Skip to main content
Mike H
Retired Sonos Staff
May 14, 2024
Interview

Sonos App Redesign AMA

  • May 14, 2024
  • 770 replies
  • 65992 views
Sonos App Redesign AMA

Today is the day of the AMA!

The new app design has been out for a week, and most of you have had a chance to get used to the new UI.

Some of you might have questions when you have had a week to get to know the new Sonos App interface. Because of that, we want to give you all a chance to ask some of the people who were integral in its creation and design, the questions that have come to mind while you have used the app.

As we mentioned in the event.

Our panelists will be:

  • Diane Roberts, Senior Director of Software Development
  • Kate Wojogbe, Senior Director of User Experience
  • Tucker Severson, Director of Product Management

It will be hosted on the 14th of May from 11:00 until 14:00 GMT -07.

But instead of me telling you what they do and what their role with the app update has been, here are their own introductions:

 

Diane

Diane Roberts is the Senior Director of Software Engineering and Product Management at Sonos responsible for the Sonos Apps. Her group of cross-disciplinary teams build Configuration, Control, and Content experiences on a foundation of Core mobile application technologies. She received dual Bachelors’ of Science in Computer Science and Music from WPI. Diane holds 6 granted patents as a co-inventor.

 

Kate

As Senior Director of User Experience, Kate leads the UX team responsible for Sonos’ home audio hardware, software, and app user experiences. This includes user interfaces on speakers and soundbars, setup for hardware and services, first and third party content experiences, and a variety of methods of control of the Sonos system. Kate graduated from the University of California Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Design.

 

Tucker

Tucker Severson is the Director of Product Management and leads the PM team responsible for the Sonos Apps. Tucker received his BA from Bates College and his MBA from the University of Vermont.

 

We will do our best to answer as many of your questions as possible within the 3-hour window, but we can’t promise to answer every question, especially those you know we can’t discuss.

But if we see a question repeated or a reply getting a lot of likes, don’t worry. We will prioritize those to ensure that many people get the answers they seek.

 

Remember, we can’t talk about things on the roadmap - but if you have questions or feedback about the app redesign, want to know more about our panelists, like their background or favorite band, then the sky is the (cough cough.. NDA) limit!

Thank you, everyone, for participating. We covered as many of the most asked questions as possible. We know tracking the responses wasn't as easy as we had hoped. But we wanted to let the community air frustrations and have their questions answered.

I got a lot of DMs during the AMA, and I will be sure to answer them when I can. Thanks for reaching out!

Keith and I will work on recapping all the questions and feedback we have responded to, and we will update the post here when that is complete. If we didn't get to your question, don't worry. Keith and I are grabbing all the feedback from this thread, even the things we didn't respond to, and ensuring the right people will see the message. This was the first time we created a live AMA in the community, and we learned a lot for future AMAs.

We appreciate all the feedback and questions you gave through this AMA. It helps us understand your most significant feedback and your reasoning. We hear you, and we will ensure the right teams get your feedback. They are listening.

We look forward to rolling out the updates with features (new and old) as soon as they are ready. Keith shared an overview of the timeline for expecting these features to return to the app. Today was the first update, reintroducing alarms and improving the iOS voiceover.

We look forward to seeing your reactions to our future app developments. We hope you all appreciate the work our developers are putting into making the app as fast and easy to use as possible for the general user.
​​

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

770 replies

Lyricist III
May 14, 2024

If this is just a forum discussion, why is it timed? Why couldn't I supply my question beforehand and you then pick the most asked questions? This event is the same desaster as your release and I'm beginning to think that you people have no idea about anything... 

Contributor I
May 14, 2024

Is there a reason that the 16.1 version of the app has not been released as a separate option for people to use while functions like queuing are being coded into the new app?

Enthusiast II
May 14, 2024

I just want to say there has been allot of negativity surrounding the new app launch. I just want to say the app is fantastic. I've been using it everyday since it came out last week. I know there is some future additions coming in the next weeks and will just be patient with the future roll out. Thank you Diane, Kate, Tucker, and the rest of the Sonos development team for everything you do. 

This is a joke - correct? We should be patient while we wait to get back to where we were? 

Lyricist II
May 14, 2024

What data did you draw on to justify this new design? Was there any information architecture analysis done? Was there any investigation at all, like user interviews, analytics, usage data, etc?

The marketing materials tout “no more tabs” as a selling point, but for me it’s one of the biggest UX regressions. The new home screen is worse than useless; it’s just a new barrier between me and the favorites screen, which is by far the most common place I’m trying to go in the app besides the now-playing screen.

 

May 14, 2024

Question/suggestion with regard to the web app…. 

I do like that you have introduced a web app as it makes it easier for me to control my system from more platforms (e.g. Linux). However, I don’t like that the system owner’s Sonos.com account is required to use the web app. I don’t want to give my Sonos.com account credentials to everyone in my household as a) it would essentially be giving them full admin control over the system if they use it with the mobile app and b) means there is greater chance of my Sonos.com account credentials being accidently leaked.

Therefore please add in the ability to use the web app without the system owner’s Sonos.com account credentials. I don’t know the best way to achieve this, but here are a couple of options you might want to consider

  1. Facilitate a way to enable the web app to connect to the Sonos system on the local network without signing into any Sonos.com account (like is possible with the mobile apps). Perhaps through a browser extension?
  2. Provide ability for system owner to create one or more additional non-admin accounts associated with the system which can be handed out to others who want to use the web app. This could also essentially facilitate user profiles (which could enable each user of a system to have their own individual Sonos favourites lists; lack of which is a current weakness).  
Lyricist I
May 14, 2024

anybody want to buy some sonos speakers, sound bar and base bin? I’m so disappointed! Especially after bragging about my new, accessible sound system for the last year. I’ll never purchase a Sonos product again!

Lyricist II
May 14, 2024

Pre-release, Sonos stated: “We've taken great care to ensure that this update only enhances your Sonos experience. Your products, features, and services will work as they always have, and all your settings will be saved."

How can we trust your word in the future if you haven't even apologized for what could charitably be characterized as an exaggeration?

Enthusiast II
May 14, 2024

So uh, where’s the link to the AMA?

Contributor I
May 14, 2024

Can we spend just a second talking about how local music support is gone? Can we expect this basic feature to be restored with the May update?

Contributor I
May 14, 2024

Where is the link?  How can we listen?