BandLab is the flagship digital product in BandLab Technologies’ portfolio of music brands, and a leading social music creation platform with a global reach of 25 million users and counting. Through its best-in-class digital audio workstation (DAW) and audio hardware division, BandLab empowers creators to make music and share their creative process with musicians and fans on an unprecedented level.
My work for BandLab covers both high-level strategy (style guides, content research) and hands-on execution (UX writing, research) for web and mobile interfaces.
I approach all UX work by employing content-first and user-centred design principles that fully embrace a user’s train of thought, motivations and doubts at that particular stage of their journey.
Collaborating closely with designers, product managers, developers and other key stakeholders, I research and analyse relevant data, before using the power of words to turn wireframes into features that define excellent user experience.
As a firm believer of content and design being equals, I’m versatile and comfortable using Sketch, Figma and any other design tool available to create UX writing mockups and foster stronger collaboration with designers.
Empty States
These screens used to be dead ends that offered no joy to anyone. I revised them to be positive, empowering and engaging.
Feed for New Users
Targeted towards those with little experience in music-making, this redesigned feed offers quick and simple ways for them to get started.
Spam Messages
Nobody likes spam, so we sought to filter unwanted messages and give users the option to decline them or block the sender entirely. I made the one-liner at the end more conversational and less instructional.
End of Feed Message
Made popular by Instagram, the end of feed message congratulates users for being all caught up. The original copy was functional at best, so I decided to delight users who’ve “reached the summit” by giving them a pat on the back and pointing them in the right direction.
Success Messages
The hierarchy of information was incorrect, and instead of merely mentioning that the user action (i.e. uploading a video) was successful, I implemented copy that was less literal yet fully on brand.
Permissions
Little attention is paid to this sort of screens, but it’s really a golden opportunity to elevate the experience without the need for any fanciful visuals.
Mobile Web Blocker
BandLab works best on desktop and app, so we built a simple but effective blocker for mobile web users to crossover to.
Search Bar
Instead of throwing users in at the deep end (ironically when they needed help the most), I tweaked the search bar to make it seem like there was an actual person on the other end who’d assist the user.
Website copy
BandLab website’s original copy was inconsistent in its tone of voice and had several mistakes in grammar and capitalisation. That’s all cleaned up now.
Daniel Loy 