Fall 2015
SoundRobin
SoundRobin is an iOS application that allows users with premium Spotify accounts to invite friends to a collaborative playlist. This gives non-premium members access to the host’s premium features. The app also has a voting mechanism that allows users to vote for the next song that plays.
The Problem
Building playlists for social events is very time consuming and it can be difficult to choose the right music genre for the group.
Everyone has different taste in music and playing the wrong music at an event can have negative impacts on the social atmosphere.
The Team
This work was done for a very small startup so the founder wore many different hats.
Founder: Marketing, business development, project management
Design: My role, visual and interaction
Research: My role along with the founder
Development: 1 full-time, 1 part-time
Apple TV integration
Design & Technology
The team wanted this application to match popular trends in order to appeal to younger crowds. I also created the branding and marketing materials for the group.
We chose a dark interface to keep the app from being too bright in dark spaces for social events such as parties or bars.
We incorporated some deep reds to match the Robin theme along with a geometric bird/music note logo.
The Process
We built this app using a very lean/agile process. We created and iterated very quickly. We had the privilege of hosting a launch party for the app at an Austin bar during South By Southwest. It was an exciting opportunity where we were able to observe people organically downloading and interacting with the app.
Discover
Target audience interviews
Scope review
Research
User interviews
Competitive analysis
Design
Branding and marketing
Mockup and prototype
Validation
Focus groups
Beta launch party
Final launch observation party
Deliver
Challenges
The team was almost too small to get real traction. Our developers and myself had other full time jobs which made dedicating more time to the project difficult.
Because of the lack of resources, we weren’t able to build two native apps which meant that nearly half of the attendees at an event couldn’t participate in building playlists or voting.