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A team of five entertainment professionals approached Crowdlinker with an exciting vision for their stealth startup: to transform the way people network in the music industry. Their goal was to build a platform that would allow artists in the music industry to upload their music by using an algorithm that would do feature extraction and audio tagging. It would allow users to match with each other based on their musical similarities, dating app style.
Stealth Start-up
Entertainment
Branding, Web App, Marketing Website
As the client validated interest in the platform, the user base of the product widened from just artists to anyone in the music industry. We needed to scope, design and develop additional features that would allow a wide variety of users to connect with others through search filters, conducting reverse music searches, 1:1 and group messaging, and saving users into collections. This needed to be done while keeping the platform accessible and engaging.
Numerous specialized roles are required for the production of a singular song or music video. Recruiting the right fit for these roles is a significant challenge.
Creating an effective machine learning model for music tagging in combination with a matching pipeline and algorithm for high match percentages required technical expertise.
The project began with a comprehensive Product Discovery phase, involving a competitive analysis that revealed no direct competitors. We delved into indirect competitors across various domains, crafting two personas (Seeker and Finder) based on qualitative and quantitative research. Collaborative workshops and market analysis informed the creation of a Feature Board, Roadmap, and User Flows, serving as the foundation for subsequent design and development. Technical Discovery was conducted simultaneously, where we collaborated with a music-expert machine learning consultant to identify, test, and optimize audio tagging engines. This led to the development of a matching pipeline and algorithm, recognizing musical qualities for high match percentages.
Using insights gained from the Discovery process, iterative processes and client collaboration workshops to develop comprehensive brand that embodied the client's vision. The resulting brand guidelines included a logo, colour palette, typography, photo guidelines, copy and sample applications to ensure a cohesive and resonant brand identity that seamlessly integrated with the overall user experience.
To prioritize efficiency without compromising quality, Google's Material UI (MUI) component library was utilized for the Design phase. This approach facilitated rapid wire-framing and easy adaptation to the established branding guide, resulting in a responsive web application design aligned with the client's vision. To validate the designs and overall user experience, 10 individuals engaged in User Testing involved a clickable prototype. Crucial feedback was addressed, while nice-to-haves were added to the future road map, ensuring key features were optimized for launch.
Our development team established a strong foundation for the product by building smooth and secure authentication, onboarding, and account management processes. Audio matching enabled users to form meaningful connections, while reverse audio search allowed users to find niche sounds. A third-party messaging application with a custom front-end layer enhanced communication and features such as filter search and collections enriched user interactions. The result was a robust and feature-rich product that met the evolving needs of our users and the client. We then guided the client through User Acceptance Testing (UAT), revealing only six bugs—a testament to our rigorous development and quality assurance processes. The project concluded with a successful code handover, empowering the client's internal team for a smooth transition and eventual product launch when the business side of the stealth startup is ready.
Over the course of 11 months, we worked collaboratively with a client team of five in order to deliver a product that validated product-market fit. Our project management processes demonstrated our ability to deliver a product on time and within budget, as we met all of our promised timelines to the client.
As one of the client’s stakeholders said, “My experience with Crowdlinker has been nothing short of exceptional. From the outset, their professionalism and organizational skills were evident, setting the stage for a smooth and efficient project execution. What stood out to me was the design team's ability to grasp our vision with remarkable understanding and execute it flawlessly. Their creativity and attention to detail brought our ideas to life in a way that exceeded our expectations.
Flexibility is another aspect where Crowdlinker shines. Our project evolved over time, and with every change, the team adapted seamlessly, demonstrating their commitment to delivering a product that fully met our needs. Despite these changes, they remained on schedule and on budget, which is a testament to their excellent project management and communication.”
The users and client expressed high praise for the designs and overall user experience. One of our testers stated "I've used many networking platforms, and this is definitely a step up”. This is straightforward and very easy to use." The design was described as friendly, not overwhelming, with a smooth, clean, and familiar look. The impact of the features and the whole product was clear. One of our users said "This is game-changing for the music industry,” while another stated "This makes networking a lot more accessible." As our client stated, “Working with Crowdlinker was a pleasure from start to finish. Their team's dedication, skill, and customer-centric approach made the whole process enjoyable and stress-free. I am thoroughly impressed with the outcome of our project and the positive impact it has had on our business. I look forward to the opportunity to work with Crowdlinker again in the future. For anyone considering a partnership with them for app development, I cannot recommend them highly enough. They will undoubtedly exceed your expectations and deliver a product that aligns perfectly with your vision.”
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