NOVA Music Streaming Application

Project Overview
Nova is a new music streaming platform that provides a custom listening experience for users. The service follows a “freemium” model, where users can access certain features once upgraded to the premium subscription.
Role
Research, ideation, visual design, prototyping, testing.

The Challenge

Nova needs to increase conversion of free users to paid premium subscribers to become profitable. Users need the opportunity to upgrade their account at any time during the use of the product, so they can get full access to the features that Nova has to offer.

The main goals of the project were to create opportunities for:
  • New users to subscribe to the premium version when registering
  • Returning users to become paid subscribers within the flows of the application

User Research

The main objective of user research was to identify features that users would be inclined to pay for, and the best place in the application to provide the opportunity to upgrade. I conducted secondary research using reviews from individual users and reputable tech articles about existing media services to learn more about popular features.

Persona

Based on research, I created a persona that encompassed the typical user of music streaming applications like Nova.

Insights

The following features should be prioritized to convert users from free to paid subscribers:

  • Ad-free and offline listening to eliminate disruptions to content
  • Custom music recommendations catered to the user
  • Unlimited and easy access to all content on the platform

Ideation

User Flows

I sketched out two main user flows to help determine where to place opportunities for users to become premium subscribers.

Design and Style Guide

Brand Platform

Nova is a bold, smart, and hip brand. Design should balance the tension of being uniquely diverse, yet somehow always familiar.

Logo

Typography

Colors

High Fidelity Prototype

1. Splash

2. Log in

3. Create new account

4. Interests

5. UPgrade

6. Home page

7. Playlist

8. PLayer

9. Premium Ad

Validate Designs

User Testing

The main goal of testing was to determine whether or not the user could easily subscribe to the premium version of the application. I also wanted to make sure the application was easy to navigate, and get feedback on the visual design.
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During user testing, participants did not have any trouble navigating the application, and often used swipe motions rather than taps to go back and forth between pages. Overall, users enjoyed the simple and clean look and feel of the application, but would have liked to see more brand-specific design throughout.

Design Changes

As a result of testing, I decided to make the following improvements to the application:

  • Use pop-ups on back, like, and add buttons of the song player page to lead to premium subscription information
  • Add more Nova brand design elements throughout to differentiate from existing apps
  • Adjust placement or visibility of certain buttons throughout the app

Final Design

NOVA Prototype Video

Conclusion

It was an exciting challenge for me to design a music streaming application, since I personally listen to music everyday. One of the main difficulties for me was creating something that was both unique from existing apps, yet familiar and easy to use.

For future iterations of the Nova app design, I would consider the following:
  • Improve interactions and animations to make the experience more enjoyable
  • Focus on creating an effective search function
  • Incorporate social features for users to connect with and share music with others