What started as an onboarding challenge revealed more
By improving different areas across the app, like Welcome screen, Account Creation, Plans, and Search we helped redefine how Pandora introduces itself.
For Pandora, onboarding wasn’t a moment. It’s a system that connects to everything.
The first search mattered more than we thought.
Whether listeners arrived with an artist in mind or were looking for something new, search shaped their understanding of Pandora. Improving that first decision meant rethinking the experience itself.
E
Lizzo
Truth Hurts
6
36K Listeners
R&B
Leikeli
Happening live
E
Channel 100 • LIVE
Howard Stern
Draft guest list
Targeting Mar 20
Send invitations
Targeting Mar 30
Order kid food
Targeting Apr 10
Order cake
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase decorations
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase tableware
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase party favors
Targeting Apr 10
Plan party activities
Targeting Apr 15
9:41
9:41
Songs
Playlists
Artists
Podcasts
Top Searches
E
Lil Nas X
Old Town Road
2
Billie Eilish
3
Post Malone
1
ALL
SONGS
ARTISTS
STATIONS
PODCASTS
Search
CANCEL
Trending
Jump back in
E
Channel 100 • LIVE
Howard Stern
Got It!
Something stuck in your head?
Search for the lyrics to find it quick.
Discovery needed support.
As onboarding evolved, it quickly became clear, welcoming, plans, and account creation all shaped how listeners understood Pandora.
Voice Search
Use your voice to
ask questions.
Where can I buy a pixel phone in nyc
9:41
Decorations, cake and party favors
Cooper’s 3rd birthday party
A
Everything is centered around the jungle theme which Cooper will love! I include alternaitve options in some items. Let me know!
— Amelia
9:41
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Offer Terms.
Search and Play Anything
Start Listening
This is the all-new Pandora
Already Registered? Log In
Draft guest list
Targeting Mar 20
Send invitations
Targeting Mar 30
Order kid food
Targeting Apr 10
Order cake
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase decorations
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase tableware
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase party favors
Targeting Apr 10
Plan party activities
Targeting Apr 15
9:41
Decorations, cake and party favors
Cooper’s 3rd birthday party
A
Everything is centered around the jungle theme which Cooper will love! I include alternaitve options in some items. Let me know!
— Amelia
9:41
By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Offer Terms.
Search and Play Anything
Start Listening
This is the all-new Pandora
Already Registered? Log In
Choose Plan
Pandora Plus
$4.99 / month
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The best onboarding
adapts to intent.
Listeners start with a simple search, then shape discovery over time.
What are you into right now?
Artist
Genre
Podcast
Mood
Continue
1/3
NAME AN
An open ended invitation
Tell us an artist, genre, podcast, or feeling and we’ll do the rest.
Positive affirmation
The hardest part is over, now time for a lean back experience.
Beloved feature alert
Modes give you the control to choose your style of listening.
Girl Bunts
Leikeli47
Kaleidoscopes!
Nitty Scott
Money Bag
Cardi B
Barbie Dreams
Nikki Minaj
Stop Right There
Tiye Phoenix
Motivation
Rapsody
45 mins
12 Songs
3/3
Start listening
Playlist created
You can edit and add your own spice, but do you need to?
Radio plays for you.
Playlists reflect you.
New listeners wanted more visibility and control in how their music was discovered. More importantly, they needed to feel invested in the creation.
Laid back
Let the engine do what it does best, and quickly tune to your interests.
3 Onboarding approaches based on listener effort
Leaned in
Tell us what you’re interested in, and search the catalog.
It should be genres
This was the fastest way to see what someone likes with a range of content.
Show the top performing content
This will highlight new content from SXM, and the latest from Pandora.
Highlight new features
Pandora Modes was designed to tune how you wanted to listen, and quickly became a sticky feature.
Downloading with purpose
What if we simply asked what you were looking for today, and take the journey one step at a time.
Let them explore
They don’t need onboarding, maybe some coach marks.
There is no one way to listen.
Exploring onboarding models quickly showed how signals could change; igniting discussion across teams.
Is it, speed to music or,
speed to the right music?
We had signals from our new listeners, but they conflicted with Pandora’s loyal fan base.
New listeners
Day 0
Account Created
Day 30
Added to Collection
Multiple Devices
Radio Station Created
Days Active
Hours Listened
Frictionless entry
Searched Content
Thumbs | Likes
So the team tried something different
A new onboarding experiment delayed account creation and let listeners immediately experience Pandora Premium through artist-led campaigns, curated playlists, and frictionless listening sessions.
Draft guest list
Targeting Mar 20
Send invitations
Targeting Mar 30
Order kid food
Targeting Apr 10
Order cake
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase decorations
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase tableware
Targeting Apr 10
Purchase party favors
Targeting Apr 10
Plan party activities
Targeting Apr 15
9:41
Decorations, cake and party favors
Cooper’s 3rd birthday party
A
Everything is centered around the jungle theme which Cooper will love! I include alternaitve options in some items. Let me know!
— Amelia
9:41
Understanding behavior
Instead of asking users to invest first, Pandora focused on building listening habits before requesting commitment.
First Impressions
Pandora’s original onboarding asked listeners to commit before they experienced the product.
Mandatory account creation.
Committing to the platform, before seeing value.
Search-first onboarding.
Assumed visitors already knew what they wanted, with limited support.
Sparse discovery surfaces.
Empty states were unable to personalize, and didn’t inspire.
Pandora built its reputation on personalized radio, but as streaming evolved, personalization became the expectation, not the differentiator.
Over 12 weeks, I explored how first impressions shape long-term relationships with products. What began as an onboarding initiative quickly expanded into search, discovery, personalization, and the systems that keep listeners coming back.
Client
Pandora Media | Sirius XM
Music and entertainment application
Role
Senior Product Designer
Focus
Human Behavior
Interaction Design
Product Growth
Team
Product Design Director Shemoel Recalde
Design Madison Behringer
Pandora