Onboarding process designed to get the users to reach their Aha! moment as soon as possible
Selectable Cards
Title/Name
Subtext/Description
Producer
Singer
Songwriter
Choose pre-written lyrics to also feature
Spark some magic with your words
Freestyle or write later
Pop
Hip-Hop/Rap
Electronic/EDM
Rock
R&B/Soul
Choose pre-written lyrics to also feature
Spark some magic with your words
Spark some magic with your words
Freestyle or write later
Freestyle or write later
Starcatcher
Singer
Location
Designed to be clear, clickable, and display only the key information in simple hierarchy
Design System
📚
1.5625rem/25px
0.9375rem/15px
0.5625rem/9px
Spacing
Spacing follows a 1.618 ratio for balance but breaks the rule where it feels more natural
Next
Continue
Already have an account? Login
Done
Next
Buttons
Next
Feature
Buttons are consistent, with purple for primary actions, black for secondary, and aligned for structure
Play song
Icons
Profile
Home
Features
Assets
Message
Singer
Songwriter
Producer
Save
Send
Location
Icons have rounded edges for a cohesive look, clear contrast for interaction, and consistent size and line weight to match the design system
Corners
3
4
8
11
Small corner radius for a modern, approachable look
Font Size
Medium Contrast
Medium Contrast
Medium Contrast
2rem/32px
1.25rem/20px
.75rem/12px
Font sizes used 1.618 ratio for balance
Colors
I chose #4C4EFF because blue hues are known to evoke trust while the purple tone adds energy and creativity
Music Cards
Profile cards are customizable and modular, designed to beautifully display music, stack, mix, match, and flip through seamlessly
Prototype
📺
Scroll through beats from talented producers and discover what inspires you to Feature your talents
Search and connect with artists, producers, and songwriters by genre, style, or location
Overview
We created and presented our pitch deck conveying the problem, research, solution, market size, and prototype.
Blackstone Pitch Competition
🤓
Result
...and won 1st place and $2000!
Branding
🤩
The Creator
This archetype focuses on imagination, originality, and innovation. The tone should feel inspiring and open, inviting users to explore and create without limits.
Materials
A logo that embodies connectivity, energy, and friendliness
Spells out “auni”
Represents a musical wave
Connects two people
Mockup
🖍️
Sketch
I start with quick pen-and-paper sketches to map ideas, user flows, and wireframes
Back to top
Vamper:
Pros → Fast connecting. A lot of users.
Cons → Can be expensive. Connections usually lead to no where because of the messy connecting process.
🤔
Instagram:
Pros → Access to millions of artists. Documented work and style.
Cons → Most connections lead to a dead end. Difficult to discover smaller artists.
After searching through reddit posts, app store reviews, and testing the app ourselves:
Research
Existing Solutions
Customer Discovery
Through my roommates direct and indirect network and cold reach, we were able to speak with 22 music artists:
Inexperienced Artists Struggle to Connect
High entry barriers leave many unsure where to start
Trust issues with online platforms hinder quality collaborations
Artists prefer organic, in-person connections over online interactions
Artists prioritize finding compatible collaborators over securing performances
Trust and compatibility issues, not just expense, deter hiring
Many artists prefer smaller, niche communities to large, open platforms
What We Assumed—But Were Wrong:
Bigger Platforms Are Better
Cost Alone Stops Artists from Hiring Producers
Gigs are the Biggest Challenge
Desire for Authentic Communities
Marketplace saturation complicates finding reliable partners
Current Solutions are Ineffective
Overcrowded platforms make it hard to stand out
Breakthrough
Revised Problem
After brainstorming a few ideas and getting inspired by a stack of cards we came up with a new solution
Artists can post their music—like a producer sharing a beat or a singer posting their vocals
Other artists can then add (overlay) onto it to see if they’re a good fit based on skill and talent
Introducing Features
Music artists often struggle to make lasting connections. Even when they do find potential collaborators, it’s a trial-and-error process to see if their styles align. One interviewee shared how, after a month of searching, they met the artist in person, collaborated, and quickly realized they weren’t a good fit. How do we make getting from point a to point b faster?
Unexpected
At first, we thought the solution was simple: another networking platform where users create profiles and swipe to connect. But as we dug deeper, it felt like just adding to the noise of what already existed. So, I suggested we rethink the problem. While mapping out the typical journey of music artists we interviewed—from finding collaborators to making music—I discovered a key friction point that we could focus on solving.
🤯
Information Architecture
🏠
New Solution
Connecting music artists to create Magic!
Role
Timeline
Process
Product Designer
3 months
Research, brainstorm, iterate, information architecture, design system, prototyping, branding
Team
Anthony Zheng (Designer)
Praveen Gunendran (PM)
Maximus Pace (Engineer)
Result
Won 1st place and $2000 at the Cornell x Blackstone Big Ideas Competition
Metro Boomin
Producer
David Kushner
Singer
Praveen Gunendran
Singer
Connect 🤝
Context
Freshman year, my college roommate—a talented singer—sat on his bed, staring at his laptop with a half-finished track playing softly in the background. “I just need a producer who gets me,” he sighed, running his hands through his hair.
He had the talent and the ideas, but no way to bring them to life. He spent hours scrolling through forums, messaging people on social media, and searching for collaborators. It was a dead end every time.
Problem
He wanted to create something amazing but couldn’t because:
He couldn’t find the right people
The search for collaborators was scattered, unreliable, and time-consuming.
He lacked access to streamlined tools
Existing platforms weren’t built to make collaboration seamless and effective.
Discovery
🎵
Role
Timeline
Process
Product Designer
3 months
Research, brainstorm, iterate, information architecture, design system, prototyping, branding
Team
Anthony Zheng (Designer)
Praveen Gunendran (PM)
Maximus Pace (Engineer)
Result
Won 1st place and $2000 at the Cornell x Blackstone Big Ideas Competition
Connecting music artists to create Magic!
Problem
He wanted to create something amazing but couldn’t because:
He couldn’t find the right people
The search for collaborators was scattered, unreliable, and time-consuming.
He lacked access to streamlined tools
Existing platforms weren’t built to make collaboration seamless and effective.
Context
Discovery
🎵
Freshman year, my college roommate—a talented singer—sat on his bed, staring at his laptop with a half-finished track playing softly in the background. “I just need a producer who gets me,” he sighed, running his hands through his hair.
He had the talent and the ideas, but no way to bring them to life. He spent hours scrolling through forums, messaging people on social media, and searching for collaborators. It was a dead end every time.
Vamper:
Pros → Fast connecting. A lot of users.
Cons → Can be expensive. Connections usually lead to no where because of the messy connecting process.
🤔
After searching through reddit posts, app store reviews, and testing the app ourselves:
Research
Existing Solutions
4
8
11
3
Corners
Small corner radius for a modern, approachable look
Instagram:
Pros → Access to millions of artists. Documented work and style.
Cons → Most connections lead to a dead end. Difficult to discover smaller artists.
Customer Discovery
Through my roommates direct and indirect network and cold reach, we were able to speak with 22 music artists:
Inexperienced Artists Struggle to Connect
High entry barriers leave many unsure where to start
Trust issues with online platforms hinder quality collaborations
Artists prefer organic, in-person connections over online interactions
Artists prioritize finding compatible collaborators over securing performances
Trust and compatibility issues, not just expense, deter hiring
Many artists prefer smaller, niche communities to large, open platforms
What We Assumed—But Were Wrong:
Bigger Platforms Are Better
Cost Alone Stops Artists from Hiring Producers
Gigs are the Biggest Challenge
Desire for Authentic Communities
Marketplace saturation complicates finding reliable partners
Current Solutions are Ineffective
Overcrowded platforms make it hard to stand out
Trends:
Breakthrough
Unexpected
At first, we thought the solution was simple: another networking platform where users create profiles and swipe to connect. But as we dug deeper, it felt like just adding to the noise of what already existed. So, I suggested we rethink the problem. While mapping out the typical journey of music artists we interviewed—from finding collaborators to making music—I discovered a key friction point that we could focus on solving.
🤯
Revised Problem
Music artists often struggle to make lasting connections. Even when they do find potential collaborators, it’s a trial-and-error process to see if their styles align. One interviewee shared how, after a month of searching, they met the artist in person, collaborated, and quickly realized they weren’t a good fit. How do we make getting from point a to point b faster?
New Solution
After brainstorming a few ideas and getting inspired by a stack of cards we came up with a new solution
Artists can post their music—like a producer sharing a beat or a singer posting their vocals
Introducing Features
Other artists can then add (overlay) onto it to see if they’re a good fit based on skill and talent
Information Architecture
🏠
Mockup
Sketch
I start with quick pen-and-paper sketches to map ideas, user flows, and wireframes
🖍️
Design System
Colors
I chose #4C4EFF because blue hues are known to evoke trust while the purple tone adds energy and creativity
📚
Font Size
Font sizes used 1.618 ratio for balance
Medium Contrast
Medium Contrast
Medium Contrast
2rem/32px
1.25rem/20px
.75rem/12px
Spacing
Spacing follows a 1.618 ratio for balance but breaks the rule where it feels more natural
1.5625rem/25px
0.9375rem/15px
0.5625rem/9px
Icons
Icons have rounded edges for a cohesive look, clear contrast for interaction, and consistent size and line weight to match the design system
Play song
Profile
Home
Features
Assets
Message
Singer
Songwriter
Producer
Save
Send
Location
Buttons
Buttons are consistent, with purple for primary actions, black for secondary, and aligned for structure
Next
Continue
Already have an account? Login
Done
Next
Next
Feature
Selectable Cards
Designed to be clear, clickable, and display only the key information in simple hierarchy
Title/Name
Subtext/Description
Producer
Singer
Songwriter
Choose pre-written lyrics to also feature
Spark some magic with your words
Freestyle or write later
Pop
Hip-Hop/Rap
Electronic/EDM
Rock
R&B/Soul
Choose pre-written lyrics to also feature
Spark some magic with your words
Spark some magic with your words
Freestyle or write later
Freestyle or write later
Starcatcher
Singer
Location
Music Cards
Profile cards are customizable and modular, designed to beautifully display music, stack, mix, match, and flip through seamlessly
Prototype
📺
Onboarding process designed to get the users to reach their Aha! moment as soon as possible
Scroll through beats from talented producers and discover what inspires you to Feature your talents
Search and connect with artists, producers, and songwriters by genre, style, or location
We created and presented our pitch deck conveying the problem, research, solution, market size, and prototype.
Blackstone Pitch Competition
Overview
🤓
Result
...and won 1st place and $2000!
Branding
The Creator
This archetype focuses on imagination, originality, and innovation. The tone should feel inspiring and open, inviting users to explore and create without limits.
🤩
Materials
A logo that embodies connectivity, energy, and friendliness
Spells out “auni”
Represents a musical wave
Connects two people
JPMorganChase S'24 Internship
Back to top
