Strategic shift in purchasing flow elevates user engagement!
Our client, Melodynest, is a platform that helps musicians hire other musicians, producers, and designers. However, most of their revenue comes from pre-made content such as album art. To better reflect this focus, Melodynest wants to rebrand and redesign as Inspires, with a renewed emphasis on pre-made content
This final design is the result of our group project as well as additional visual design work I did after the project was completed to refine the website's aesthetic. Below are a couple of final wireframes, followed by the link to the final prototype in Figma.
We analyzed the features and user flow of direct and indirect competitors:
We identified inspiring features such as:
> unique filtering options
> seller profiles with reviews and credit section
> different licensing options
> informative and engaging seller profiles
As part of our research, we conducted 11 interviews with musicians and artists who have purchased album artwork in the past. Our goal was to understand their needs, pain points, and preferences when it comes to buying artwork online. We also reviewed the conversations happening on Melody Nest's Discord channel between sellers and the business owner.
These insights will inform the design and development of the new website, with a focus on
> building trust,
> facilitating social media promotion,
> providing contextual reviews,
> and enabling communication between buyers and sellers.
We synthesized insights from interviews, usability tests, and Discord chats to create a user persona and prioritize user needs.
Through synthesizing our research findings and user insights, we defined a clear problem statement and developed a design strategy to guide our process. Our aim was to create a solution that would effectively address the needs and pain points of our user personas, while also aligning with the project's MVP and scope.
Users need a platform that offers an organized, trustworthy, and attractive system for them to buy or sell pre-made materials as well as other services so that they can feel confident using the platform.
The following infographic summarizes the key 'How Might We' statements that drove our design decisions.
Inspires will be redesigned to increase the credibility, overall look, and organization of the site. It will provide users with the tools to sort and search for artwork, to easily communicate between buyers and sellers, and for sellers to showcase a profile page highlighting their services in order to make users feel more confident in the platform.
Considering the time limit, we developed an MSCW chart to prioritize features and functionalities for our minimum viable product (MVP) and to define the project's scope.
As the lead designer, I facilitated a design lab where we brainstormed and sketched various design ideas for the website, taking into consideration the needs and pain points of our user personas. We prioritized essential features, such as improving the home page navigation and creating a seller profile page. Through collaboration, we converged on a design that pulled elements from all the sketches. We then moved to the wireframing stage of the low-fidelity design.
We iteratively created and tested wireframes and interactive prototypes to refine our design. By conducting multiple rounds of user testings, we ensured that our final product met the needs of our user persona.
Below is the iterative design process for 'How it Works' and Filtering Sections.
Below is the product detail page iterative design, focusing on 'customize' and 'Preview' buttons.
Below is the the iterative process for the artist profile page.
After completing the iterative wireframing and prototyping phase, our team handed over the project to the client's lead UX designer for launch and evaluation. Despite being a short-term project, we delivered a redesign that met the client's requirements and addressed the pain points of their users. Our solution is expected to have a significant impact on the client's business by improving customer satisfaction, generating more revenue, and strengthening brand recognition. Although it is yet to be launched and needs further testing and iterations, we are confident that our team's work has set a strong foundation for the client's success.
If we were to continue working on this project, our next step would be to focus on improving the user experience on mobile and tablet devices. This would involve designing and testing responsive versions of the website to ensure that it looks and functions well on smaller screens.
I also designed the mobile version of the website to further refine its aesthetic and ensure a seamless user experience.
Additionally, we would continue to conduct user testing and gather feedback to validate our design choices and make iterative improvements. We would also explore the integration of more advanced search and filtering options to make it easier for users to find the content they are looking for. These steps would ensure that the platform continues to meet the evolving needs of its users and remains competitive in the market.
Reflecting on this project, it was a great learning opportunity for me as a UX designer. Working with a real client and a team of talented designers taught me the importance of collaboration, communication, and flexibility. I learned to approach design decisions with a balance of user feedback and business goals, and to iterate designs based on ongoing feedback. Moving forward, I will continue to build on these skills and apply them to future projects.
I love connecting, creating, and sharing with people.
