I conceptualised and developed a frictionless onboarding experience by making the process of data entry nearly invisible, which boosted engagement by 600%.
Role
Product Designer
Company
Music Gateway
Skills
Product, Strategy, UX/UI
Overview
Challenges and goals
Engaging new artists on the platform came with several challenges. For example, music was typically distributed across multiple sources and was accompanied by extensive metadata and legal information. To further complicate a seamless onboarding process, many artists and labels have entire song catalogues running into their hundreds. These factors combine to create a significant friction point that can discourage users from fully exploring the platform or even using it in the first place! I needed to develop a seamless onboarding experience that instantly captivates users and encourages further exploration of the platform. I needed to eliminate the laborious, manual process of data and song collection by automating the aggregation of essential metadata and legal information from external sources, allowing users to engage with the product without delay.
Deliverables
Onboarding
Audit the current user journey to identify friction points and design a streamlined onboarding flow that simplifies registration and early engagement
Data ingestion
Research and evaluate external data sources and APIs to compile a comprehensive, unified view of the user profile, enhancing personalisation capabilities
Engagement
Implement strategic enhancements to significantly increased product engagement and foster long-term user loyalty
User experience
Optimise the entire user journey to effectively showcase all product offerings and facilitate deeper exploration and value realisation
Approach
Redefining the user experience
Recognising that creative professionals are reluctant to spend time on data entry, the focus shifted to automating and streamlining the process. By understanding that artists value speed and seamless integration over administrative tasks, I set out to reimagine onboarding, not as a checklist of forms, but as an immersive, instant discovery of what the platform could do for them.
Data-driven discovery and retention
In-depth user research revealed that the key to retention was harnessing their existing data. Rather than asking artists to manually input hundreds of metadata points, copyright details, artwork, and contributor information, I proposed an API-driven solution that aggregates all this data automatically upon signup. By tapping into established third-party connections, we ensured that the moment an artist logged in, their entire release catalogue and related social media profiles were ready at their fingertips.
Crafting the seamless journey
After mapping out all relevant data sources and endpoints, I crafted a user journey that eliminated the cumbersome initial data collection phase. Here is how it worked:
Data ingestion: APIs pulled together a master database indexing every piece of the artist’s catalogue, including songs, metadata, statistics, and social media insights
Instant access: Upon logging in, users were greeted with their complete musical portfolio, allowing them to import and manage their releases without any manual intervention
Value-added features: With full integration, the platform not only showcased detailed analytics about song performance and audience engagement but also seamlessly connected with other in-platform services, such as our link-in-bio too. This delivered immediate, zero-effort value to the user.
