Trio: a Revolutionary Music App

MY ROLE

Concept / UX / Brand / App Design

BACKGROUND

There are so many music apps out there; music players, streaming services, DJ based platforms, lyrics and karaoke apps and more. As a music fan I felt there was something missing in this landscape, specifically in the intersection between entertainment and education.

I decided to try and envision a product that promotes listening to all sorts of music genres from different periods, but also enables users to listen to specific instruments whilst a song is being played. In other words, to switch on and off specific channels (vocals, guitar, drums and so on) so that a song can be played in its original version, but also as a "stripped down" song.

THE CHALLENGE

Separation of musical instruments within a song usually happens inside the studio, where the right equipment allows professionals like sound technicians to control the specific channels of a recorded track. Giving this kind of control in a rather simple UI environment has both technical and UX issues. In addition, most songs nowadays are being recorded as massive productions, using a large amount of musical instruments, thus making the separation of channels a complex if not an impossible mission. 

Another objective was to give out as much information as possible in order to drive users to listen, play and learn songs (familiar songs as well as new ones).

THE SOLUTION

For starters, I've decided to focus in a specific musical act which is the trio (compilation of 3 instruments). Studies have shown that while trios can play very complex songs, the relatively few instruments make it easier for the listeners to comprehend and enjoy the musical piece. Other than that, there are some great trio bands out there...

Having children as the app's main users, I've also tried to simplify the UI so that the listening and playing experience will be smooth and fun. I've added features such as auto-complete search option and a specific area to view images and information about every trio, so that an unfamiliar band will become accessible and easy to explore.