Level / 04 / UX & Product
Level appeals to artists as an accessible and easy way to deliver their music.
Empowering independent artists to share their music, the platform lends itself as an easy, appealing, and accessible distribution service. Per changes to service and operations, there were challenges and opportunities to maintain the user experience artists had become accustomed and expectant of. Between a new payment system, pricing structure, and in-app guidance, UX copy had to be instructive, conducive to release process, and withstand user interaction, all within strict parameters and limited revisions to product infrastructure.
CASE STUDY
Artist Support had become inundated with reoccurring issues and questions from users, largely unfamiliar and confused by the exacting guidelines set by service providers. Users frustrated with release rejections required additional guidance and assurance that with only a few adjustments, their music could be approved and delivered within promised timelines. This was an opportunity to help further educate and guide artists through the many guidelines that the service had to enforce on behalf of digital service providers.
Swipe through for iterations of the in-platform prompt.
✶ The user is prompted to verify that they want to submit their release for approval and that they understand that upon submission, their release will be locked and no further changes can be made.
✶ The prompt highly recommends that the artist is aware of the guidelines that their release must follow for approval. Additional info regarding the most common reasons for rejection and a link out to an FAQ page are intended to curb rejections and inquiries.
✶ Reprioritizing and editing for efficiency helped prevent whiplash or user confusion. Emphasis was on copyright violation, unnecessary text, and inconsistent data entry.
✶ Understanding that most common rejections were caused by inconsistent data, language was broad enough to flag potential delays caused by discrepancies between release details and cover art.
CASE STUDY
Artists interacted with the platform in ways other than submitting a release. In order to release via Level, users needed to become a paid member and maintain yearly (which introduced auto-pay as a feature). The process of withdrawing funds was essential to the platform experience, thus satisfied members.
Updates to microcopy followed platform iterations as the subscription model was introduced, features added, and processes changed. Though subtle, there was a substantial distinction between “withdrawal” and “withdrawal requests,” which clarified payment timelines and expectations.
FAQ
Once artists are ready to release music, they’ll rely on the platform that provides the bet user experience. This means an expectation that the provider is responsible for educating the user on the release process.
Users relied on Level to help navigate the release process from understanding the difference between an EP and album, how to create appropriate cover art, and how to read their sales and data, resulting in a main FAQ page.
Swipe through for FAQ highlights.
