Overview
Waaves, an online music collaboration platform, came to my team because the product was not learnable or usable. After conducting cycles of user research and prototype testing, we aimed to create a more intuitive onboarding process, and redesign Waaves' core feature - the Collab Room. Our solutions were well received by Waaves and will be implemented in upcoming product sprints.
Role: Project Lead, Researcher, UX Designer, UI Designer
Deliverables: High-fidelity prototype, revised style guide
Team: Bianca High, Jordan Moravi, Kaila Quesada
Time Frame: 3.5 Weeks
What is Waaves?
Waaves' Collab Room is a bridge for collaborators to record and provide real-time feedback
Research
We created a survey and disbursed it primarily to EDM and Hip Hop producers and artists.
We interviewed 12 producers and musicians across genres. Below are some of the pros and cons of remote collaboration.
Waaves Beta Testing
During testing sessions with Waaves Beta we found that users weren't getting through the onboarding process and didn't understand the Collab Room.
“Cool idea but currently unusable. ”
“Before I signed up I didn’t get the difference between this and Soundcloud.”
Additionally, the branding and imagery were not reflective of the product.
“This is a cutting edge product, but the design isn’t edgy.”
Analysis
After completing the research phase we had hundreds of pertinent user quotes. We distilled our data through affinity mapping and arrived at several key insights.
Insights from Research
1. Remote collaboration is frustrating due to time constraints and communication issues.
2. People are not able to understand the product and capabilities through Waaves branding and website.
3. Waaves beta does not have a streamlined user flow, causing people to disengage with the product.
4. Collaboration is driven by the human instinct to create and connect with other people.
5. People look for collaborators who understand how they think and where they’re trying to go, and who are willing to put in the same level of effort.
Design Strategy & Pivot
We settled on a two-pronged solution: a social network where artists and producers could connect with like-minded people to make music and a complete overhaul of the Waaves user experience.
However after proposing our initial ideas to the client, we learned that the social aspect was not feasible for Waaves at this time, so we made a drastic pivot and narrowed our design focus.
Design Objectives
Concept Ideation
Design Studio with the client
After presenting our research and design objectives, I facilitated a rapid concept ideation session with the clients.
Having the Waaves team's knowledge and insights was crucial for developing design concepts.
We left the design studio with more than 30 concepts and used a numeric prioritization system to narrow down our focus and develop an MVP.
Medium-Fidelity Reiteration
Initial Collab Room Wireframe
We added new features to the Collab Room including a moveable video chat window, more clear audio and screenshare settings, task list, and the ability to easily name Collabs.
After the clients encouraged us to completely scrap their existing Collab Room design, we created a cleaner, expandable function panel with icons.
Solution
1. Revised brand identity
2. Streamlined onboarding process
3. Intuitive Collab Room
1. Revised Brand Identity
I spearheaded the Waaves rebranding effort and took color inspiration from a Waaves promotional video and music industry trends. The new dark background is similar to DAW aesthetics, which are designed for producers often working in dimly-lit studios.
I designed a set of custom icons for the Waaves Collab Room meant to simplify the collaboration process. The icons are introduced on the landing page so users become familiar with the features.
2. Streamlined Onboarding Process
For the landing page, the main goal was to build a better understanding of what Waaves has to offer so that users aren't confused or frustrated once they reach the Collab Room.
Onboarding is simplified to three steps with the option to create an account with Facebook or Google and followed by prompts to install the two required Chrome extensions. These installations were previously done in the Collab Room and were a continuous point of confusion and frustration during beta testing.
3. Intuitive Collab Room
We eliminated the Waaves Beta dashboard and reimagined the Collab Room as the user's hub for collaboration. Everything Waaves has to offer is accessible via the new global navigation. The new Collab Room provides greater functionality and is easier to understand. Our solutions should allow users to better achieve their goal- to collaborate.
During our first round of prototype testing, the Collab Room icon navigation was well received and users were able to identify functions and capabilities much faster than they did with Waaves Beta.
Left - Waaves Beta, Right - Redesigned Collab Room
Learnability
Collab Room function icons use recognizable symbols and hover state labels aid learnability. A number of users voiced the desire for hover labels during our initial round of prototype testing.
Easy Invite and Settings
Rather than sending collaborators through the onboarding process, users are now able to invite directely into the Collab Room via a unique link. Our clients told us that people were disengaging with the product once they got into the Collab Room because they were unsure how to initiate screen share and audio. To solve this problem, we included the audio and screen share settings in the main Collab Room navigation with recognizable icons.
Painless File Sharing and Communication
Dropbox login is better integrated so users don't have to leave the Collab Room to share files, easing communication and addressing a key pain point of remote collaboration. In order to achieve the sense of human connection that people felt so strongly about during our user interviews and testing, we added a video chat function to the Collab Room. The video chat window is moveable to provide limited interference when using the screen share function.
Next Steps - Imaging Waaves Post-Beta
Waaves Beta is currently a free product, but the company intends to transition to a subscription model once they have a user base. So how can we create more value for collaborators in order to push user growth and revenue?
Introduce social component in Waaves version 2.0
During research, it was clear that people enjoy collaborating because it allows them to share perspectives, skills, and tastes with other musicians. So why not capitalize on that desire and allow users to connect with musicians around the world? In addition to adding value to users, a social network component will generate exposure for Waaves and increase usership.