Designing Spotify for Garmin Smartwatches
Designed and launched the first Spotify app for Garmin smartwatches, now past 10M downloads
Context
As the design intern on the project, I designed Spotify's first Garmin smartwatch app, a button-based experience for runners and cyclists who wanted their music without carrying a phone.
Problem & Approach
People wanted music while exercising without a phone, but Garmin's SDK was tight:
- Limited UI components
- Limited colors
- Physical button navigation
The challenge was to make something that felt native to Garmin while still feeling like Spotify.
Design Process
My process was iterative: workshops, wireframes, digital prototypes, and hands-on testing with real Garmin hardware.
I prioritized three primary user flows:
- Browsing playlists and podcasts
- Controlling playback
- Downloading content for offline use
The final design used a card-based system suited to physical buttons, with type and icons chosen to stay legible on low-resolution screens.
Results & Impact
10M+
Downloads
4.7
Star rating
1st
Spotify x Garmin app
The app passed 10M downloads at a 4.7 rating and was Spotify's first on Garmin.
It also set the pattern for Spotify's later wearable apps across Apple Watch, Wear OS, Fitbit and Samsung.
Endorsements
“Oscar adopts new tools fast and pushes out prototypes with lightning speed. Especially strong on user-driven design — hosting both local and remote user tests with great success.”
“Oscar's thesis research generated insights totally new for the squad and shaped the final product. Despite being just out of school, he held his own in design discussions and contributed in numerous ways.”
