Market Research
I conducted an analysis of industry leaders and related sectors, including matching and dating-based applications, music streaming platforms, and relevant Facebook communities.
Pain points
pain point #1
Social Media Posts Struggle to Grab Attention
Crafting detailed social media posts often fails to capture the audience’s attention in an increasingly fast-paced digital world. With countless posts competing for visibility, users tend to skim rather than engage with lengthy or complex content. This challenge underscores the importance of creating concise, visually appealing, and impactful posts that immediately resonate with viewers and encourage interaction.
pain point #2
Direct Messages Expand Outreach but Slow the Process
Using direct messages for personal conversations is an effective way to build connections and expand outreach. However, this approach often becomes time-consuming, resembling the structured and prolonged nature of a job interview. Balancing personalization with efficiency is key to maintaining meaningful interactions while streamlining the process for both parties.
pain point #3
Exact Musical Matches Are Rare
Finding an exact match in musical taste is uncommon and often impractical. This can lead to challenges such as a lack of connection, feelings of boredom, or oversimplified collaborations that fail to inspire creativity. Embracing diversity in musical preferences can open doors to richer, more dynamic partnerships, fostering innovation and mutual growth.
Conclusions
Conclusion #1
Profiles Streamline the Search Process
To simplify the search and eliminate the need for traditional "job interview" dynamics, every user maintains a profile that serves as a digital resume. These profiles showcase their musical background and media, enabling others to quickly assess compatibility and foster meaningful connections.
Conclusion #2
Search Engine Simplifies Member Discovery
Using direct messages for personal conversations is an effective way to build connections and expand outreach. However, this approach often becomes time-consuming, resembling the structured and prolonged nature of a job interview. Balancing personalization with efficiency is key to maintaining meaningful interactions while streamlining the process for both parties.
Conclusion #3
Enhancing Engagement with Channels or Feed
Introducing channels or a feed feature provides a structured space for bands to post requests and updates, streamlining the discovery process for potential collaborators. This approach fosters direct engagement, ensuring relevant candidates can easily connect and respond, enhancing user interaction and collaboration within the platform.
User Research
Introduction: Understanding User Needs
Through user research, we identified several pain points musicians face when seeking meaningful connections. Many platforms focus broadly on social interactions but lack tools tailored specifically to musicians' unique needs. Users expressed the desire for a solution that goes beyond generic networking to facilitate purposeful connections, manage their collaborations, and track their growth as artists. Based on these insights, we implemented strategic enhancements to address these challenges and provide significant value.
Conclusions
Conclusion #1
Redefining Connections with Open Roles
To move beyond conventional social networking and cater to musicians' needs, we introduced the Roles feature. This innovative search engine focuses on music positions, enabling bands to post openings and musicians to search for specific roles. By expanding the scope from connecting individual musicians to facilitating ensemble opportunities, Roles bridges the gap between talent and opportunity.
Conclusion #2
Tailored Experiences with Enhanced Onboarding
A personalized onboarding process ensures that users receive recommendations for groups and events that align with their preferences. By gathering essential details during onboarding, the app creates a tailored experience that fosters connections between like-minded musicians while increasing engagement with relevant content.
Conclusion #3
Centralized Insights with the Musician Dashboard
User research emphasized the need for a centralized hub to track engagement and collaboration efforts. The Musician Dashboard provides a clear overview of key metrics, including profile engagement, role tracking, and audience insights. This feature empowers users to measure their progress, identify growth opportunities, and make meaningful connections more efficiently.
Wireframes
Built on insights gathered from user research, these wireframes translate key findings into a clear and functional design framework. They outline the structure and flow of the app, addressing user pain points and ensuring a seamless, intuitive experience tailored to musicians' needs.
In-Depth Exploration
Dashboard / Structuring Key Insights
The design process began with a low-fidelity wireframe to explore the layout and structure of the Harmonize dashboard. This initial sketch established the placement of key metrics, ensuring a logical flow and prioritization of essential data. Following refinement, I moved to high-fidelity wireframes, enhancing visual hierarchy to highlight critical metrics like profile views, media interactions, and follower growth at the top for easy access.
Onboarding / Understanding User Needs
During onboarding, users specify their preferred musical genres and instruments, creating a personalized experience from the outset. By also providing information about past or ongoing music collaborations, users enable the app to offer more accurate recommendations and connections, streamlining the process of finding the ideal musical match.4o mini
Visual Design
The visual design of Harmonize incorporates a friendly palette, characterized by warm and inviting tones. These colors were carefully chosen to evoke a sense of passion, creativity, and community—qualities that resonate deeply with musicians. The vibrant primary hues symbolize the energy of collaboration, while the softer accents create a welcoming and inclusive environment. This intentional color choice enhances the emotional connection users feel with the app, ensuring it aligns with their creative aspirations.
Main Dashboard Design Overview
Recruitment Dashboard Design Overview
Onboarding Flow Design Overview
User Journey: Onboarding, Profile, and Open Role
