There are so many amateur singers and musicians out there who don't have a group of their own to regularly perform with. So, in order to have some fun and grab a little time in the spotlight, without a huge commitment, they seek out open mic nights. Unfortunately, after talking to a lot of musicians, it seems it's not always easy to find nearby open mic nights online, due to the out-of-date info that's posted on most venue's websites, and trying to get the info over the phone seems nearly impossible. "OpenMic" is here to solve that problem and let the music flow!
1. UX Research
Research began with the outlining of objectives, for both the user and the app, before stating the hypothesis: musicians want to participate in open-mic nights, whether they are close to home or far from home, traveling for work or for leisure.
2. Interviews
In order to gain further insight into the attitudes, beliefs, and desires of potential users, I conducted an online survey, making sure the questions I asked were non-leading, clear, and open-ended. Once complete, I compiled all the research into the report below.
3. User Personas
Armed with the above UX research, I created a few user personas that could be referred to throughout the development of the app. This would ensure that the needs and goals of the user were always kept in mind.
4. User Flow
Next up was iterating on the user flow, starting out with post-it notes on the wall, and then moving into Omni-Graffle to clarify it.
5. Wireframes
Starting out with low-fidelity wireframes, I progressed through the mid- and high-fidelity versions, all the while trying to follow the directive of keeping the UI minimal.
6. Mood Board
Before setting off in any one design direction, I created a few mood boards, built from various design sources. Once a style was settled upon, (in this case a very colorful one), I was able to move forward with an already-agreed-upon look, one that would be carried out through the entire UI, and would be responsible for communicating the emotion of the brand, and eliciting certain feelings in the user while they interact with OpenMic.
7. Final UI
Below are a few of the final, main screens. It's interesting to note that while many folks commented on how much they love the fun, colorful interface, there were a few who were really turned off by it. Perhaps this is a good reminder that you can't please everyone while staying true to the products' goal/stakeholders' vision, and that success can still be found.
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