7625
363
Flip It
@Mylo
Dropped an
Original
Live Guitar Recording
120 BPM
Disco
Electronic
Dreamy
Harp
992 flipping this drop
348 flipped this drop
Made with
THE PROBLEM
At BeatConnect, our early strategy to attract music producers was through Beat Battles—an exciting concept on the surface. However, after several sessions, we realized that it wasn’t working as we hoped. The Beat Battles were detached from the core product—our multiplayer DAW. Producers were using their own DAWs to create beats and merely showing up for the prize or the chance to interact with their favourite streamers. Engagement was low, and the battles failed to create a sense of community or brand loyalty.
Beat Battles (Before) Vs. Drops (After)
The biggest problem? Producers and rookies alike were coming to watch, but they weren’t using our DAW, our marketplace assets, or engaging with each other. Beat Battles became isolated events, with minimal user interaction or meaningful connections. With low participation from up-and-coming producers and limited rewards for lesser-known participants, the format wasn’t sustainable. Resources were draining, and our multiplayer DAW was being left behind.
EXPLORATIONS
I discovered what producers crave:
A platform for collaboration
Through user interviews and market research, I uncovered what our audience truly craved. Established producers wanted a platform to showcase their talent and build a following, while beginners were hungry to learn and explore workflows without starting from scratch. From this insight, the concept of "Drops" was born—a place where professionals could leave an unfinished project for others to explore, remix, and make their own.
Elnaz & Todd Interview
Spencer Reid
Remote User Interviews
Newbies need inspiration
Aspiring producers want to learn
Pros aim for recognition
This shift toward collaborative creation allowed users to engage with the DAW in a meaningful way. They could see how music was built layer by layer, understand the tools used, and make their own contributions by “Flipping” the project, duplicating the original Drop file, adding their creative touch, and publishing their reworked version back into the ecosystem.
A couple of photos of initial sketches from my notebook. We used these to convey the ideas.
VALIDATION
The dual-axis carousel made navigating simple and fun
I conducted usability testing with 12 music producers from our Discord community. While the overall feedback was positive, there was confusion around navigating the relationships between Drops.
CHALLENGE
One of the biggest challenges was creating an intuitive way to visualize how Drops evolved.
I drew inspiration from social media to create a dual-axis carousel that connects Drops and made the navigation more intuitive
I looked at our competitors but found their solutions for organizing content too basic and uninspired. So, I drew inspiration from social media platforms like Instagram’s albums and Twitter’s threads. These platforms had mastered the art of content threading, which led me to create a dual-axis carousel system to display relationships between Drops.
List View (Before) Vs. Dual Axis Carousel (After)
I structured it like this: The vertical axis showed the original Drop and its “children”—the users who re-dropped it. The horizontal axis displayed “siblings”—all users who re-dropped the same original piece. This clear, visual representation helped users easily navigate the evolution of a track and explore various versions created by the community.
Parents
Original Drops
Children
Re-Drops
Sibs
Sibs
Drops Tree Structure
IMPACTS
How did it turn out?
Desktop app downloads increased by 68%, while a 34% boost in installations came directly from Drop sharing.
The Drops feature brought immediate results, with 188 active users within the first month of soft release. Active user:
A member who spent over two hours in the DAW &
flip, drop and re-drop at least five projects
User behavior shifted from passive stream consumption to active DAW participation, with Drops we could drive deeper engagement and platform interaction.
REFLECTIONS
Lessons Learned
Importance of Research
This project highlighted the value of investing in thorough research and thoughtful design.
Innovative Strategy
Going beyond traditional teachniques can lead to unique and effective solutions.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Involving cross-functional partners early led to a smooth Unity transition and improved product cohesion.
Leveraging Existing Resources
Repurposing existing features creatively can lead to innovative outcomes, what we did for beat battles.
CONCLUSION
A HUGE SUCCESS
Drops Transformed BeatConnect
What began as a challenge to fix a faltering Beat Battle strategy turned into a feature that aligned our teams, increased user engagement, and transformed BeatConnect into a true platform for music collaboration. With Drops, we provided both experienced and beginner music producers with the tools they needed to create, share, and build their own musical journeys—together.
Speculative Matrimonial
Services
Redesigning Beat Battles transformed
a struggling competition format into
a collaborative space.
User Satisfaction
92%
Task Completion Rate
77%
A+A - Concordia University
2021
+ The solution also allowed us to unlock hands-on learning by having access to professional workflows.
Once a user flipped the Drop, they could see the entire project file in the DAW, explore the workflow of the original producer, and modify it to their liking. This not only gave users a hands-on experience with the DAW but also allowed them to learn from professionals and grow their skills organically.
Live on BeatConnect. This loop operated autonomously with minimal maintenance and staff intervention.
IMPLEMENTATION
Drops as a Foundation
Marketplace
We improved the marketplace by showcasing Drops that used specific assets on each product page. This allowed users to test assets through flipping Drops, giving them a "free trial" experience before purchasing.
My Balance
1,234
Marketplace
Ripple Lead
Plugin
Be cautious! This is a synth lead made by Beat Machina. It’s bright, clean and will cut through the mix. Grab it and start making music now.
BPM
Genre 1
Genre 2
Genre 3
Key Signature
Product Type
BeatConnect
Creator
Total:
3,000
4,500
Unlock now
Drops using Ripple Lead
Click on Flip it and try it for free.
IMPLEMENTATION
Due to web technology constraints, we made a big decision to move to Unity 3D, which made development easier since our DAW was already built there.
The dual-axis carousel was a breakthrough concept, but web technology limitations posed challenges for its implementation.
To overcome these challenges, we made a strategic move to Unity, where our multiplayer DAW was already developed, offering greater flexibility.
This transition not only enabled a richer, interactive experience but also unified our tech stack, aligning all features seamlessly around the DAW.
DESIGN
We empowered established producers to showcase their talent and inspire beginners through a collaborative shift from competition to creation
The Drop Card became the centrepiece of the user experience. Each card contained essential details—a snippet of an unfinished track, the assets used (plugins, samples, etc.), and a CTA to "Flip It."
@username
Dropped 8 days ago
Way Too Long Drop Title
120 BPM
Disco
Electronic
Dreamy
Harp
1234 flipping this drop
1234 flipped this drop
Made with
1234
1234
1234
Flip It
Assets that this drop is created with, and the person who flip will get to try them for free
Drop Author
Stats:
Like, Comment, Share
Collaborators
the unfinished beat
CTA duplicates the file in their DAW
The number of people who Re-Dropped
Introduced a stat-tracking system for Likes, Comments, Flips, and Re-Drops.
Gamified the experience to boost user engagement.
Provided producers with a clear path to gain recognition for their contributions.
Encouraged both established and new producers to participate actively.
About
This case study covers how a new collaborative "Drop" feature transformed user engagement and boosted app downloads.
Challenge
BeatConnect's Battles were disconnected from the core product, resulting in low app engagement and user retention. Users focused more on winning prizes than actively using the platform.
Impact
The Drop feature increased app downloads by 68%, boosted user engagement by 34%, and brought 188 active users in the first week of its soft launch, resulting in a 235% increase in revenue generation.
Team
+8
My role
Product Designer
Participatory user research - Ideation - Strategy - Key flows design - Interaction Design - Rapid prototyping - Usability Testing
Timeline
Nov 2023 - Nov 2024
*DAW: Digital Audio Workstation
See how we transformed our draining competitions, Beat Battles, into a winning strategy that boosted revenue by 235%