AR Design | UX Design
Augmented Vinyl Discovery
What I learned from vinyl lovers and shop owners:
🫣
💭
Shop owners want to share stories behind their selections.
Secondary Feature
Notification Setting
Iterated Feature 2
Budgeting
Iterated Feature 3
Financial Vision
Iterated Secondary Feature
Notification
The Augmented Vinyl Discovery project aims to enhance the vinyl shopping experience for younger, tech-savvy audiences through an augmented reality app that enables album previews, personalized recommendations, and shop owner insights—fostering deeper music discovery and community connection.
My Responsibility:
Ideation, Research, Design, Prototyping, Development, Documentation
Author:
Me myself and I
🫠
Many feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of albums.
💭
Newcomers struggle to navigate genres or find music they might enjoy.
Time length:
1 month
Problem statement
How might we help younger, introverted vinyl shoppers discover and connect with music more confidently and meaningfully in local record stores?
Back story
In an era where music discovery is dominated by recommendation algorithms, the spontaneity and depth of exploring hidden musical gems are often lost. Listening has become a quick, passive act, diminishing the storytelling and physicality that vinyl records offer. Vinyl shopping, with its tactile experience and personal interactions with other listeners and shop owners, provides a unique chance to discover music in a more intentional and meaningful way. However, younger, introverted shoppers may hesitate to explore niche or vintage albums due to limited turntable access and an overwhelming selection.
My goal is to help local vinyl shops appeal to a broader, younger audience while fostering deeper musical appreciation and community engagement. I envision an augmented reality app that allows users to preview tracks by simply scanning the album cover, alongside shop owner insights and recommendations. This solution would empower users to make confident purchases, enable serendipitous discovery, and train the algorithm to provide more unique, unexpected music suggestions—reviving the joy of discovering under-promoted music.
Individual Recommendations
Pros: Tailored to your tastes or can offer something refreshingly different from your usual content.
Cons: Good recommendations are rare, and the quantity of suggestions tends to be limited.
Using Tools Like Shazam
Pros: Instantly identifies music without needing the title.
Cons: Requires a quiet environment, making it tricky in noisy places to get accurate results.
Online Searches
Pros: Easily accessible anytime.
Cons: Difficult without specific keywords, and time-consuming to listen through all results.
Checking Tracks on Social Media Shorts or YouTube
Pros: Convenient and quick to find.
Cons: Heavily algorithm-driven, often leaning toward trendy rather than personalized picks.
Some customers are too shy to ask for recommendations.
My observations of current music discovery methods
Ideation & Usability Testings
Leveraging the design opportunities uncovered through extensive research and user interviews, we were able to pinpoint the minimum viable products (MVPs) essential for addressing user needs and aligning Cashly with the product-market fit.
Usability test preparation deck can be found here
Feature 1
Cash Flow
Feature 2
Budgeting
Feature 3
Financial Goal
Enhancing Clarity and Usability in Cash Flow Management
Users desire greater clarity and intuitive interactions in navigating and understanding cash flow data, including detailed breakdowns, customizable views, and seamless transitions between categories and timeframes. Simplifying visual cues, improving navigation (e.g., swiping indicators, clickable categories), and prioritizing relevant timeframes like monthly summaries could significantly enhance the user experience.
Improving Intuition and Personalization in Budgeting with AI Assistance
Users seek a more intuitive and personalized budgeting experience. Clearer labels, more distinct interactive elements, and better explanations for terms like "variable" would enhance user understanding. Additionally, users desire AI-powered suggestions that analyze their actual spending patterns, offering personalized advice to help them make more informed financial decisions.
Streamlining Goal Setting and Customizable Notifications for User Clarity
Users desire a more intuitive and seamless goal-setting and notification experience. Key areas of improvement include clearer interactive elements for editing goals, such as a visible save button or disabled state for the plus button during editing. For notifications, users prefer more control, like the ability to turn off notifications and a clearer presentation of notification time settings. They also want to see the entire notification settings at once and have the option to set specific time ranges for alerts, ensuring the interface remains user-friendly and avoids crowding.
Design Iterations & Metrics
leveraging the design opportunities uncovered through extensive research and user interviews, we were able to pinpoint the minimum viable products(MVPs) essential for addressing user needs and aligning Cashly with the product-market fit.
Iterated Feature 1
Cash Flow
In-Depth Data Breakdown
Users can view detailed spending breakdowns with trends, remaining budgets, and curves. The Gestalt Principle of Similarity ensures a cohesive hierarchy, while feedback led to customizable options and accessibility improvements for better contrast and readability.
Navigation with Indicators
Swipe indicators were added to improve navigation between the three cash flow visualizations, following Nielsen's Heuristic's for visibility and system status. The Gestalt Principle of Continuity ensures smooth flow, while Hick’s Law reduces cognitive load for easier navigation.
Comprehensive Data Visualizations
The redesign replaced complex visualizations with familiar line and bar graphs, following Jakob’s Law to leverage user familiarity. An accessible color scheme and clear visualization principles improve usability and readability of financial trends.
Enhanced Time Selector Visibility
The redesign improved the unclear "1 Month" button by applying Nielsen’s Heuristics (visibility and recognition), Gestalt Laws (Proximity, Figure-Ground) for clarity, and Jakob’s Law to align with user expectations. An intuitive calendar icon and prominent placement enhance usability, while accessibility standards ensure sufficient contrast.
Enhanced Time Selector Visibility
To minimize confusion, captions and headers distinguish "Budgeting" (short-term) from "Financial Vision" (long-term). The redesign applies Hick’s Law to reduce cognitive load by structuring information into sections. Consistent labeling and design improve usability, while a refined color scheme ensures accessibility.
Guided Budgeting Breakdown
Detailed budget category explanations were added based on Jakob’s Law for familiarity with other tools. Gestalt Laws of Similarity and Continuity ensured visual cohesion, while accessibility standards improved readability. Design critiques led to a clearer, more educational user experience.
Percentage-Based Allocation
To address user uncertainty in allocating savings to each category, the redesign introduces a percentage-based approach. This approach starts with a total savings amount, allowing users to allocate percentages to various categories. Hick’s Law was applied to simplify the process, reducing cognitive load by guiding users step-by-step. This approach aligns with Design Principles of Consistency by ensuring a uniform interaction model throughout the app. Visual cues and labels improve clarity, making the allocation process intuitive and accessible.
Feedback with Alerts for Adjustments
The redesigned system incorporates alert indicators to guide users when their allocations deviate from recommended strategies. This feature adheres to Nielsen's Heuristic of Error Prevention, helping users make informed decisions and avoid over- or under-allocation. The Gestalt Principle of Feedback and Visibility ensures the alerts are noticeable but non-intrusive, using accessible color contrast to differentiate actionable alerts from general information.
Breakdown of Savings Categories
The savings setup now provides a breakdown of categories, leveraging earlier research on future savings strategies recommended by financial professionals. This follows Jakob’s Law, aligning the app’s approach with familiar budgeting frameworks users may have encountered. The visual hierarchy was improved using Gestalt Principles of Similarity and Proximity, grouping related elements for better clarity. Design critique insights helped refine the experience, ensuring the process remains straightforward and supportive for diverse financial goals.
Design Style Guide
Design Impact 1
Developing Healthier Spending Habits
Our app promotes mindful spending to help users avoid impulsive purchases and provides regular feedback and support as they work toward their goals.
Design Impact 2
Creating a long-term vision for personal finance
The sense of accomplishment from meeting milestones encourages users to continue their progress, gradually turning positive actions into lasting habits.
