Team of 4
3 Week Project
Concept Project
The Challenge
Bandcamp is a go-to platform for independent artists, but for listeners, discovering new music is frustrating. Unlike mainstream apps with algorithm-driven recommendations, Bandcamp lacks intuitive discovery features, making it hard for fans to connect with emerging talent. Our goal? Enhance music discovery and fan-artist engagement while staying true to Bandcamp’s artist-first ethos.
My Role & Approach:
Working in a team of four, we rotated leadership roles to foster collaboration. Using the Double Diamond design process, we:
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Researched user pain points through interviews and competitor analysis.
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Defined key user needs—fans wanted easier discovery and stronger artist connections.
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Designed & tested solutions, iterating based on feedback.
The Solution:
We introduced intuitive discovery tools and engagement features:
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Swipe-to-discover: Users preview song snippets and like/dislike tracks for faster exploration.
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Enhanced artist pages: Behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and event details strengthen fan engagement.
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Personalised user profiles: Fans can track favourites and revisit saved artists.
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A social ‘Feed’: Artists share updates directly with fans, fostering a deeper connection.
The Impact:
Usability testing proved our approach worked. Our System Usability Scale (SUS) score jumped from 51.8 to 91.6—far surpassing industry benchmarks. Users praised the seamless discovery experience, and artists saw greater engagement potential.
By blending usability, engagement, and artist-first design, we transformed Bandcamp into a platform where fans don’t just listen.
They connect.
So whats the problem
Bandcamp is a beloved platform for independent artists, offering them a way to sell music and merchandise directly to fans. However, while its artist-first approach is commendable, it often overlooks the listener's experience. Fans struggle to discover new independent artists, and opportunities for meaningful artist-fan interaction are limited. This lack of engagement ultimately affects both artists and listeners, creating a gap that needs to be bridged.
“They see it as part of the culture, a crucial lifeline for scenes where love, not money, is the main driver”
Philip Sherburne, American journalist, musician and DJ
Understanding the Problem
To address these challenges, we conducted in-depth research into user behavior and artist needs.
Research Objectives:
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Identify the pain points and motivations behind discovering new music.
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Understand how fans currently interact with artists and what they wish to see more of.
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Explore how independent artists engage with their audience and what barriers they face.
We designed a set of 16 open-ended interview questions and spoke with 17 participants, gathering qualitative insights about their listening habits, frustrations, and desires. Additionally, we interviewed an independent artist to understand their perspective on fan engagement.
Key Takeaways:
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Fans crave more meaningful artist interactions, beyond simply listening to their music.
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Music discovery tools are lacking, making it difficult to find independent artists.
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Transparency and behind-the-scenes content matter, as fans want to feel personally connected to the artists they support.
To structure our findings, we created an affinity map and developed a set of 'I statements' to represent user needs:
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"I want to support independent artists directly."
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"I find Spotify useful for discovering music, but it lacks personal artist interaction."
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"I feel a stronger connection to an artist if I have access to exclusive content."
Identifying the user
From these insights, we pin pointed our users by developing three user personas:
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Liam – A superfan who seeks deeper connections with artists.
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Mia – A casual listener focused on the music itself.
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Emma – An independent artist looking to grow and engage her fanbase.
Liam became our primary focus, as he best represented Bandcamp’s core audience.
Liam’s Pain Points:
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Limited tools for discovering new independent artists.
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Lack of direct artist interaction.
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Frustration with mainstream platforms that prioritise major label artists.
Key "How Might We" Questions:
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How might we allow Liam to better connect with artists?
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How might we make music discovery more intuitive and engaging for him?
Designing the Solution: A More Engaging Bandcamp
During our research, we explored the concept of parasocial relationships—a psychological phenomenon where fans form deep, one-sided connections with artists they’ve never met. This dynamic, often seen with celebrities and influencers, can be harnessed by independent artists to foster stronger fan engagement. By enabling musicians to share exclusive content and personal updates, Bandcamp could help fans feel more connected to artists without burdening the artists themselves.
Solution 1: Improved Discovery
We designed a swipe-based discovery tool where users could quickly sample song snippets, deciding whether to like or skip them. This approach mimics the engaging nature of short-form content platforms, making discovery seamless and interactive.
Solution 2: Enhanced Artist Profiles
We revamped artist pages to include exclusive content such as behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and personalised updates. This feature fosters a deeper connection between artists and fans by allowing fans to see more of the creative process.
Solution 3: Personalised User Profiles
We introduced a feature where users could track their saved songs, artists, and interactions in a dedicated profile section. This allowed listeners to revisit their discoveries and stay updated on their favourite artists.
Prototyping & Testing
To refine our ideas, we created initial sketches and voted as a team on the strongest concepts. From there, we developed a prototype that guided users through key features:
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A redesigned homepage for better music discovery.
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An interactive artist page with exclusive content.
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A swipe-based discovery tool for browsing new music.
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A personalised profile section for saved music and artist interactions.
Usability Testing
We measured the effectiveness of our prototype using the System Usability Scale (SUS), a standard tool for evaluating user experience. Our first round of testing scored 57.5, below the industry benchmark of 68, indicating usability issues.
Instead of seeing this as a setback, we saw it as an opportunity for iteration. Based on user feedback, we made targeted refinements, resulting in a second-round SUS score of 97.5—a remarkable improvement that validated our design choices.
Conclusion: Impact & Future Potential
Our final design successfully tackled Bandcamp’s key challenges, making it easier for fans to discover new artists while fostering deeper artist-fan connections. By integrating engaging discovery tools and enhancing transparency, we improved the overall user experience without compromising Bandcamp’s artist-first values.
Key Outcomes:
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Enhanced music discovery through an intuitive swipe-based tool.
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Stronger artist-fan connections via exclusive content and updates.
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Improved user retention by allowing listeners to track and revisit their discoveries.
By aligning these solutions with Bandcamp’s community-driven ethos, we ensured that independent artists could cultivate meaningful relationships with fans while giving listeners a richer and more rewarding experience.
Ultimately, this project demonstrates the power of user-centred design in transforming a platform. By bridging the gap between artists and fans, we created a more immersive, engaging, and sustainable ecosystem for independent music lovers.