Re-designing LabelRadar
LabelRadar is a web platform that streamlines the demo submission process across the music industry, helping artists get heard while allowing labels and promoters to review new submissions efficiently.
Problem and Context
LabelRadar is a web platform that streamlines the demo submission process across the music industry, helping artists get heard while allowing labels and promoters to review new submissions efficiently.
When I joined the company in August 2023, the product had just reached what the team considered its “1.0 plateau.” The MVP had proven valuable to early adopters, but it was clear that core experiences needed refinement to scale further. Some features lacked clarity or impact, and users were finding workarounds that signalled unmet needs. Our task was to elevate the platform into a more polished, intuitive product that better served both artists and labels while driving engagement.
Initial adoption was strong, but user feedback highlighted pain points that limited long-term engagement. Our goal was to:
Refine core flows for artists and labels
Improve usability across different touch-points
Drive higher engagement by making key tasks easier and more rewarding
We were designing for a user base that was already tech-savvy: people familiar with music production software, seasoned musicians, and amateur producers eager to break into the electronic dance music scene. This meant the product needed to reflect a level of modernity and sleekness on par with established platforms like SoundCloud, while still being approachable and intuitive for new users.
Process
Customer Discovery
As part of our discovery phase, we ran a mix of user interviews and surveys with artists and labels. The interviews gave us qualitative insights into workflows and pain points, while the surveys provided quantitative data that helped us prioritize the roadmap and determine the order in which we should tackle design explorations.
UX Research
Artist/Label Profiles
Tracks
Settings
1. Artist/Label Profiles
Problem: Artist profiles on LabelRadar added little value compared to external platforms. They looked outdated, often broke due to unreliable social API connections, and felt irrelevant to both artists and labels.
Goal: Redesign profiles into structured, reliable, and visually consistent brand hubs that could directly influence A&R and label decisions—eliminating the need for artists to maintain external websites and positioning LabelRadar as their all-in-one portfolio.
Approach:
Structured information for clarity and consistency.
Made key details scannable at a glance.
Balanced usability with flexibility, allowing artists to showcase their brand identity.
Reduced cognitive load by keeping navigation predictable and placing key elements in consistent locations across profiles.
2.Tracks
Problem: Track tiles were hard to use and inconsistent across touchpoints, which increased cognitive load and slowed down decision-making.
Goal: Create track tiles that are simple, scalable, and consistent. Surface the most relevant actions in context so A&Rs and scouts can act quickly without guessing or hovering. Ultimately, improve discovery for industry professionals and visibility for artists.
Approach:
Redesigned track tiles with a clear hierarchy: key info upfront, secondary actions in contextual menus.
Reduced visual clutter and streamlined decision-making.
Introduced a new filtering and sorting system with consolidated controls at the top of the page, aligned with familiar industry patterns.
Saved screen real estate, increased consistency, and made it easier to refine large track sets efficiently.
Impact: The redesign improved usability, sped up track evaluation for A&Rs/scouts, and gave artists a stronger chance of being discovered.
3.Settings
Problem: LabelRadar’s single-page settings layout was cluttered and overwhelming. Users struggled to find and update information, manage preferences and privacy, and subscribe/unsubscribe to Pro membership.
Goal: Simplify the information architecture to reduce cognitive load and improve discoverability.
Solution:
Introduced clear categories and logical grouping to improve navigation.
Made it faster for users to locate and update key settings.
Aligned the layout with profile design patterns to create consistency across the product.
Reduced cognitive load and made onboarding smoother for both new and existing users.
Impact:Settings became easier to navigate, updates were faster, and users could manage their membership and preferences with confidence.
Outcome and Impact
This project gave me the opportunity to take a fresh look at the product, challenging assumptions and refocusing on what would have the highest impact in the shortest timeframe.
The redesign work not only improved usability but also laid the foundation for future scalability, with better structures for content and settings that can support new features. We anticipate measurable improvements in:
Increased time spent on profiles and tracks
Reduced customer support requests
Higher engagement and retention from both artists and labels