My DJ

CLIENT
Student Project from Google UX Professional Certificate

SECTOR
Entertainment, Design, Culture

MY ROLE
Entire Project Design from Research to Conception, Visualization, to Testing

PROJECT TIME
February 2024 - March 2024

TOOLS
Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Canva

Project Background

Music is known to evoke and create feelings in people. Feelings of joy may be expressed when a favorite song is played whereas feelings of annoyance will come out when an undesirable song is chosen. DJs are responsible for creating an atmosphere that will bring out the best in their audience, making the interaction between the two parties crucial to overall satisfaction. In order to create a platform that acts as a liasson between the DJ and listener, understanding the hierarchy of music curation is essential in large scale events. My aim is to redefine the dynamic between listeners and DJs, offering an integrated platform for inclusive engagement in music curation. Focusing on enhancing audience satisfaction while facilitating live feedback mechanisms to aid DJs will result in creating a more immersive and enjoyable experience.

It should be noted that this project was accompanied by a six month user experience design training, followed by a fixed course plan and a digital implementation was planned. It helped me to deepen my knowledge in user experience design and to explore digital approaches to facilitating user interaction in entertainment and to find out how the elements/assets can be set in accordance with interaction goals.

Problem

Goal

At live DJ events, audience members often express dissatisfaction with the music selection, feeling disconnected from the DJ and finding it challenging to connect on a musical level. Additionally, DJs find it difficult to gauge the overall atmosphere and vibe of the audience.

Design a user experience that allows DJs to enhance their shows by having users participate in song selection to vote on their favorites in real-time while providing real-time feedback to gauge overall satisfaction.

Research

I conducted various sources of secondary research, investigating online forums, user reviews, and academic articles from reputable websites. Compiling all of this data allowed me to gather diverse and relevant insights about the target user group.

Out of all the data I gathered, the most notable statistics were used as a foundation to understanding our target population.

"Audience engagement, participation, public engagement are increasingly becoming part... of creating a great arts experience. None of these approaches will work unless the whole organisation is committed to putting the audience at the heart of the experience."

Walmsley, Ben, and Anna Franks. "The audience experience: changing roles and relationships." Key issues in the arts and entertainment industry (2011): 1.

84% of Gen Z and Millennials noted that they are more likely to stay at a bar or restaurant with good music.

BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) and NRG (National Research Group) 2023

67.5% of event attendees consider that having a mobile event app is extremely crucial for the events they are attending.

Statistic from Bizzaboo

In an effort to gather more data, a Reddit search was conducted on the topic. I found a thread that would allow me to understand the perspectives of DJs when they are performing. The question was posed:

How often do you check on the crowd and interact with them?

Link to reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/DJs/comments/1al1toc/how_often_do_you_check_on_the_crowd_and_interact/

While there were a multitude of responses, many of them had said similar things. I took two responses that had incorporated what the majority of DJs in this thread had said about audience engagement. From these comments, I can tell that DJs prioritize audience engagement and actively seek feedback through body language and facial expressions. Most of them understand the importance of building good energy through their music and satisfying the crowd.

However, there was one user who stood out. They explained that while they wanted to analyze the crowd to gauge audience engagement, they were unable to because of how occupied they were with the set. This introduces a problem that DJs face- the inability to receive feedback from the audience due to inexperience or workflow. This problem was noted and prioritized during the making of My DJ.

Findings

Insight #1

Music has benefits.

Listeners find that music is therapeutic and relieves stress. The benefits of music is satisfaction and joy, especially for those who listen to music that they enjoy.

Insight #2

Apps are crucial for interacting at events.

Users find that having an application that caters to an event plays an important part in the overall event itself. Interactions are assumed to be much smoother when an app facilitates an event and provides direction.

Insight # 3

Personalized music can influence an individual's choices.

People are more likely to stay at an event with good music and leave an event with bad music. Preference plays a part in event interaction.

Insight # 4

Audience engagement can interupt workflow.

Inexperienced DJs often struggle to balance audience interaction with their performance. In some instances, they prioritize their workflow over engaging with the audience, indicating a need for clearer separation between the two responsibilities.

Building Empathy

Using the insights from the data collected, I created 2 personas that represent the needs, feelings, and beliefs of the target population. Leo (DJ and music producer, 33) and Aria (copy editor, 22) were designed to be realistic representations of the target users to guide the design process effectively.

After analyzing both personas, it is revealed that there are two distinct groups of people within our target population, DJs and audience members. Each have a different set of goals as well as frustrations that need to be addressed. This allows me to understand that in order for both parties to be satisfied, there needs to be two separate pathways in the site structure to allow for seamless music participation and facilitation.

Information Architecture

A general sitemap was developed by taking into account user personas, research, and goals which helped me organize the layout of the site and determine the hierarchy. The site map is essential in helping me understand the different ways that users can interact with the application as it traces the step-by-step user flow.

Blue Yellow Modern Minimal Site Map Chart (2).png

Wireframing, Prototyping and Usability Testing

Digital Wireframes and Prototypes

Design System

Two visual systems were developed to represents the overall aesthetic of components and elements of the mobile app and website. The design system guided the overall look and feel of My DJ and played an important role maintaining the consistency of the two platforms. It should be noted that there there are some elements that remained constant within the two systems while others were altered to fit the UI of each corresponding device.

UI of the mobile application.

UI of the website.

Mockups

Mockups were carefully crafted to illustrate what the application and site would look like in reality. Eight phone screens depict the UI for the mobile application. Four laptop screens depict the UI for the website.

Iterations

Several iterations were made throughout the entire design process. Iterations were made based off of usability testing. Two notable changes are depicted below.

1. A task bar was added on each page to serve as an accessibility feature, guiding users through the necessary steps to complete the goal. This feature also allows users to understand where they are at a certain point in time in relation to goal completion.

2. Icons were placed either alongside or above text to provide a visual depiction of the command or page.

Conclusion

In conclusion, My DJ answers the big question about whether or not there can be a meaningful connection between DJs and audience members at live events. Through testing, analysis, and iterations, My DJ is proven to bridge the gap seen between both parties which will enhance overall satisfaction. By fostering a collaborative approach, audience members will now be able to have a say in music selection comfortably. Ultimately, My DJ seeks to create a harmonious balance between audience engagement and DJ control, revolutionizing the interaction dynamics at events for an enhanced experience. Through ongoing user testing and feedback, we aim to continuously refine and adapt My DJ to better serve user needs.

If there was more time available...

Development of alternate user personas to cover more experiences and further adapt our app for more user journeys.
Additional research, preferably first hand, to gather more insights on the target population and views on the DJ-user interaction.
Future iterations will focus on implementing audience song requests (P2).

Relevance

Given the uprising popularity of the music industry, as highlighted by current statistics, an app like this becomes even more significant in today's time. Allowing users to participate in music selection real time would increase event goers satisfaction at live events and create a more enjoyable atmosphere overall. The app's impact extends beyond its primary function, serving as a reason for individuals to stay at events and participate more actively. By integrating both the event goer and DJs perspectives, the app not only meets immediate needs of both parties but also fosters long-term positive shifts in entertainment.