PROJECT DETAILS

Brief: To expand the app’s functionality based on research and increase the user share of Bandcamp for a new generation.

Project Duration: Two weeks

Tools: Hand sketches, Online Surveys (Google Forms, Typeform), Figma, Figjam, Notion, Milanote

Role: In my cohort, I collaborated with two other UX designers and was in charge of the majority of the research: developing surveys, curating interview questions, conducting user interviews, and synthesizing data with the help of my coworkers. I also helped with aesthetic selections throughout the design phase, producing sketches, low and mid-fi wireframes in Figma, and assisting with brainstorming. After we prototyped our designs, I also conducted usability testing of our mid-fi screens.

Who and What is Bandcamp?

Bandcamp sees itself as an online record store and music community where passionate fans can discover, connect with, and directly support the artists they love. Their website and app have an artist-forward business model that stands alone amongst their competitors, and they’ve been profitable for longer than Spotify.

our challenge

The biggest obstacle we faced in our development was keeping the unique payment structure that is at the heart of Bandcamp. It would be a non sequitur to introduce something that would eliminate it and fleece artists for money. Our research kept pointing to things like streaming and playlists, but converting Bandcamp into a Spotify clone would be a disservice to users and the business, and would fundamentally destroy the Bandcamp spirit.

Another intriguing obstacle that arose throughout our brainstorming session was the acquisition of Bandcamp by Epic Games. This threw us for a loop when it came to figuring out how to fix the challenges we discovered during our research. We were thankfully brought back to Earth when we recognized we needed to keep our project's original focus and not over-design the solution. We abandoned any plans to level the app for anything other than a single player. We also abandoned plans to develop a virtual reality stage for Covid-friendly shows solely available on Bandcamp.

We went back to basics when it came to determining what Bandcamp users truly required. Users of Bandcamp required curation and connection. They couldn't put their newly purchased songs into any meaningful (or even savable) playlist. They were only able to communicate on a speculative level with one another.

research

I immediately reached out to my wide network of contacts developed while working in numerous record stores across the country. I even contacted a former coworker and obtained the contact information for Bandcamp's Lead UX Designer. I had a lot of questions for her, and she was quite helpful!

I created a multi-part survey (the first part was for listeners, and a second part for artists who use Bandcamp to sell their music). I distributed our survey to my musical friends and former coworkers, as well as posted it to two different Bandcamp-related Reddit forums. This provided us with a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data, as well as a decent overall picture of the average Bandcamp user. After that, I created more interview questions to elicit more particular data about the usage and a more holistic picture of the problem. I conducted the majority of the User Interviews, and we as a group were able to create a vast database. Next, with the help of my teammates, I compiled our data into an Affinity Map to target key patterns.

We discovered that most users utilized Spotify on a regular basis, but only visited Bandcamp a few times per week (with higher usage rates for artists). We also discovered one intriguing fact: folks who were REALLY INTO Bandcamp would talk about it OUTSIDE OF BANDCAMP. Because they couldn't connect directly on the app and website they loved, they'd go to Reddit (r/Bandcamp) or Facebook (Bandcamp Followers and Buyers has 2.1k members).

key takeaways from user research

• Users across the board valued sharing music and supporting artists financially

• Those surveyed and interviewed overwhelmingly did not connect with other users of Bandcamp in the app.

• Users commented over and over that they wished there was a playlist function

solution

A redesign that incorporates the aspects that were repeatedly mentioned throughout our research:

1. a more robust Playlist feature that allows users to save numerous queues

2. a new Forum feature that allows users to connect with one another and bond over similar or dissimilar likes.

3. more content sharing features, including the ability for users to recommend albums or artists to other Bandcamp users they follow, as well as direct messaging with other Bandcamp users

Our app makeover has the potential to attract a whole new generation of Bandcamp customers, increasing its market share and bringing it up to speed with rival streaming services while remaining true to its primary objective of supporting artists.

process of design

We started looking at the other music streaming and storing businesses like Bandcamp to see how they operate. We were able to pinpoint the strengths and shortcomings of the app's usability and attractiveness by performing competitive and comparative analyses. Bandcamp was obviously missing out on the possibility for people to stream music on a regular basis; after three plays, a paywall appears, prompting the user to pull out their wallet. Here's where an unforeseen fundamental challenge arose: can Bandcamp develop a more robust streaming service while keeping its artist-first philosophy and payment scale? Was this the deciding factor in someone switching from Spotify to Bandcamp?

Our team also put together a SWOT analysis and used the Moscow Method in order to translate our research into design ideas. Using a clear focus, we began an overhaul of several features:

• Updated the UI features of Bandcamp’s app

  • made sleeker, clearer navigation icons

  • changed how content is arranged on the main screen 

• Increased connection options for users by adding a ‘Contact’ button on Artist pages

• Updated the search functionality, and changed the genre taxonomy to be more in line with app aesthetics. 

  • Previously, Search/Browse was the only page in the app that had other colors besides blue and white in the UI. It seemed out of place with the rest of Bandcamp’s design.

• Used Material Design for our project because Epic Games is currently banned from the Apple App Store due to current litigation.

Mid Fidelity Designs

Mid to High Fidelity

Infinite Scroll (video)

NEXT STEPS

Due to time constraints, we were unable to get to High Fidelity usability testing, but we were able to prototype our Mid-Fi designs. By examining our prototype, we targeted some areas to rework and made note of what we would change going forward.

We had hoped to offer a Dark Mode, which we still want to do, and some call-to-action buttons in the layout may need to be altered based on the results of our usability testing. We also need to work out the finer points of a subscription feature, yet there is financial information that we don't have access to.

My partners and I have talked about tackling some of the far-fetched ideas we put down early in our brainstorming process. We'd like to investigate a thorough redesign based on Epic Games' purchase, as well as their ownership of Unreal Engine and the other companies they've lately purchased in the domain of Metaverse technology. Would adding a VR experience to Bandcamp's offerings attract more users? The possibilities of what we might find could lead to some interesting designs and provide us with another learning experience.

VIEW FIGMA FILE HERE

***For more detailed breakdowns of Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal streaming payments to artists, read these articles:

• Tidal is Investing in Direct Artist Payments, a Step Toward Fair Streaming Payouts by Amanda Silberling (link here)

• Fraud Has Become the Latest Hurdle for Music Streaming by Cherie Hu (link here)

• Outspoken Frontman of ‘90s Band Eve 6 Rips Spotify: ‘We want to hurt this company’ by Nicole Goodkind (link here)