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TurnTable

Capstone Project | Springboard UI/UX Bootcamp

Project Overview

With the little information provided about the existing tool, I wanted to create a unique music streaming app that would set the product aside in an already saturated market. 

Research

By conducting competitor research, I was able to compare Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, Apple Music, and Pandora. I compared their onboarding process and basic user experience. By compiling likes and dislikes of each platform I began forming an idea of what the tool I create could look like. 

Likes: 

  • Subscription options are not a part of the onboarding process. 

  • Personalized and predictive experience 

Dislikes: 

  • Ads as a part of the free experience. 

  • UI for all platforms but Spotify seems unpolished and hinders UX

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Users & Audience

The target user defined by the project brief is: 

  • 18 - 24 years old

  • Very tech-savvy — they are on their phones for several hours a day

  • Very budget-conscious

  • This type of media [music/movies/books] is a very important part of their lives

Planning & Design

My ideation process began with a naming brainstorm and style guide.

The competitor research led me to want to challenge myself by designing an app in dark mode. My goal was to create a space that feels familiar but unique in its features. 

The first stages of planning involved user flows and lo-fi wireframes. At this stage, the app didn’t look very different than any other music player app. 

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In order to set TurnTable aside, there are a few features to implement. 

 

Creator Hub

The beauty of streaming and the internet means we can access music that we love from anywhere. However, existing music streaming apps don’t leave much room for artists to provide their insights and motivations behind the music they create. For a while, Spotify and Genius partnered and featured snippets of interviews from artists. The goal of the Creator Hub in TurnTable is to do that and more. It would highlight TV/movie features, photography inspired by an album, and more. 

 

Party Time 

Party Time allows users to create groups and listen to music with their friends remotely. The feature includes a chat function and with the paid subscriptions they would be able to activate a voice chat. Users also have the option to “Party Again” with previous groups. 

The overall focus of TurnTable is to give artists a voice and more autonomy over the ways their music is shared with the world. The app focuses on highlighting full albums as artists wrote them instead of algorithm-created playlists. 

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Testing

After getting the basics down, I conducted a first round of usability testing. This is where I had the opportunity to pitch the two new features and get some insight on whether potential users would actually find them useful. One interaction I wanted to elevate was the navigation to browse categories. Since TurnTable's intention is to tap into the nostalgia of records, I created a rotation that mimicked flipping through record albums.

Outcomes and Results

Some important feedback I received from the first round of testing was that users didn’t want to make a decision about subscriptions as a part of the onboarding process. After establishing the main user flow of browsing and searching for music, the designs were iterated and I made some adjustments. By creating new features that could be integrated into a premium product, users would have other opportunities to learn about subscription options instead of needing to subscribe upon sign up.

 

The final version of the TurnTable prototype included:

  • a familiar way to interact with a database of music 

  • a Creator Hub to allow users to gather insight from their favorite artists

  • a Party Time feature for users to listen to the same music remotely 

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