Ian Anderson’s Post

Spotify is transforming how we communicate value. We’ve all known for decades that we as humans love to be included, seen and validated. Henrik Gistvall discussed it the other day, hardly no one cares about your why. We care about ourselves and the image we are projecting to others. Thus also showing that we care about what groups we belong to. Spotify makes every user in the universe feel happy about our unique and fascinating way of using their product. Then we share our uniqueness to others by sharing our wrapped to our network who does nothing but one thing, look at their own wrapped because they care about themselves and what groups they fit into. Spotify truly embodies that friend at a party who present every one to each other in a way that make all parties feel special. It’s really a good thing! How are you’re business showing the uniqueness of your customers? I would love to make a Wrapped for our customers. Any ideas as to how Katarina Berg?

I don’t use Spotify. But I get why Spotify Wrapped crushes it every year—it’s not about music; it’s about you. It holds up a mirror to the choices that shaped your year. For me, 2024 wasn’t about top playlists—it was about people, decisions, and the beautiful truths of leadership. Here’s what hit repeat for me this year: 1. Curiosity = Your Edge Curiosity isn’t fluff—it’s a force multiplier. Powerful questions don’t just uncover answers; they unlock possibilities. When you lean in and really listen, you don’t just learn—you accelerate. And here’s the kicker: curiosity spreads. It transforms “this works” into “what’s better, what’s next?” 2. Transitions Test Your Spine Transitions aren’t easy, but they’re honest. People watch who you are when things get hard. Values aren’t what you preach; they’re what you prove. Tough calls don’t just define the moment—they define you. 3. Trust is a Slow Burn, Not a Fireworks Show Trust isn’t built in meetings, slogans or mission statements. It’s built in moments. The unprompted thank-you. The follow-up call of support. The choice to listen when it’s easier not to. Trust compounds in the small stuff—and when it’s there, it scales. 2024 was a reminder: leadership isn’t having answers—it’s asking powerful questions. Growth happens in the stretch, not the comfort zone. What stretched you this year? #LinkedInWrapped #Leadership #YearInReview

Spotify #Wrapped is here, that time of the year where we all give Spotify millions of dollars in free advertising by pulling back the curtain and sharing our most embarrassing listening habits. 👩🎤 What's so interesting about Wrapped is how much it tells us about ourselves - and how much we can assume Spotify knows about us, too. Previously, for THREE YEARS IN A ROW, Demi Lovato's ✨Sorry Not Sorry✨ was my top-played song (by a mile). It disappeared from the charts when I changed jobs. This year, my Wrapped reveals a drastic listening shift mid-year after losing my grandmother (cue ✨Numb Little Bug✨). 🤔 My question is: what does Spotify do with all that information? And what would you do with those sorts of insights about your customers? Bonus Q: has anyone ever heard of McBling Strut Pop???? Do they just make this stuff up?

Spotify's #Wrapped faltered this year by removing the human-centric storytelling that engaged users. People are pissed, but this exemplifies the importance of context, narrative, and human interpretation in making data meaningful. In the legal field, we use algorithms to analyze data (whether for case predictions, legal research, or client insights) and this can lead to decisions that appear “rational” but may lack the nuance necessary for our direct legal application, accessibility, or even judgment. So, you see how disappointed people are with their #Wrapped from Spotify ( because Spotify provided us with our music stats, but removed much of the shareable excitement that fostered community and conversation)? The same applies in law: we cannot rely solely on raw data or AI-driven outcomes without considering the broader contextual implications. It is that simple.

With Spotify Wrapped on everyone's minds, why not wrap up our week with a playlist that tells the story of every deploy Friday? 🚨 We've all been there—starting the day with a mix of panic and uncertainty, powering through with determination and celebrating once the job is done. Check out this playlist where the song titles alone capture every moment of that rollercoaster ride. Trust us, you’ll definitely relate 😅💻  #SoftwareDevelopment #DeployFriday #SpotifyWrapped

I really like the approach Spotify takes with Spotify Wrapped! Right now I’m not going to talk about how it's a brilliant viral feature that everyone looks forward to at the end of the year and loves sharing on social media. Instead, I want to highlight something else. Yesterday, I started to worry a bit because it was already December 3rd, and Wrapped usually launches at the very beginning of the month. A quick search showed me that Spotify has been rolling out Wrapped on Wednesdays for the past few years. While waiting for the next day, I wondered why Wednesday. Then I realized it’s genius! Clearly, this is a huge launch for Spotify, affecting every single user. From my own business experience, I know that launches of this scale can’t be done on autopilot. You need a team of professionals monitoring everything to ensure a smooth rollout. By not tying the launch to a specific date, you can always avoid weekends, ensuring that the team doesn’t have to sacrifice their time off (unlike major events like 11.11, for example). What a great approach to work-life balance! Share your stats in comments 😍 #SpotifyWrapped #WorkLifeBalance #BusinessStrategy #Marketing #BigLaunches #Teamwork

🚀 What makes Spotify Wrapped so interesting? 📊 What makes Spotify Wrapped go viral every year? Let’s dive into the psychology that keeps us all hooked! 🌟 1. Curiosity Gap: Spotify creates anticipation by teasing users about their listening habits before the Wrapped launch. It's all about making you wonder, "Did I listen to more songs this year?" 2. Anticipation: The thrill of not knowing your top artist or song keeps our brains engaged. This effect, known as Variable Reward, ensures we keep coming back for more. 3. Storytelling: Spotify Wrapped presents data like a story, making even the longest content captivating and engaging. 4. Bandwagon Effect: By encouraging users to share their Wrapped results, Spotify creates social value and FOMO (fear of missing out) for those who don't join in. Design Tips & Tricks: Personalization, FOMO, anticipation, and storytelling are key elements that make Spotify Wrapped so successful. 👉 Want a free consultation call for your website? DM the word “Website” for a free call! Feel free to drop a like, follow for more content, and turn on post notifications! #UXDesign #UIDesign #DesignInspiration #SpotifyWrapped #Figma #Psychology #WebDesign #Marketing #Psycology #buildinpublic #networking

🔥 WoW Spotify got its 20k INCIDENT! 🔥 Celebrating failures is celebrating learnings! 🎉 There is no such a thing like failure when you learn from it and you don't repeat the same exact error in the future. Once an INCIDENT is over and operations are back to normal is the time for teams to start asking themselves: - How did we get there? - What can we learn from it? - What can it be put in place as an immediate remediation? - What can we do now to avoid this failure to happen again in the future? Time for some stickers now!

I am proud to have caused and helped in fixing many of these incidents, including the incident number 20,001 (if only I have merged the change a day before) They are definitely a learning opportunity and I can say that despite some of them caused by me being stupid, I was never blamed for any of these and in fact, have been praised for helping to fix these incidents and make sure that no one ever gets to make the same mistakes. Our systems are more robust, scalable, and secure because of the learnings we got from these. We are human, we make mistakes, but we also learn and we still thrive. We make sure to not blame the people, but only to the processes. We review the incidents for any improvement opportunities and yes, we do not call them “postmortems” anymore.