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As a aspiring musician, I need to have a way to document my writing and share that document in a rehearsal setting so myself and others can understand (and retain) song structure.
Bandmates in Origin Mile really looked forward to meeting once a week. It was a chance to escape routine for about an hour, make noise, and spend time with three good friends. There was a glaring problem - it was hard to get momentum. It was frustrating for all. About this time, I was learning how to write code and getting immersed in user experience design - I thought this would be a perfect chance to start applying my knowledge!
I started by conducting user interviews with all of the band members with the following questions:
I also was able to capture the journey map for this scope: having a song idea to documenting that idea digitally.
After ruminating on the research documentation, completing the competitive analysis, I completed a Strategy Blueprint. From this, our user need statements were derived:
The first step was to realize the tool’s structure. I set up a card sort with each band member, and then as a group to generate more ideas. This exercise was much more valuable than I anticipated. We were able to conceive a lot of product features that would not have been possible from me alone!
There were many prototype tests to iteratively get to the finish line. Here are the assets from a lo-fi “first time visit” flow I had each band mate use and give feedback on. The big takeaways were:
In parallel with all of the music making and design work, I also was learning how to create a MEAN app (Mongo,Express, Angular, Node). I was able to get a fully functional front end running in the browser to usability test with the band.
At the end of the journey, the band felt it was more feasible to go with giant post-its. But you know what? I found UX along the way, learned a ton, and found a new calling in life. I'd call that a victory, wouldn't you?
That’s it! I hope you enjoyed this quick tour. Please let me know if you would like to discuss my skills and experience a bit more.