Re-imagining How Fans Connected With Their Favourite Musician on Youtube Music
I’ve often pondered how hard to find my favourite band, Paramore, merchandise. I love and being their fans since I was in high school. I think it happened when their album “Riot” entered the Billboard 200 at number 20.
I love their music style, especially Hayley Williams, the vocalist. since then, I’ve been looking for their merchandise like t-shirt, album, or anything related to Paramore. Because at that time, I was live in my small city, so it’s difficult to buy from offline like collective band merchandise store or distro that selling international band merchandise. Or perhaps it’s just me, but I’ve had feeling that other people have same issue in that time.
Because I didn’t get that kind of privilege, so I join Parawhore (Paramore Fans). From that, I begin to know more about Paramore and their fans.At 2011 when Paramore announced will held concert in Indonesia (Bali & Jakarta), I’m so happy. Because I can finally watch Paramore live and bought their original merchandise.
Merchandise are the most important thing to gather the fans together. Because by having their own merchandise, fans will feel “proud” of their favourite Band. The “Sense of belonging” from the fans it’s the one who make the band and the fans connected. It is clear that merchandise has become one of the source on how we connected to our favourite band. But where are we looking to the merchandise from our favourite band and how are we discovering it?
Now Playing Screen
First, I will talk about “Now Playing” screen. In the past few days, I’d like to listen Paramore in the Youtube Music. After days listening to it, I give a challenge to creating the new exploration Youtube design style (Now Playing part and added Youtube Music merchandise)
I redesign in many segment, vanished previous and next button, instead I change colour for shuffle and repeat as Youtube main colour which is Red. This is because new habit from people for playing next song or want to listen the previous one just by swipe right/left their cover photo of the song. To make it easier for user, I make the cover song circle, not rectangle anymore, so it is easier to swipe. I also change the like or dislike button into love button.
On the bottom, for up next at the bottom section, I changed it into button not text as previous. Because user will look more on visual first, I also added connected device in bottom left, so people can easily switch between devices.
Musician Screen
Two major redesign on this screen:
- Radio button - I changed into Store icon. Fans worldwide who see and like Paramore will notice if theres is a button for them to see Paramore merchandise.
- Tab Bar — I moved Youtube Music Premium offer to the top of the screen.
Musician Merch
This is what design exploration of what I’ve imagined in the first place. When people begin to listen some random song or a playlist that they might interested, and find some good song in it, they will find out about the musician behind the song. And after play several song and some research about the musician, they will search another thing that might be interested in, merchandise is the top result.
Merchandise is something that will connect more between fans and musician itself. By buying their album, shirt, hoodie, vinyl, and other accessories it will contributed on “personal engagement” to their favourite musician.
Thank you for reading my first design exploration. I hope I can learn a lot and keep improving on my Design Skill and Empathy on user.
See you on my next story!!!
