Roles
UX Researcher, Information Architect, Designer and Prototyper
GOAL
Develop a product concept designed to make the process of self-releasing music more straightforward.
AUDIENCE
Independent musicians across all genres.
CHALLENGE
For most indie musicians, self-releasing music requires using multiple platforms (Bandcamp, DistroKid) and tools (Shopify for merchandise on Spotify). This can be cumbersome and time consuming.
RESEARCH
User research quickly revealed that most indie musicians find self-releasing music frustrating due to the need for multiple platforms to manage distribution and merchandise. They expressed a strong preference for a simplified solution that would allow them to focus on creating and performing music, rather than managing distribution logistics.
For example, Scarlett, one of our personas, highlighted key frustration points in her journey of setting up distribution. This journey, like many others, exposed inefficiencies in the current process that needed to be addressed.
Designing the solution
With these insights, I began the process of designing an all-in-one music-releasing app called musicmusic.
Storyboarding & Wireframing
The design process began with a "big picture" storyboard, followed by pencil sketches of wireframes. These wireframes aimed to address the primary pain points identified during research.
Next, I transitioned the most effective ideas into digital wireframes, iterating through low-fidelity prototypes to test the app's core functionality.
User testing of the low-fidelity prototypes provided valuable feedback. Some users found the navigation challenging, and others noted missing features. These insights led to the incorporation of additional functionality and design tweaks to improve the overall experience.
Based on user feedback, I initially refined the design into a high-fidelity prototype, which you can explore here. After conducting further user interviews and gathering insights from additional testing, I iterated on the design to address remaining pain points and enhance usability. The final high-fidelity prototype now reflects a fully optimized user flow and includes features tailored to streamline the music release process for indie artists. The high-fidelity mockups showcase these improvements, ensuring a smoother and more efficient experience.
Conclusion
You can try the desktop prototype here.
This project deepened my understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by indie musicians in today's digital landscape. While platforms like Bandcamp, DistroKid, and Shopify offer valuable services, they don't yet provide the streamlined experience musicians are looking for.
Perhaps in the future, Bandcamp will integrate streaming distribution, DistroKid will offer seamless product page generation, or Spotify will allow direct merchandise sales without the need for Shopify. Until then, musicmusic provides a unified solution for independent musicians to manage their releases more efficiently.