Combo App | Jackson Vaughan

Context

Problem Space

Could social isolation be mitigated through music?

Many news articles recently have described a “social recession,” especially among young people. We are spending less time outside of the house, and have fewer close bonds with friends than people of previous generations.

As a musician, I know that playing music together with people is one of the best venues for socialization, and yet there aren’t any quality tools available to connect musicians that don’t run in the same social circles.

Creating more “population transparency” and ease of communication between musicians in a given area would make musicians more likely to meet, make new friends, and pursue their passions with like-minded people, ultimately resulting in a higher quality of life for all.

Audience Research

Musician Network Model

As a member of the target audience I had my theories about why it was difficult to find other people to jam with. Namely that, if you aren't in a professional/academic music setting in school, prospects for other musicians to jam with are largely limited to your own social circle and the luck of the draw. See the diagram below:

A Portrait in Data

To get more concrete evidence of this phenomenon I conducted a survey of 46 young musicians in my and others’ social circles. The survey, titled "What prevents you from making music with others?" pursued that question by asking about barriers people face, their receptivity towards other musicians, and methods used to find them.

Peer Interviews

Out of that broader pool of survey respondents I also conducted prospective user interviews with young musicians I knew to get more qualitative data about their experiences with finding people to play music with. Based on these interviews and the survey data I received, I developed three key insights:

Active vs. Passive Searching

Most musicians are passively, rather than actively looking for new musicians to play music with, and a majority don’t venture outside their social circle to look.

Compatibility and Availability

They care deeply about compatibility of musical influence and mindset. Even when they are exposed to musical peers, taste, schedule, and goals often don’t align.

Inexperience in Group Settings

Inexperience in a group setting holds many back from connecting with others in the first place: a self-perpetuating cycle. Lack of a performance space can magnify that challenge.

Audience Profiles

1: "Open to jamming"

Many young musicians would love to play music casually with others, but a lack of exposure to peers means time and effort is usually needed to find people to jam with.

For those too busy to find those connections in daily life, any tool must make finding people of a similar mindset simple and easy.

Michael is on an internship in the summer in Chicago. He is passionate about music and would love to find some friends to casually jam with. However his short time-frame and lack of connections in the city has meant he only practices by himself in his room.

2: "Building a Band"

For folks who have more ambition in mind, even putting in the effort doesn’t always pay off if you are looking for people with specific taste and abilities.

The ability to search for players with specific qualities is vital for any product that serves more discerning musicians.

Amanda is the lead singer of a popular local band in Chicago. After their drummer moves to the west coast for a job, the band is left looking for a permanent replacement. Though they are well-integrated in the music scene, most of the drummers they know are already in other bands and wouldn't be able to fully commit to theirs, or else are too stylistically different.

3: "Gaining Confidence"

Not all musicians have a history of improvisation. This can prevent them from seeking out musical connections in the future for fear of embarrassment.

Creating a positive environment that inspires low-stakes meets between users can make musical growth possible for all.

Omar is a new college freshman. He plays saxophone, but grew up in a small town where there weren't really people to jam with. Though he wants to expand his musical friend group, he isn't a music major and is intimidated by students pursuing music professionally. He finds it difficult to find people who have a similar desire to grow but no public visibility.

Competitor Analysis

Existing Solutions

There are only two credible products available in the market today specifically geared towards musicians: "Vampr" and "BandMix." Both struggle with usership (none of the 46 people I surveyed had used either one), as well as functionality and aesthetic issues.

IA and Product Requirements

Nevertheless, from a feature and content perspective they were useful as a starting point to build off of or edit away. To that end, I documented the information architecture and feature list of the more prominent of the two, Vampr.

Intervention

Solution Guidelines

Finding "do's" From the "Don'ts"

Synthesizing the needs of my constituents, as well goals of my own for the character of the app, I arrived at four main values to strive for in my project:

Ease of Use

Peer musicians are easy to access and contact. The interface is pleasant to interact with.

Transparency

Users are able to view many profiles at once and understand the limits of their local music scene.

Approachability

The app will help facilitate jamming for inexperienced musicians.

Restraint

To avoid making the app an object of attention, the app should not encourage constant interaction by way of addictive UX paths.

Benchmarks

The Means, Not the Ends

The ultimate goal of the app is to discourage isolation and foster in-person meets— in a way, aiming for its own obsolescence. This is antithetical to the commercial nature of most apps, and as such, there aren’t many models for those particular qualities; most “social” apps are trying to sustain your attention for as long as possible. Despite this, many of Combo’s critical task-flows had been tackled by other products that I looked to for inspiration.

"Matchmaking"

Hinge, Tinder

Dating apps are the most obvious parallel to the problem I am trying to solve, but they differ in some key ways from the aims of “Combo.” Namely they attempt to show the illusion of infinite options by way of a limitless card stack, with an emphasis on image.

Vampr replicates this model in its design, but I think functionally adopting the premise of dating apps is a mistake in a musical context where plurality, networks, and geography are crucial.

Regardless, both Hinge and Tinder served as good examples of an onboarding process for a geo-social app, as well as basic private messaging functionality. Hinge in particular also acted as a point of reference for personal profiles as it places more emphasis on structured data and profile subsections. Its "Roses" section (a highlighted profiles gallery) was of particular inspiration.

Maps, Dynamic Content

Google Maps, AirBnB

At their heart, maps are a method of seeing a lot of information all at once, bringing transparency and clarity to a given terrain—physical or otherwise. Rather than deliberately obscuring the constitution of a music scene, I wanted to use the affordances of maps to make that more visible.

Google Maps and AirBnB both excel as mapping tools in part because of the smooth transition between varying levels of detail. Information appears as it is necessary and recedes as it isn’t. Location previews let users quickly compare listings without needing to leave the map environment. They also provide multiple ways of viewing the same data to make decisions easier.

In the interest of safety, none of Combo’s mapping features reveal other user locations. Yet the UX techniques needed to negotiate between a specific place and the broader geography are perfectly suited for the relationship between individual musicians and the musical populace as a whole.

Information Architecture

User Sessions

With a list of features derived from my analysis of Vampr and Bandmix, as well as my own intuition, I developed a card sorting exercise to help find blind spots in my project scope and understand what aspects of the product were most appealing to a perspective user.

Using an array of virtual sticky notes, each labeled with a distinct feature or data field, I asked a few members of the Combo’s target audience to arrange them on rough axes by importance. The first round concerned hierarchy of profile information, the second: features included in Combo more broadly.

Results

The initial synthesis of these sessions yielded an ambitious project purview that included band affiliation, venue profiles, and local show calendars.

In the interest of time and focus I narrowed the scope to the three primary areas:
profile recommendations, profile discovery, and creativity prompts for jamming.

Process + Iteration

Part 1

Onboarding

No items found.

The profile building process is broken up into six sections:

Basic biographic information

Musical background and instrument proficiency

Musical influences/taste

Motivation

Availability

Collaborator Recommendation Settings

Part 2

"Solos" : Recommended Profiles

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The default landing page for the app, “Solos” is a weekly set of 5 recommended profiles from the user’s area. By looking at compatibility on multiple axes (as set by the user), promising musicians are curated for the user to avoid choice fatigue.

Part 3

Musician Profiles and Messaging

Profiles showcase relevant information and media as submitted in the onboarding stage. Users can start a conversation by pressing and holding on any piece of the profile to “comment” on it, or just use the regular button at the end of the profile.

Part 4

Profile Discovery and Search

With Discovery Mode the full roster of the area’s user base can be visualized and filtered in a number of ways. There are four primary organization patterns:

Compatibility with user

Instruments

Genres/taste

Distance from user

Notably, no setting is purely geographic to protect the privacy of users.

After pattern selection, the map can be filtered to include or exclude profiles based on specific traits within each of those parameter categories.

Once all desired filters are set, users can click on any dot to view the profile it represents. The darker the dot, the higher the expected compatibility.

Part 5

Jam Inspiration

For those inexperienced in playing with other musicians, the Inspiration section provides spontaneous prompts to break the ice and jumpstart a creative session.

Results

Design System

Overview

The overall look and feel of the UI sought to be appealing enough that it wasn’t taxing to look at, but not so visually stimulating that it encouraged obsession or mindless engagement. This is mirrored on the interaction side with key flows that allow you to easily achieve specific goals, but that don’t prey on human susceptibility to lottery-style intermittent reinforcement or endless content scrolls.

Color System

In the spirit of “non-stimulation” I opted for a largely greyscale color scheme, with pops of color coming from photos and company logos for external app embeds.

Typography

The dot motif and halftone effect features heavily in Combo’s design. Its simplicity means that it can be used in many different contexts in the app. The relationship between a dot and a halftone image can also symbolize the role of a musician in a music scene, being a part of a bigger whole.

Visual Motifs

Project Assessment

Ease of Use

Combo appropriately balances the needs of people prone to a more passive approach with “Solos” profile recommendations, as well as proactive searchers with its robust Discovery mode.

Though it introduces some relatively novel UX flows (especially in Discovery), the majority of its critical functionality relies on tried-and-true UX patterns that would be familiar to the vast majority of users.

Transparency

Combo abstracts personal data into collective visualizations in Discovery mode. Musicians can explore and connect based on shared interests and proximity without compromising their anonymity. This ensures that users can safely engage with the app, while still benefiting from a transparent view of potential collaborations and connections in their area.

Approachability

"Combo" fosters a welcoming environment through its "Inspiration" feature, a virtual deck of shuffle-able jam prompts. These prompts help musicians break the ice and initiate jam sessions, especially for those new to playing with others. This feature makes starting collaborations less intimidating and more fun.

By offering structured yet creative suggestions, Combo lowers the barrier for entry into group music-making. Musicians can focus on enjoying the experience, knowing they have engaging but open-ended prompts to guide their sessions.

Restraint

"Combo" is designed with a balanced UI that is visually appealing without drawing too much attention. The use of a largely greyscale color scheme, accented with color from user photos, ensures that the interface is pleasant to look at and does not encourage obsessive use. Key interactions are straightforward, helping users to easily engage with intention, without falling into the trap of endless scrolling or addictive use patterns.

The app's default landing page, "Solos," offers a weekly set of five recommended profiles from the user's area. This limitation helps guard against the devaluation of other people when viewed as just another card in a stack.

"Combo" : Building a better way to meet musicians from the ground up