The problem
Songclip was seeking to address a significant gap in the digital content market: the lack of accessible, legally compliant tools for integrating short, popular music clips into social media posts, messages, and other digital content. The business goal was clear - to create a solution that would allow platforms to easily incorporate 5-30 second meta-tagged music clips, enriching user experiences across various apps and potentially opening new revenue streams. Success would be measured by the seamless integration of our technology into partner platforms and the subsequent increase in user engagement with music-enhanced content.
Impact
🏆 iOS App got Featured in the App Store.
🏆 Average clip search and share time reduced by 21%.
🏆 The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Music 2020.
What I did
I follow the Double Diamond methodology. Diverge to explore the problem space. Converge on evidence-based solutions.
User research
Integration of music clips into social and messaging platforms is not entirely new, so after understanding the requirements, I began by examining existing solutions. This investigation highlighted several key considerations:
How do we curate and present music clips to match user preferences?
How do we ensure seamless integration across various platforms?
What UI elements will feel familiar to users of TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat?
Design decisions
Music Discovery and Seamless Sharing
The solution design process for Songclip involved extensive iteration and user testing. I initially created a detailed user journey map to outline key touchpoints and interactions. This was followed by developing prototypes and exploring various approaches to music discovery, clip preview, and seamless sharing across platforms. The challenge was to distill complex music licensing and integration features into a streamlined, intuitive experience that would be accessible for content creators and social media users.
iOS App Experience
Web App Design
In order to reach non-iOS users, I also designed a Progressive Web Application suitable for users on desktop and mobile.
Third-Party Integrations
The Songclip API lets other platforms make music part of what's being created, shared, and sent. We worked in collaboration with Viber in order to achieve a great integration between these two products.
Animations and Interactions
The platform included carefully crafted animations to guide users through the music discovery and sharing flow.
User testing
Prototypes were iterated on multiple times after remote user testing sessions. Users were asked to complete a full journey, from searching for a music clip to sharing it on social platforms. We observed their interactions with the search, preview, and sharing tools, and followed up to understand their expectations for music integration in their creative workflows.
The solution
The final design transformed how Songclip presents and integrates music clips. The app now provides an intuitive search process with clear preview and editing options and seamless sharing capabilities. The design improvements simplified the user experience and addressed the complexities of copyright compliance and cross-platform compatibility.
Results
- •iOS App got Featured in the App Store
- •Average clip search and share time reduced by 21%
- •The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Music 2020
Reflection
What worked
The focus on simplifying complex music licensing and integration into familiar social media patterns created an intuitive experience that resonated with content creators and led to App Store recognition.
What I'd do differently
I would have invested more time in early partnerships with platform developers to better understand their integration needs and constraints before finalizing the API design.
