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Project Overview

vocalize is a comprehensive audio streaming service designed to cultivate a collaborative environment in which artists and enthusiasts can come together to create and promote new music 

Overview
vocalize logo.png

my role and contribution:​

sole UI/UX designer & researcher

project constraints:

8-week timeline

limited budget and timeframe

Why vocalize?

​

Current music/media streaming apps offer few opportunities for creators who are relatively new to get the skills they need to grow as artists. vocalize strives to connect people through music and help them build a community to create with, support, and learn from. 

UX Process

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  1. Develop user stories & user flows for proto-personas

  2. Create low-fidelity wireframes in Figma

  3. Create usability plan & conduct usability test sessions with mid-fidelity wireframes

  4. Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis on usability test result

  5. Develop branding & comprehensive design system 

  6. Create high-fidelity wireframes incorporative design recommendations from usability testing

  7. Create high-fidelity prototype based on usability test feedback

  8. Develop actionable next steps based on all findings

Proto-Personas, User Stories, & User Flows

User Info
mason.png
Mason (Creator/
Subscriber)
  • ​Age: 17

  • Gender: Male

  • Occupation: Student

  • Interests: Making music, working out

  • Personality: Introverted, shy

  • Goals: Artist looking for collabs; wants quality and constructive feedback

  • Pain Points: Finding other artists to collaborate with; looking for places to perform

User Stories​

​

"As an artist, I want to ask other artists for feedback on my music so that I can improve and learn from others."

​

"As a musician, I want to find singers to collaborate with."

​

User Stories​

​

"As a user, I want to listen to Indian music from my generation so that I can feel nostalgic."

​

"As a user, I want to play age-appropriate music for my young grandchildren so that I can keep them entertained."

​

  • ​Age: 62

  • Gender: Female

  • Occupation: Stay-at-home mother turned homemaker

  • Interests: Volunteering, playing with her grandchildren

  • Personality: Selfless, extroverted

  • Goals: Finding and listening to music from her youth in India

  • Pain Points: Doesn't like songs from newer generations & struggles to remember the names of songs she enjoys 

anjali.png
Anjali
(Free User)
serena.png
Serena
(Subscriber)
  • ​Age: 28

  • Gender: Female

  • Occupation: Coffee shop owner

  • Interests: Listening to music, coffee enthusiast, art, business

  • Personality: Extroverted, innovative

  • Goals: To find new and upcoming musicians to play at her coffee shop

  • Pain Points: Doesn't know where to find new musicians and doesn't have time to go and search for lots of artists

User Stories​

​

"As a subscriber, I want to find local talent to play at my coffee shop so that I can get more people in the door."

​

"As a subscriber, I want to follow certain artists to be updated on their music."

Based on the above understanding of who I'm designing for, I created user flows to help guide the creation of vocalize.

"As an artist, I want to ask other artists for feedback on my music so that I can improve and learn from others"

Login
Community
Upload Song
?
Restricted Access
Public Access
User gets feedback on music

"As a user, I want to listen to Indian music from my generation so that I can feel nostalgic"

Login
Home
Create playlist
Label Playlist
Search
Artist
Country
Genre
Year
Kids
{
Sort Categories
Select Songs
Add to Playlist

"As a subscriber, I want to find local talent to play at my coffee shop so that I can get more people in the door"

Login
Profile
Upload Post
Create Tags
Create Alert for Artists
Find Artist
Contact Artist

Design Testing & Iterations

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Design Testing
low 1.png
low 2.png

Searching for Music with Filters

low 3.png

Community Portal

low 4.png
low 5.png
low 6.png

Uploading a Song

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

mid 1.png
mid 2.png

Searching for Music with Filters

mid 3.png

Community Portal

mid 4.png
mid 5.png
mid 6.png

Uploading a Song

User Testing & Key Insights

User Testing

Participants

Five participants interviewed via Zoom

Content to Test

Three user flows tested with static screens and interactive questions

Planned Duration

30 - 45 minutes in length

Developing a "Create" Icon

Make direct tasks easier to access. When asked to to upload something, people generally looked to the navigation to help them.

Search Community vs. Search Icon

One type of task should not have multiple conflicting methods on the same screen. Users were confused with having a search icon on the navigation to search for music, but a search bar to search the other pages. Removing the search icon from the navigation made it more clear for users to understand what they are searching for.

Clear Language to Prevent Confusion

"Country" by itself was originally a filter option for users to find music from certain countries. However, users found it confusing because of the country music genre. Language clarifications to "Country of Origin" prevents this confusion.

High-Fidelity Prototype

Prototype
hi 1.png
hi 2.png
hi 3.png
hi 4.png
hi 5.png
hi 6.png

Searching for Music with Filters

com 1.png
com 2.png
com 3.png

Community Portal

song 1.png
song 2.png
song 3.png
song 4.png
song 5.png
song 6.png

Uploading a Song

Branding & Design System

design system.png
components.png

Next Steps

Next Steps

Develop groups for users to join through the community portal

Build out more existing features such as messaging, notifications, and insights

Conduct more user tests with specific users

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