音樂社交軟體Spotify的發掘工具效用評估

Abstract

本研究以Spotify為研究平台，探討音樂社交軟體的使用者使用不同音樂發掘工具進行音樂欣賞時的主觀評價和客觀推薦成效，以及與使用者偏好結構之間的關係。本研究採用了量化與質化結合的研究方法，希望能從多維度、更準確地評估音樂發掘工具之效用。 首先，量化研究的部份包括主觀評價和客觀推薦成效兩個測量項目：1. 通過實證型的小型實驗來測量受試者之主觀評價，自變項為Spotify所提供的四種音樂發掘工具（地區排行導覽工具、情境風格導覽工具、曲目電臺推薦工具、音樂追蹤導覽工具）；中介變項為受試者的偏好結構（偏好洞見、偏好多樣性、偏好開放性）；依變項為實驗後問卷中收集的受試者主觀評價；2. 客觀推薦成效則由受試者在實驗中產生的曲目集合數量之比例決定。質化研究的部份，採用訪談法，通過實驗後對受試者進行針對性的深度訪談，為量化研究的結果提供檢定、補充和解釋。 研究結果發現：一、不同音樂發掘工具的推薦效用的確有所差異。二、使用者面對不同音樂發掘工具時的主觀評價與客觀推薦成效並不一致。三、使用者的個人偏好結構的確會影響音樂發掘工具的推薦效用。

This study aim to explore the subjective evaluations and objective effectiveness of different music recommendation tools offered by Spotify, a music social software, and how does this result relate to the preference structure of users. We employ a mixed methods research in this study, attempt to assess the effectiveness of music recommendation tools more precisely in multi-dimensions. A quantitative research was conducted to evaluate the objective effectiveness and subjective evaluations: 1. The participants’ subjective evaluations was measured by a small-scale empirical experiment, setting the four music recommendation tools offered by Spotify as independent variable, and the preference structure of users as intermediary variable, and the subjective evaluations collected in the questionnaire as dependent variable. 2. The objective effectiveness was calculated by the proportions of tracks’ sets generated in the experiment. And we conducted an unstandardized in-depth interview after the experiment as a qualitative research method, making some triangulations, supplements and explanations. Some major findings are as follows. First, different music recommendation tools do have a difference of effectiveness. Second, the subjective evaluations given by users are not exactly consistent with the objective effectiveness of different music recommendation tools. Furthermore, the users’ preference structure do have an impact on the effectiveness of music recommendation tools.