Headlights Hip Hop App
Set the stage
Headlights Hip Hop was setting out to build a platform for talented new artists to be seen, for fans to connect, for cities to be represented and to address the idea that "Music is Broken". The Headlights app provides artists with virtual events and interactive voting from fans. Those with the highest votes are featured on the city-specific Leaderboards. As the app would evolve, they would begin to offer marketing tools for artists as well as unique opportunities for engagement.
I was initially brought in for UX/UI design, but after initial conversations with the founder I also began ideating and providing creative direction. Rather than treat the experience as a static or seek & find experience, it would need to be dynamic, interactive and engaging. After getting to a good place with the designs, I started an iterative prototyping process and worked toward finding unique yet intuitive interaction and engagement points.
I knew that the app would evolve with features that would be rolled out post-launch and new designers would assuredly be brought on board. For this reason, smart templates and walkthrough videos were created for various art elements and processes.
Session Pending
Artists needed to have exposure on the app before the sessions were live. The element of time plays heavily within the experience since there is a fixed amount of time per session. By including the countdown to "live" here, the user is provided a soft introduction into the time element while getting a view of the roster of competing artists.
For cities that were not yet set up for competition, a major CTA inviting artist suggestions as well as a minor CTA to learn more about the app were made available to provide these new cities an access point.
Session Live
With the initial launch, a modal was displayed in order to ease the user into the app experience. An emphasis on sliding screens and intuitive, yet unique, engagement points provided an "always accessible" user path.
This prototype also introduced the left-of-screen, dial-like navigation for the user to swipe from artist to artist.
The voting and sharing actions were the main goal. Rankings existed not just for the artists, but for the fans as well.
Session Complete
Once the competition timer runs out, session winners are boosted with additional graphics and the final stats are displayed.
Smart Templates
There needed to be a fast and efficient system for the images submitted by the artists to be readied for production. Also, new designers would be working on the project as it evolved and moved further past its launch. Smart templates and process overview videos were created for rapid development of assets that could then be added to the database for immediate programmatic deployment.
Round two
I was brought back in to work out additional user flows and to add some vibrance and elevation to the competition winners. A new introductory flow was created to maintain a seamless transition into the tooltip screens. And new designs were created for the artists in the top spots as well as share cards that the artists themselves could access and post to their own channels.
Design Updates
The intro modal was due for an update to add some polish and tighten up the visual identity. This rich gradient look would eventually find its way into the growing design system.
Sign Up Introduction
Intro screens for first-time users with welcome messaging, brief overview copy plus sign-up and browse CTAs.
Tool Tips
