Harmonie App Design: Adobe Creative Jam
Sprint Overview
Adobe Jam Challenge
In early August, myself and two friends joined the Adobe Creative Jam, a 72 hour design challenge hosted by Adobe and The Creative Collective.
Our goal was to develop an app that would empower and lift under-represented voices. My group chose to tackle sexism and misogyny within the local music scene and to lift the voices of women and those who identify as female.
Sprint Details
Timeframe: 72 Hour Design Challenge
Tools: Adobe XD, Pen and Paper
Team: 3 Person Team
My Role
UX/UI Designer
Responsibilities Included:
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Conducted usability tests
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Drafted problem and solution statements.
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Sketched and Wireframed ideations, and designs.
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Created multiple pages of high fidelity prototypes.
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Presented our app to the Creative Jam and Adobe teams
Results
We Placed 5th out of 196 teams!
The Adobe and Creative Collective had wonderful feedback about our design and we won a full year of the creative suite.
Thinking forward - If we were to build this app, I would allow for more file sharing for digital auditions, notes pad for brainstorming, and more customizable feed.
Case Study Breakdown
Defining the Problem
The music industry, both local and mainstream, is fraught with sexism, misogyny, and stereotypes. Womxn are often defined BY their gender in music. All too often terms like “girl guitarist”, “female vocalist”, or “female rapper” are thrown around to describe female-identifying musicians.
We decided to begin by looking up interviews from female-identifying musicians and learning about their experiences. Needless to say, there were countless accounts and interviews from current musicians.
We learned that there really isn't a lot of mentorship or community support being offered. And worse, womxn often are left out of the conversation when booking gigs, hiring talent, and having an expertise in their respective field. Womxn rightfully feel tokenized when they are simply booked because of their gender and not their musical prowess.
Below is an account from musician Yvette Young about her experience in the music scene:
Guitarist/Pianist
Yvette Young
Covet/Solo Artist
"People try to say that I have what I have because I’m ... popular because I’m just a girl playing guitar, not because of the work I put into my craft or my rigorous upbringing. It feels a bit dismissive, having people reduce you to a stereotype and ignore your entire journey."
- Yvette Young
Problem Statement
Womxn in the music industry need a way to connect with each other for mentorship, support, and collaboration so that they can share/grow their authentic talent and find opportunities for work.
Research and Methods
Competitors
Looking at competitors, we not only wanted to learn what others were doing and succeeding with, but where we could innovate and improve on the idea.
We also knew we wanted it to be a multifunctional app. Features differed greatly from app to app. One thing we weren't seeing was an app that was utilizing both a social aspect as well as a job seeking aspect.
Personas
About Yvonne
Yvonne is a budding artist based in New York City pursuing a career in singing and songwriting. She's been writing and performing her own original music since a young age. She posts her songs to social media and has generated some followers on platforms like Soundcloud, Instagram, and TikTok. She wants to take her talents to the next level.
Goals
Frustrations
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She's felt over-sexualized and reduced by producers and other musicians in the past.
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She's not sure what else she can do to reach her goals and doesnt know who to ask
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Make it big. Get signed to a label and land a record deal
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Make authentic music that matters
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Collaborate with other musicians
About Lara
lara is a music producer based in Los Angeles. he worked with musicians from all walks of like and often gets work from people in her network, so she values building relationships in the music industry. She has been producing and releasing albums since 2010 and credits her success to her tenacity. She strives to create and maintain a unique sound throughout her tracks.
Goals
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Create incredible music and inspire other artists
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Give opportunities to creative people
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Collaborate with other musicians
Frustrations
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Her work as a producer is often misjudged by her gender or appearance
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Opportunities to find new projects are often limited to her immediate network.
Design Process
Sketches
For the layout, we decided on a kind of typical social media layout. There would be a main feed where users could see the most popular posts, posts their friends shared, and the most recent posts. We also moved forward with combining the community aspect of a social media account with a job board. We wanted musicians to be able to share different gigs.
Main Profile Page
Newsfeed
Profile Expanded
Job Posting Page
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Wireframes And Mock-ups
Laura's Profile Screen Iterations
Laura's profile evolved quite a bit. We ended up going with a simple profile method. You have your profile picture, a small biography, and a list of "Tags" of your skills. Ex. Guitarist, Vocalist, Engineer...etc. We felt this style was well known enough that it would be easy for users to learn.
Profiles also have a card that slides up. This card is your "wall", where you can post videos, statuses, and even gigs you've hosting or playing. This way people can visit your profile and see when and where your next gig is!
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Laura's Newsfeed Screen Iterations
Our Newsfeed features everyones posts but they are separated into the different groups mentioned above..
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"Following" is the posts of who you are following.
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"Amplified" is where you will see the most popular posts of the day.
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"Recent" is where you will see posts in chronological order of everyone on the site.
From the main newsfeed you can also post, message, and follow individuals.
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Profile Screen Iterations
The "Gig" page is where artists and engineers can find jobs and gigs. This can range from joining a band, hiring a musician for a live performance, or even finding an engineer who understands what you are looking for.
The Gigs are separated into type and instrument like "Guitar Gigs", "Piano Gigs", or "Producer Gigs"
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Bottom Navigation
Our Bottom Navigation contained quick ways to switch between a newsfeed, job postings (gigs), messages, notifications, and your profile.
Floating Post Button
A floating "Post" button appears just above the bottom navigation and to the right. This allows Laura to quickly post something from her newsfeed page.
Typography and Color
Our typography and colors were chosen to both represent the chaotic, rebellious, and energetic nature of rock and punk/hardcore and with a touch of femininity.
High Fidelity Mockups
