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RECS
An archival app for music collectors.
2021
USER RESEARCH
BRAND DESIGN
UX DESIGN
PROTOTYPING
INTRODUCTION
PROJECT BRIEF
Recs is a platform for music collectors to archive, annotate, organize, and share their music library. Taking inspiration from sites like Discogs and Goodreads, Recs seeks to create a community where people who love music can keep track of their collections and share their stories about their favorite albums.
THE CHALLENGE
A record collection is a cherished possession by those who love music – a deeply personal library that tells the story of the owner, growing more chapters with every addition. Our record collections are a way of connecting deeper with the music we love. When we sit and listen to records, we create an experience beyond just hearing our favorite artists – we set a tone for our environment- we talk, share stories about the music, we take an active part in the listening experience. With Recs, I wanted to create a platform that can be easily integrated into the daily life of the record collector. The questions I sought to answer with this project were: “How can I facilitate conversations about our music collections?” and “How can we archive our collections in the easiest way?”
EMPATHIZE
RESEARCH BEGINNINGS
To best understand the landscape of the physical music media industry, I started my research by analyzing some of the available demographic information – I wanted to get a better idea of who is buying records. Being a part of a vibrant music scene in Boston, I knew there was a certain subculture still buying vinyl, but it was important to me to step outside my direct experience and broaden my scope. As expected, data shows that physical media is coming back in a big way, there is a new appreciation for records and tapes. I also took a look at what other platforms exist nowadays, with direct competition like Discogs, and also an indirect model to note in Goodreads.
CONVERSATIONS
People who collect records and tapes, so I’ve found in my conversations, love talking about their records and tapes. The interviews I conducted with collectors showed the deep connection people have with their music collections. It is more than simply buying a record, many see it as an act of participation in a culture. Purchasing a record goes beyond ownership – it is a means of supporting a scene. Be it a record store, a band’s merch table at a show, an independent label – it is about connection through the love of music. When prompted, people I spoke with have cherished memories of picking up certain releases or visiting specific stores in cities they visit.
DEVELOPING A "WHO"
When creating a persona to design for, I took into consideration the kinds of stories I heard throughout my conversations in the interview process. I wanted to make sure my persona, who I’ve named Alex, felt realistic and represented the motivations, needs, and frustrations of the record collector. It was important to be sure I was designing for a person, not a demographic. In lieu of brand affiliations, I felt it more important to include Alex’s favorite records.
DEFINE
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
In organizing the features and information in the app, I wanted to prioritize ease of use and learnability. The elements of the app needed to be arranged in a familiar way, making use of familiar design patterns found throughout music and social media platforms.
KEY TASKS
When designing the tasks to be tested, I wanted to keep things simple. The appeal of an app like Recs is the ease with which a record collection can be archived. I focused on the needs to archive, organize, and annotate a record collection, and designed tasks to demonstrate the apps ability to fulfill these needs.
BUILD
WIREFRAMES
Familiarity and learnability were key when laying the visual groundwork for the Recs app. In designing the wireframes, it was important to keep the layout minimal with the available actions being immediately apparent. I went through several possible navigation patterns before I found something that hit the mark for ease of use.
BRAND IDENTITY
Recs is an app for music lovers. However, the “music lover” is not a monolith. When designing the brand identity for Recs, I needed to develop an aesthetic that wouldn’t alienate or patronize the user. Recs welcomes everyone – the brand identity is inviting and bold, but at the same time mature and clean. I kept a certain degree of neutrality in the typographic choices, prioritizing legibility.
TEST
INCREASING FIDELITY
Applying the UI kit to the wireframes, I understood some things would need to change. Keeping a minimal interface design required a bit more finesse with the use of color than I had initially anticipated. There were several changes I needed to make to avoid my pages looking flat, namely a subtle “background” to differentiate more easily between the bottom navigation bar and the page content.
ASSESSING USABILITY
After going through several layout and design tweaks, I built my prototype in InVision in preparation for testing. I had several people who collect records interact with the prototype and observed as they completed the tasks. Though my error-free rate was better than anticipated, I found that most of the issues did not come from the design itself, but the wording of the tasks. This was a good learning experience for me, going forward I will be more careful to split up complex tasks into smaller, more easily memorable actions. There were also some incongruences between the album pages that needed to be fixed. To do this, I simplified the “collection add” process to keep it more consistent with the “want list add” process.
CONCLUSION
PARTING THOUGHTS
Though I am proud of the work I was able to accomplish with the Recs app, the road was rockier than I had expected. Especially during the wireframing and medium-res mockup phases, I found that my vision lacked clarity. I wanted to do too much at once, and eventually had to streamline. I took this project as a great learning opportunity in managing expectations and being realistic about the scope of a project. Recs was a reminder that best solution is often the simplest solution.
