DJ Song Match is software created to improve the process of finding compatible songs. Similar software are blocked behind paywalls and lack useful features such as contrasting genres. DJ Song Match will both be free and open source and provide song analysis features that other programs do not have.
- Lawjay Lee
- Created personas and scenarios for Diego and Ryan
- Created sketch for Loading page and Main page with Dropdown
- Performed Competitive Analysis on Lexicon and Mashup 2
- Contributed to the Figma wireframes
- Moderated three User Tests
- Adrian Spinali
- Created personas and scenarios for Ashley and Michael
- Created sketch for Home Page, Main Page (no dropdown), and Preset Menu
- Performed Competitive Analysis on hand-sorting, Spotify auto-playlist, and Sort By Tune
- Contributed to the Figma wireframes
- Moderated three User Tests
Executive Summary
Initial research and design concentrated on how DJ Song Match will improve the experience of discovering and analyzing compatible songs.
- Competitive analysis revealed opportunities to challenge industry norms by differentiating themselves from the competition:
- Dedicated DJ Software: Customers displeased with current fees and subscriptions needed for DJ mixing software.
- Music Streaming Services: Lacks user control of song characteristics and features to smoothly transition between songs.
- Manual Sorting: Requires extensive effort and time. Affected by personal biases.
- Heuristic evaluation highlighted effective design patterns and areas that could be improved upon:
- Keyboard shortcuts and advanced settings could improve efficiency for experienced power-users.
- Generating matches lacks user input and control.
- Personas and scenarios identified user experience needs:
- Beginner-friendly interface for inexperienced artists
- Easier song matching on mobile without the need for a desktop computer
- Methods to filter explicit songs from recommendations
- Sketches and diagrams demonstrate interface features:
- Loading page for showing progress during long computations
- Showing/Hiding configuration menu to reduce visual clutter
- Manipulation and organization of songs and playlists
Executive Summary
Formative evaluations and outside input used in order to refine the layout, improve the user experience, and add additional options for how DJ Song Match finds compatible songs.
- Informal feedback from audience given the question "What characteristics would you care about most in the recommendation algorithm?" granted insight into additional desired filters:
- Method of selecting a date range for matching songs.
- Search for similar or matching genres of music.
- Potential for matching based on language of lyrics.
- Figma wireframe created to demonstrate application layout and primary features:
- Basic filters easily accessible with additional, advanced filters hidden in a pop-up menu.
- Search bar can be used to find specific songs, or can match songs from the current playlist.
- Table of recommended songs display tempo, key, and how closely they match the target song.
- Songs in playlist can be easily reordered or removed; undo and redo buttons provided for user control.
- Cognitive walkthrough demonstrated flaws in layout to be iterated upon and corrected:
- Users generally overwhelmed or confused about how to start - need to focus their attention on the search bar as a call-to-action.
- Some buttons deemed ambiguous as to their specific functionality.
- Clarification necessary for song metric terms such as "danceability" and "liveliness".
- Demonstration lacking account page. Even when added, important to distinguish features that do and don't require an account.
- One user expressed worry about lack of ways to curate the recommended songs list or to play songs in-app.
Executive Summary
Studies on how users interact with a working prototype of DJ Song Match will demonstrate current successes while guiding design changes to make the app more learnable for new users.
- Informal feedback from audience given the question "Does the placement of the search bar feel natural to you, or would you expect it somewhere else?" helped understand initial expectations:
- Search bar should be the first element that is presented to users.
- Possible reason to elevate search bar position on the screen.
- User tests highlighted potential issues while also demonstrating competitive advantages:
- Some users took time to read tooltips and help button.
- Heavy reliance on manipulating sliders to find new songs.
- Advanced filters were rarely used.
- Most users did not change input song past initial setup.
- Users were comfortable with organizing playlists.
- Most users were able to immediately find and understand how to export playlists.
- Participants tended to struggle more when navigating competitor apps.