CrateDig
A native music streaming app that focuses on a “tags” feature to promote music discovery.
Problem
Music listeners would like to discover new artists but struggle to do so with their preferred music streaming app. Their primary apps have recommendations that range from slightly to very irrelevant
Role
Research, Design Direction, Prototyping
Preliminary Research
Who were the users?
Only users that regularly used a music streaming service were allowed to participate in this study.
14 users ranging ages 20-35, from differing genders and cultural backgrounds
What kind of research was conducted?
As a preliminary form of interviewing, a questionnaire was formulated to screen the users for their general interest in the case study. As the questions progressed, they became more detailed and direct.
General
“What music streaming service do you use?”
Sadie: “Spotify”
Moderate
“How often are you looking for new music?”
Brennan: “Pretty often/always.”
Direct
“Do you have any suggestions for music apps?”
DJ: “Allow anyone to upload music.”
Why were these questions asked?
This questionnaire aimed to identify users that had the most opinionated and insightful answers for the next phase.
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User Interviews
Of the 14 users, 3 users that responded with the most detailed answers were chosen for a second interview. These interviews were performed over phone call, with written documentation, and lasted roughly 30 minutes.
They feel like very poor recommendations.
-Brennan, age 26
Affinity Maps
The 3 user interview responses were restructured into key points, then consolidated into one visual to highlight patterns and key findings. These findings were then refined into the following pain point.
“Users prioritize music discovery above other features but struggle due to make discoveries due to a lack of quality features.
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Ideation
After brainstorming solutions, the following user flow was generated to convey the “tags” feature. This feature allows users to set filters to search for artists based off unique, user generated tags.
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Moodboard
Because discovery is at the core of the “tags” MVP, it only felt natural to expand off that concept with an appropriate aesthetic.
Cratedigging is a term used to describe the act of browsing through records. Despite this method of enjoying music being nearly a century old, owning vinyl has stood the test of time. this naturally brings us to the following characteristics:
vintage, sleek, laidback.
Wireframes
Prototypes
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Conclusion
CrateDig allows users to trust in their recommendations because they’re not limited to just genres. Because tags are generated by like minded members, they can be trusted because users can vote for appropriate tags. With CrateDig’s tag feature, users can feel assured in their accurate recommendations and enjoy new music.