UI / UX Design
Echo
An interactive Discord music platform for discovering, listening to, and rating upcoming artists.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Music
Client :
Echo
Project Duration :
8 weeks
Problem :
Many emerging artists struggle to get noticed on saturated streaming platforms, and music lovers lack centralized, social spaces to discover and support new talent. Traditional platforms often feel transactional and disconnected from community interaction.
Within Discord, creators already congregate in niche communities, but there was no dedicated, intuitive way for artists to share music, for listeners to explore new tracks, or for community members to give meaningful feedback in real time.
Key Experience Gaps:
No simple music discovery space within existing Discord communities
Artists lacked a way to showcase tracks and receive listener feedback
Listeners couldn’t easily discover new music tailored to their interests
Solution :
We designed Echo as a Discord app with three core user experiences:
1. Artist Music Submission
Artists can:
Upload tracks or link external music
Add album art, genre, mood tags
Write a short artist bio
Specify whether feedback is requested or public
Goal: Make uploading easy and expressive.
2. Community Listening & Discovery
Listeners can:
Navigate curated queues of songs
Filter by genre, mood, or featured artists
See trending songs in the server
Goal: Blend discovery with community relevance.
3. Rating & Feedback Loop
Listeners can rate tracks using:
Star ratings ★★★★★
Optional short comments
Emoji reactions
Artists earn badges for:
Top rated songs
Most improved
Community favorites
Goal: Encourage positive recognition + social interaction.
Challenge :
1. Designing for Two Distinct User Groups
Artists and listeners have different goals:
Artists want feedback that’s constructive, not discouraging
Listeners want simple, enjoyable discovery
Solution: Separate flows, but unify feedback language and visual cues so both groups feel understood.
2. Balancing Social Interaction with Music Consumption
Discord is social first, music second. We needed to avoid distracting clutter.
Approach:
Music player is always visible but unobtrusive
Listening sessions don’t trigger spammy notifications
Interactive elements appear only when relevant
3. Limited UI Surface on Discord
Discord has UI constraints (no full custom screens).
Workaround:
Use embeds, reaction controls, and threads for interaction
Progressive features based on user actions (e.g., showing a rating panel only after first listen)
Summary :
Echo successfully fills the gap between music discovery and community interaction by embedding a tailored music hub inside Discord. Instead of passive streaming, it empowers listeners to discover, rate, and discuss emerging artists—and gives creators a space where feedback matters.
Design Impact:
Prioritized empathy for both artists and listeners
Delivered an intuitive UX within Discord’s UI constraints
Strengthened community engagement through thoughtful interaction design
UI / UX Design
Echo
An interactive Discord music platform for discovering, listening to, and rating upcoming artists.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Music
Client :
Echo
Project Duration :
8 weeks
Problem :
Many emerging artists struggle to get noticed on saturated streaming platforms, and music lovers lack centralized, social spaces to discover and support new talent. Traditional platforms often feel transactional and disconnected from community interaction.
Within Discord, creators already congregate in niche communities, but there was no dedicated, intuitive way for artists to share music, for listeners to explore new tracks, or for community members to give meaningful feedback in real time.
Key Experience Gaps:
No simple music discovery space within existing Discord communities
Artists lacked a way to showcase tracks and receive listener feedback
Listeners couldn’t easily discover new music tailored to their interests
Solution :
We designed Echo as a Discord app with three core user experiences:
1. Artist Music Submission
Artists can:
Upload tracks or link external music
Add album art, genre, mood tags
Write a short artist bio
Specify whether feedback is requested or public
Goal: Make uploading easy and expressive.
2. Community Listening & Discovery
Listeners can:
Navigate curated queues of songs
Filter by genre, mood, or featured artists
See trending songs in the server
Goal: Blend discovery with community relevance.
3. Rating & Feedback Loop
Listeners can rate tracks using:
Star ratings ★★★★★
Optional short comments
Emoji reactions
Artists earn badges for:
Top rated songs
Most improved
Community favorites
Goal: Encourage positive recognition + social interaction.
Challenge :
1. Designing for Two Distinct User Groups
Artists and listeners have different goals:
Artists want feedback that’s constructive, not discouraging
Listeners want simple, enjoyable discovery
Solution: Separate flows, but unify feedback language and visual cues so both groups feel understood.
2. Balancing Social Interaction with Music Consumption
Discord is social first, music second. We needed to avoid distracting clutter.
Approach:
Music player is always visible but unobtrusive
Listening sessions don’t trigger spammy notifications
Interactive elements appear only when relevant
3. Limited UI Surface on Discord
Discord has UI constraints (no full custom screens).
Workaround:
Use embeds, reaction controls, and threads for interaction
Progressive features based on user actions (e.g., showing a rating panel only after first listen)
Summary :
Echo successfully fills the gap between music discovery and community interaction by embedding a tailored music hub inside Discord. Instead of passive streaming, it empowers listeners to discover, rate, and discuss emerging artists—and gives creators a space where feedback matters.
Design Impact:
Prioritized empathy for both artists and listeners
Delivered an intuitive UX within Discord’s UI constraints
Strengthened community engagement through thoughtful interaction design
UI / UX Design
Echo
An interactive Discord music platform for discovering, listening to, and rating upcoming artists.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Music
Client :
Echo
Project Duration :
8 weeks
Problem :
Many emerging artists struggle to get noticed on saturated streaming platforms, and music lovers lack centralized, social spaces to discover and support new talent. Traditional platforms often feel transactional and disconnected from community interaction.
Within Discord, creators already congregate in niche communities, but there was no dedicated, intuitive way for artists to share music, for listeners to explore new tracks, or for community members to give meaningful feedback in real time.
Key Experience Gaps:
No simple music discovery space within existing Discord communities
Artists lacked a way to showcase tracks and receive listener feedback
Listeners couldn’t easily discover new music tailored to their interests
Solution :
We designed Echo as a Discord app with three core user experiences:
1. Artist Music Submission
Artists can:
Upload tracks or link external music
Add album art, genre, mood tags
Write a short artist bio
Specify whether feedback is requested or public
Goal: Make uploading easy and expressive.
2. Community Listening & Discovery
Listeners can:
Navigate curated queues of songs
Filter by genre, mood, or featured artists
See trending songs in the server
Goal: Blend discovery with community relevance.
3. Rating & Feedback Loop
Listeners can rate tracks using:
Star ratings ★★★★★
Optional short comments
Emoji reactions
Artists earn badges for:
Top rated songs
Most improved
Community favorites
Goal: Encourage positive recognition + social interaction.
Challenge :
1. Designing for Two Distinct User Groups
Artists and listeners have different goals:
Artists want feedback that’s constructive, not discouraging
Listeners want simple, enjoyable discovery
Solution: Separate flows, but unify feedback language and visual cues so both groups feel understood.
2. Balancing Social Interaction with Music Consumption
Discord is social first, music second. We needed to avoid distracting clutter.
Approach:
Music player is always visible but unobtrusive
Listening sessions don’t trigger spammy notifications
Interactive elements appear only when relevant
3. Limited UI Surface on Discord
Discord has UI constraints (no full custom screens).
Workaround:
Use embeds, reaction controls, and threads for interaction
Progressive features based on user actions (e.g., showing a rating panel only after first listen)
Summary :
Echo successfully fills the gap between music discovery and community interaction by embedding a tailored music hub inside Discord. Instead of passive streaming, it empowers listeners to discover, rate, and discuss emerging artists—and gives creators a space where feedback matters.
Design Impact:
Prioritized empathy for both artists and listeners
Delivered an intuitive UX within Discord’s UI constraints
Strengthened community engagement through thoughtful interaction design