Introduction

In music education, piano teachers often find themselves in need of a consolidated platform to locate sheet music tailored to their students’ age, proficiency levels, and all other different factors. Our challenge was to design a filter system for the database that made this process not only efficient but also intuitive. The client already has a running website in place, but it looks outdated and the UX is clunky.

 

The Challenge

The primary challenge lay in creating a robust yet user-friendly filter system. With thousands of music pieces in the database, the design had to ensure users could quickly find what they were looking for without feeling overwhelmed.

 

Objective

Design a platform catering primarily to piano teachers, allowing them to:

  1. Effortlessly search for piano pieces based on varying skill levels.
  2. Access detailed information about the selected piece.
  3. Have the option to purchase the music or view a demonstrative video on how to properly play it.

 

Design Process

  1. User Interviews: Conducting an interview with a couple of piano teachers provided invaluable insights into the needs and pain points of the target audience.
  2. Wireframing the Filter System: Given its complexity, special emphasis was placed on the filter system’s design, ensuring it was both efficient and maintained a clean aesthetic. Beyond the search, detailed pages for each music piece were designed to offer users more than just the sheet music, adding value through purchase links and tutorial videos.

 

3. Hifi UI Design: We chose to retain the color palette from the old site, updated the font family, and introduced icons to enhance the site’s appeal and interest. Although the site is text-heavy, the addition of icons and the rounded corner design ensure it doesn’t appear monotonous.

Outcome

The site was successfully launched after several months of design and development. It served as a one-stop solution for piano teachers, streamlining the process of finding appropriate sheet music. The integrated filter system stood out as the platform’s centerpiece, efficiently handling vast amounts of data while maintaining a user-friendly interface.

Key Takeaways

  1. User-Centered Design: The insights from user interviews proved instrumental in shaping the final design.
  2. Efficiency Meets Aesthetics: Balancing the need for a powerful search mechanism with a clean design was challenging but ultimately achieved.

 

See the live site here.