Designing
A Platform for Independant Creation
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Between 2014 and 2015, I had the opportunity to spend 8 full months (in sandwich course) within 1D LAB, a Cooperative Company which aims at inventing and experimenting new models encouraging cultural diversity. Back then, I was the only designer and thus brought a new light on the project. This year was challenging and I gained in autonomy, responsability, reactivity and initiative.
The company created the first ‘fair-trade’ streaming platform, dedicated to independant music, video, games among others. The access to the platform is purchased by partners, who then offer the streaming service to their users (see diagram below). It is therefore based upon a B2B2C system (Business to Business to Customer).
MY ROLE
My main contribution was to entirely redesign 1D touch, the independant creation platform,
which did not meet user needs.
• Understanding user attemps through surveys
• Benchmarking existing streaming platforms
• Reflecting about new ways to discover music and other kinds of creation
• Elaborating information architecture
• Creating the interface and identity
• Prototyping alongside with developers
CHALLENGE
The main challenge was to make users discover new music that they were not necessarily familiar with. Indeed, the streaming platform offers qualitative independant music but not the ‘famous’ artists everyone knows. That appeared to be a big issue when gathering people opinions about the platform. Users were lost without well-known artists.
What about guiding them in their discovery?
INTRODUCING CAPSULES,
MUSIC HANDPICKED WITH LOVE
In order to get people interested in music they might not know yet, we introduced the concept of Capsules, a tiny collection of handpicked & annotated music, artists and labels gathered under a title and description.
The users are therefore guided by these Capsules to discover the platform’s large range of choices.
Capsules can be created by anyone, and also engage the partners (who purchase the service for their users) to carefully select and advice music they discovered.
A FEW SHOTS OF THE PROCESS
Below, a brief overview of the steps of the process, labeling and sorting the entries after reflecting upon users wants and needs, and mockuping the platform and best paths for users to discover new contents.
EXPANDING THE PLATFORM
In addition to the music platform, 1D touch also offers a video streaming platform, as well as another one to download independant video games. Another mission was therefore to design them in the continuity of the main one.
A mobile application was also created to accompany the users through their journey through music discovery, wherever and whenever they want.
