice istheirs.What digital UX can learn from the physical media revival was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
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