I chose this project because I love instruments and musical equipment.
As a user, I found that the application looked outdated and was not user-friendly.
The Long and McQuade app allows you to search, buy and order musical products online across Canada.
Long and McQuade also offers instrument rental services and music lessons.
Despite these useful features, user reviews still ranked this app poorly.
The global musical instrument sales market was estimated to be US$9.82 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US$11.58 billion by 2030.
In recent years, online sales have increased dramatically. Users are looking for faster and easier access to musical instruments and equipment online. They want to place their orders quickly.
Unfortunately, the Long and Mcquade app is rated very poorly on Apple Store (1.9/5) and on Google Play (2.6/5), reflecting the dissatisfaction of many users. This could potentially have a negative impact on the brand's reputation and reduce the number of orders.
I researched the reviews by looking at both positive and negative to know the opinions of the users. I wanted to find ways to improve based on the data.
I started by analyzing the Long & McQuade application to have a point of reference. I continued by analyzing the Thomann app and as well as the Woodbrass mobile website. I finished my analysis with the Amazon application.
I have divided the competitive analysis into 2 parts, Advantages and Disadvantages.
After completing the competitive analysis, I asked this question to musicians (12 people) who regularly buy music products online.
"What is important to place an order on a musical instrument e-commerce application?"
Research shows that the clear display of prices, the ease of adding a product to the cart, and purchasing a product quickly are important for users. As a result of the additional feedback, users would like to have recommended products based on their searches and purchases and to be able to see a list of their previous purchases.
I created 2 personas based on two categories of potential users of the Long & McQuade app. The Novice musician "Tom Garfield" and the music producer "Nelly Lee".
To start the redesign of the Long and McQuade app, I made a flowchart. I represented the basic actions, like searching, adding a product to the cart, and placing an order.
Once the diagram was completed, I started with sketches and wireframes of the main flows.
After the diagram and the wireframe, I was inspired by the colors and the font from the existing branding and used these to create the high-definition prototype.
As often in my projects, I used a grid with multiples of 8 (8p,16p,24p,32p,40p) to get a good proportionality.
The colors were tested to meet WCAG standards.
I started with less accessible colors, then, I improved them by checking the background and foreground colors.
During this project, I started by evaluating the online market for musical instruments. I did a competitive analysis, I created a flowchart, wireframes, and high-fidelity prototypes.
I finished the project with a quality assurance audit on the colors and contrast ratio in order to respect the WCAG standards.
