wave2wave
Ever been drawn to those TikToks asking, 'What song are you listening to?' The ones that transport you to Shibuya at night, the lively streets of NYC at noon, or the calm corners of a university campus?—glimpses into diverse lives and soundtracks. What if you could connect with fellow music enthusiasts nearby and discover the soundtracks shaping your local community? That's the magic of wave2wave; integration with streaming platforms and location-based tech unveils the beats echoing you. As virtual sound waves ripple on your screen, their size signifies proximity, transforming music exploration into a shared local experience. Yet, wave2wave goes further, allowing you to share your musical vibe and stats with customizable privacy settings. It crafts a 'Wrapped'-style encounter, breathing life into your music stats—favourite genres, recent events, and curated playlists inspired by the unique locales shaping your daily life.
Product Experience
Problem Space
Problem Statement
Young adults currently lack an immersive platform that seamlessly combines their passion for music with genuine connections in their local communities. Existing digital platforms fall short in providing a space where users can easily discover like-minded music enthusiasts nearby, access real-time updates on local music scenes, and express their musical identities without compromising privacy. This unmet need reflects a gap in the digital landscape, hindering users from fully engaging in a dynamic and authentic music-sharing experience.
Problem Background
In the world of online music, passionate enthusiasts aspire to establish tangible connections and share musical preferences within their local community. The absence of a dedicated platform merging location-based features with music interests inhibits genuine connections and local music discovery, reflecting a gap in the current digital landscape exemplified by platforms like TikTok.
Research Insights
In crafting the wave2wave experience, I engaged with a vibrant community of music enthusiasts, conducting interviews with 35 participants aged 18-35. These conversations revealed nuanced insights into the dynamics of user behaviour.
User Pain Points
Through user interviews and a survey involving 35 participants aged 18-35, we identified different categories of prospective users and unveiled key pain points:
- Lack of Music Connection: Frustration echoes for 72.7% of participants who struggle to find like-minded individuals within their community. The desire for a shared musical journey becomes evident, emphasizing the need for a platform fostering local connections.
- Limited Access to Local Events: Discovering local music events challenges 48.5% of users, pointing to a gap in real-world music experiences. wave2wave aims to be the conduit connecting users to both digital and live music events in their localities.
- Privacy Concerns: surface as 24.2% express hesitation in sharing their musical preferences openly. Ensuring a secure space with robust privacy settings becomes paramount, acknowledging the user's need for a safe musical haven.
Supporting Data
Insights directly derived from the survey underscore pivotal aspects of user behavior:
- An overwhelming 93.9% actively seek profound connections through shared musical preferences. The social fabric of wave2wave aligns with users' desires for meaningful connections in the realm of music.
- 94.3% leverage music streaming services, affirming the platform's integration with digital listening habits. By seamlessly syncing with popular streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music, wave2wave meets users where their digital music journey begins.
- 58.8% stress the crucial importance of safeguarding musical preferences, emphasizing the need for robust privacy features.
Feedback
Preliminary user research to validate this problem with a diverse group of music enthusiasts, comprising 35 participants aged 18-35, revealed a widespread desire for a platform that combines individual musical tastes with local connections. Users expressed a need for a safe and engaging space that facilitates music discovery and connection within their community.
- 61.8% crave real-time updates on nearby music, signifying the importance of timely information.
- 82.4% desire customizable user profiles, highlighting the need for a personalized, user-centric experience.
- 85.3% express the necessity for seamless integration with music streaming services, recognizing the interconnected nature of the digital landscape.
Landing on the Solution
Proposed Solution: Transforming Local Music Interaction
With a customized social networking app, we hope to transform local music interactions. The main goals are to prioritize user privacy, create a seamless community building experience, offer real-time music insights, encourage authentic self-expression, improve the local music scene, and use music as a catalyst for culture. The suggested approach combines music preferences with location-based features, providing real-time updates, user profile personalization, and smooth integration with well-known streaming services for genuine connections.
Explanation of Solution
Finding local people with similar musical tastes is a source of frustration for 72.7% of users, according to an analysis of interviewees' pain points, which pointed to a clear need for a connection-driven app. Strong privacy settings are essential, as highlighted by 58.8% of respondents who expressed privacy concerns. Based on these findings, Wave2Wave's solution gives simplicity, ease of use, and customization top priority. With a solution that meets user needs, the location-based app promotes connections and tackles the issues that have been identified.
Scenarios: Custom Solutions for Varied Situations
- Users connect effortlessly with nearby individuals sharing similar musical tastes, fostering friendships and contributing to a vibrant community.
- Personalized notifications keep users informed about local music events, enhancing participation in community-driven activities.
- Privacy controls empower users to selectively share musical preferences even in dynamic settings like concert queues.
- Users can create profiles connecting to statistics like stats.fm, stats for spotify and spotify wrapped, as well as apple wrapped; featuring favourite genres, artists, streams, fostering connections based on shared musical passions.
Measuring Success: Strategic Metrics for Impactful Evaluation
Success for the app is intricately tied to key metrics. Tracking user adoption rates will be central to understanding its resonance in the target demographic. We aim to measure its impact across regions through downloads, gauging geographical engagement. Analyzing feature usage and actively seeking user feedback, both during app usage and post-installation, will inform continuous refinement, aligning the app with evolving user expectations and preferences.
User Flows/Mockups
A crucial part in developing the user flows and mockups for Wave2Wave was user interviews. Real-time updates on nearby music were highly desired (61.8%), which had an impact on the smooth integration of a real-time feature. Iterative design changes meant to match user needs with the app's functionality, even though explicit mockups were not displayed. Notably, the user interface of the app uses soundwaves visuals to alleviate common issues by providing simple connections, customized alerts, strong privacy settings, and user profiles that include comprehensive music data.
Future Steps
In order to ensure a user-centric approach, our strategy is based on important insights obtained from in-depth user discussions. Our roadmap for post-launch refinement and adaptation has been shaped by user feedback, which has helped us identify potential challenges and solutions. The Co.Lab project stages offer a well-organized framework with a focus on user-centric improvements and iterative development. The roll-out plan prioritizes a phased introduction to get focused feedback and a strong marketing plan afterward. Our roadmap encompasses opportunities for collaboration, continuous assessment, and strategic alliances for long-term growth and regional expansion as we look beyond Co.Lab.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Ayat Atif
My journey into product management has been entirely changed by the DTTPPM program, thanks to opportunities for real-world experience provided by the Co.lab and Atila mentorship, the WIL Hackathon, and soon a Riipen placement for a PM project at a tech company!
With the creation of Wave2Wave, I was able to master fundamental PM elements- with a large focus on user needs. Working on Wave2Wave taught me a valuable lesson: while I was first more concerned with finding a solution, it was more important to understand the problem space. I was able to design user flows and produce useful mockups after I had a good understanding of the issue and had acquired some data. This is how I found that all of the important decisions were actually made based on user pain points.
Working in cooperative group settings and interacting with Co.lab videos and case studies created a welcoming environment for sharing knowledge. Throughout the mentorship program, I was able to gain new insights and strengthen my understanding of project management principles by participating in and receiving feedback on other people's work. My learning journey was infused with enthusiasm and creativity as a result of pursuing Wave2Wave, a project that matched my interests in community, music, and technology. This program strengthened my understanding of the product management process, improved my skill set in PM, and allowed me to have direct influence over tangible products.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.