After this weeks lecture, I am going to do some research into similar user interfaces that I hope to take inspiration from. My starting point for this is Duolingo, and Spotify wrapped as they use illustration to guide users through a visual learning journey.
I got some feedback from Kyle today which was really helpful, i’d been stuck between two ideas. my first idea was to build on just a regular streaming service but try and make it more personalised and intuitive. We both agreed that this is already an existing feature and quality of most music apps and i believe it would take me more than 6 weeks to create this to the standard that I would want it to be, as i would need longer to stand a chance at rivalling apps like Spotify.
My second idea, which I had a gut feeling would be a better route was to combine learning about music within a streaming app. Streaming won’t be the main priority and I’m going to try and keep that part of the interface simple and minimal. Learning about Swiss Style, particularly Müller-Brockmann really shaped how I want to approach this, I understand now that with design, less is more. Even though I want to include a lot of features, I’m going to challenge myself to keep the interface clean and robust rather than overwhelming.
The main function of the app will be the learning feature. While researching and brainstorming I realised there aren’t many streaming platforms that allow you to properly learn about artists or the meaning behind lyrics in an engaging way. Spotify’s ‘Behind the Lyrics’ and the Genius website are probably the closest examples but their interfaces feel quite flat and text heavy. They don’t fully immerse you in the story behind the music, or at least they don’t hold my attention for very long. I want to research this further to make sure that assumption is accurate and not just personal bias.
After feedback from Kyle i’ve decided to narrow the app down to a specific genre, 90s hip hop. I’m personally really drawn to this era because of its cultural depth and context. I was a fan of the genre for ages, but i didn’t truly understand its social and political context, until I watched Straight Outta Compton and Boyz n the Hood. These films fascinated me, as once you know the stories, the songs feel less like merely explicit rap songs and more like first hand testimonys, or dcumnetations of the political and gang violence they faced at the time.
So heres what I what I want the app to do…
Instead of separating streaming and learning, I want the interface to merge them so that users can explore..
while still listening/engaging with the music itself
I can speak from experience that listening to songs of this era is a whole new experience as the words have so much meaning now (since learning about the context). Whenever i discover a new artist now the first thing i do is type their name into google and try and learn about them, as it always helps me understand and connect with the music more. I think nowadays people are a little too focused on just adding random songs to a playlist (which is obviously fine), but the experience becomes so much more special when you can even slightly understand/resonate with the lyrics, in a way i think it can better help you understand yourself. music really is so powerful.
My idea is it could be when you are playing a song, there is a ‘learn’ button. similar to duolingo, it will be a chronilogical learning experience, and illustrated as if you are ‘travelling’ along a road with various stops. these stops will be different years, events etc.
This is how genius displays information about the artist. This is literally just text dumping, and would likely never excite people when it comes to learning about music. Although my app will also include lots of information, i want to break it into sections so that it feels like a more interactive experience.