Product Type
Web app
Contribution
Led product design
Objective & Overview
Our clients were struggling to finding the right collaborators within the unique dynamics in the music industry. Finding the right people can be difficult—a single music video might require dozens of specialized roles, from audio engineers and videographers to lawyers, and this complexity is further amplified by endless styles and niche skills that are unique to different musical genres.
The goal of the project was to connect music industry professionals with their ideal collaborators utilizing an audio-tagging algorithm. The algorithm would be used to match audio files by similar sound qualities, and utilized in two contexts: to match users with similar sounds and to allow users to reverse audio search. This project posed a unique challenge of combining a professional networking experience akin to LinkedIn, the matching experience of a dating app, and the music sharing experience of platforms such as SoundCloud.
"This makes networking a lot more accessible. It's is game-changing for the music industry.”
- Anonymous user tester
Profiles being viewed from filter search results.
A user's profile viewed via the Explore page filter search.
Approach
We conducted a broader than normal market analysis that encompassed music licensing sites, networking platforms, social media, service marketplaces, dating apps, music streaming services, and portfolio websites. User interviews revealed two primary user groups: Seekers (project leaders looking to hire) and Suppliers (freelancers looking for work/discovery) which were developed into personas to define their behaviours, pain points and needs.
To accommodate and measure user preferences for the first iteration of the product, we opted to created a responsive web app. We suspected that Ligo would have similar device usage as LinkedIn, which hovered just above 50% mobile. However, we wanted to test it's desktop utilization and collect user feedback on the overall mobile experience before building platform-specific native apps.
There were many critical design strategy considerations to make. One was ensuring user profiles contained enough detail that other users could easily discover and trust them, while avoiding an excessive onboarding experience to minimize drop-off. Another piece that required careful planning was the search and filter parameters so that users would get meaningful results. We utilized the jaccard index across various audio features (eg. BPM, genre, instruments) to deliver relevant results ranked by match percentage. Filter searches allow users to set custom criteria with options for "all" or "any" matches.
"The team's dedication, skill, and customer-centric approach made the whole process enjoyable and stress-free. I am thoroughly impressed with the outcome of our project and the positive impact it has had on our business. They will undoubtedly exceed your expectations and deliver a product that aligns perfectly with your vision.
- Michael, the client
Search via uploading an audio file.
Saving a user's profile to a new Collection.
Overview of app screens on dektop.
Profile building and editing screens.
Design and Outcome
The designs were created in a dark mode to align with the music industry and evoke a mood similar to popular music streaming platforms. The primary functions of the app includes an Explore section where users can either search for, or match with other users, a Collections section where users can bookmark profiles, a Messages section where users can talk with other users and a Profile section where users can create their public profile.
After user testing the app, a few small adjustments were made to improve overall UX, such as removing some of the filtering options that didn't resonate with user testers. Ligo was built and delivered to the client in January 2024.
Messaging screens.