Playlist Map · 2021–2022

Full case study

Music Curating Platform

A unified visual identity and new homepage that clearly communicates the platform's core value, plus a reusable UI component system that made every later feature faster to build.

Project type

Product & brand redesign

Role

Product Designer

Platform

Web app

Year

2021–2022

Key outcomes

+42%

Trial engagement after clarifying core value

+63%

Faster access to features like curator matching

−40%

Dev time using modular components

4.6★

Smoother flow and greater trust in testing

Context

A product that never explained itself

PlaylistMap connects independent artists with playlist curators, but the original site described the backend rather than the benefit. Artists arrived, failed to work out what would happen if they signed up, and left.

The brief was to redesign the experience so the value lands in seconds, cognitive load drops, and signing up feels like a low-risk next step.

Research

Interviews, Maze surveys and a competitive teardown

01Artists wanted to see real curators before committing to anything.

02Most could not describe what PlaylistMap did after reading the homepage.

03Pricing and what a submission actually buys were the two biggest trust gaps.

04Competitors won on proof — visible curator profiles and response rates.

PlaylistMap case study opening: scope of work and the challenge — Scope & challenge

High-level goals, my role and the project timeline — Goals, role, timeline

Competitive graph plus qualitative and quantitative user research — Competitive & user research

The case-study boards: goals, timeline and the research behind the redesign.

Leo, 24

Independent artist, self-releasing

“I've been burned by playlist promises. Show me who's actually listening.”

Goals

Reach real curators
Understand the cost
Track submissions

Frustrations

Vague marketing language

Paying before seeing curators

No feedback after submitting

Ana, 31

Playlist curator

“I get flooded with tracks that don't fit my playlist at all.”

Goals

Better-matched submissions
Fast triage
Grow her audience

Frustrations

Irrelevant pitches

No genre filtering

Manual admin

Primary and secondary profiles guiding the redesign.

Information architecture

Rebuilding the site around the question artists ask first

A closed card sort in Optimal Workshop confirmed artists look for curators before they look for pricing. The structure was reordered so proof comes first and commitment comes last.

Site map

App root

Discover

Curator directory
Genres
Recent placements

How it works

Submission flow
Matching logic
Response times

Plans

Free trial
Pricing tiers
What you get

My account

Submissions
Results
Profile & links

Reordered structure — proof, then process, then price.

User journey

Mapping the high-friction areas

User flow

01ArriveReads the homepage headline.
Pain pointMessage describes tech, not outcome
02ExploreLooks for curators to judge credibility.
Pain pointDirectory hidden behind signup
03TrialConsiders the free trial.
Pain pointUnclear what the trial includes
04SubmitSends a track to a playlist.
Pain pointNo matching guidance by genre
05WaitHopes for a response.
Pain pointNo status, no feedback loop

Artist journey before the redesign.

Solution

Key changes introduced

01A homepage that states in one line what PlaylistMap does and what an artist gets.

02Curator discovery opened up before signup, with search, genre filters and proof points.

03Visual storytelling that walks through submission → match → placement.

04A tokenised component system with dark mode, reused across every later feature.

Wireframes

Nav

Value headline + proof

How it works, 3 steps

Featured curators

Homepage

Nav

Search + genre filters

Curator card grid

Response-rate signals

Curator discovery

Homepage and discovery structure at low fidelity.

PlaylistMap wireframes and design-system grid, spacing and colour — Wireframes & design system

PlaylistMap high-fidelity dark-mode interface and components — High-fidelity UI

Wireframing, the design system and the final high-fidelity UI.

Impact

Post-launch validation

01Trial-to-signup conversion +37%.

02CTA interaction rate +54%.

03Bounce rate −31%.

04Average session duration +28%.

05Design language reused across later features for consistency.

Reflection

What I took from it

Most users were not struggling with functionality — they were confused about what the product was for.

The leverage here was explaining value fast, removing noise, and letting proof do the persuading.

With more time: mobile-first usability testing and community features for repeat engagement.

Tools — Figma, FigJam, Maze, Optimal Workshop, Jira

View the detailed Behance case study ↗All case studies

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