My internship at Musixmatch
I spent the last 8 months at Musixmatch doing an internship as a Product Designer.
About Musixmatch
Musixmatch is the world’s largest music lyrics platform. By combining AI and millions of users part of its community Musixmatch creates unique Music Meta Data that enables Music Streaming experience of companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon Music, Vevo, Spotify, etc.
Musixmatch is accessible via app, desktop, and web. Musixmatch was founded in 2010 and has about 80 employees by now.
My role
I was part of the Product Design team, consisting of a manager, two product designers, and a UI engineer. With my focus being UX Design I was doing everything behind the design, starting from research to validation of the design. But I also got to accompany the whole design process. There were always a lot of projects in progress and I enjoyed getting my hands on a lot of different matters reaching from concept to interface design, from mobile to web.
Onboarding
I was warmly welcomed and my colleagues made sure that I have a good start and quickly felt like a part of Musixmatch. We spent a lot of time together during lunch breaks but also after work. They always made it clear that I can ask everything and that they are eager to help.
I got to know our products, the work environment, the ongoing projects, and the software. Everything about Musixmatch is documented in its team wiki to share knowledge across teams and as a starting and reference point for new members like me.
The city
La dotta, la grassa, la rossa — That’s how the capital of Emilia-Romagna is being called. Bologna is home to the oldest university of the Western world, famous for its hearty cuisine and for the color red being omnipresent in the cityscape.
I felt like at home immediately: especially Bologna is similar to my hometown Mannheim. You can reach everything by foot, the city center is both circular, the northern district Bolognina is our Neckarstadt West and the pub district Pratello is our Jungbusch which even happens to be in a similar location.
Bologna is a very particular city. It makes great use of its public space. Everywhere you go there’s something going on: There are countless open-air cinemas, music festivals, events or just people hanging out outside and spending time together.
That’s why I fell in love with this city the moment I arrived — and I still enjoy every moment I spend here.
The work
There was always a lot of work waiting to be done so, in the beginning, I was free to choose what I wanted to work on. During the course of the internship, we found my place in the team and I was assigned projects and responsibilities.
The biggest project we tackled was the redesign of the mobile apps for Android and iOS. The current app didn’t match up with the objectives of Musixmatch anymore and the way contents were structured led to confusion. Our goal with the redesign was to clean up the app while introducing new content. We also created a strong focus on the community, to invite more people to contribute to our database.
During this project, I learned what a design process looks like, how and when to use different UX methods and what role user research plays in this process.
Design process
Defining problems, collecting information, brainstorming ideas, developing a solution, then to test and iterate said solution; thus is how most people would explain what a design process contains. But it was working through this process in a team and being aware of which step we are at, that helped me to work with more structure and also made it easier to communicate our work outside the design team.
UX methods
I tried out and applied various UX methods: personas, user journeys, KPI flows, UX reports, data analysis, questionnaires, and user tests. I found out when and which method makes the most sense and how it provides a foundation for my designs. They helped to address my own misconceptions and biases, to resolve open questions but also to confirm assumptions.
User research
At the beginning of a new project, user research was not only crucial for defining the core problems and understanding the context, but it was also important for the evaluation of the designs and prototypes before handing them into development.
User tests
We built the first prototype with Principle and started to test it. On the basis of the results, we could improve our designs and testing process through iterations. With every test, I learned how to conduct them better: from small things, like filming, to bigger ones, like the number of testers. For filming I started using the iPad–it’s easy to see what is being filmed and I can write down timestamps to review the material easier afterward. And regarding testers, I got deeper insights in one-on-one sessions, I could react better when they were facing problems than during a session with more testers. On the other hand, in a session with more testers, the individuals can explore the app at their own pace and write down their thoughts without feeling watched at every step.
The sync tool was also part of the redesign–It’s a great example of the iteration phase. Our desktop app has features that make it easy to synchronize precisely. But these are missing in the current app. So I made a first draft which included all the important features, like adjusting the timing and the ability to edit the lyrics. But this way it lost its playful appeal. We returned to the current sync tool and juggled around with providing all the important functions without becoming too technical and stiff until we were satisfied with the look and feel. Then we conducted further tests to validate the design.
It’s not the end
Before starting I didn’t have any expectations or ideas about what my time with Musixmatch would be like but it turns out everything just fit perfectly. I enjoyed every day there. I was never treated as “the intern”, my opinion was valued even on projects I wasn’t involved in. We were an awesome, functioning team with open communication between us as well as with the other teams. I grew confidence as a designer and learned on all levels. And finally, I can add that I will continue working for Musixmatch 💥
La vita è una sola per ogni persona
Il tempo vola
Alza lo stereo, suonala ancoraIl Tempo Vola — Fabri Fibra
