The problem
Digital platforms lacked a simple, licensed way to integrate short music clips into their products.
User research
We ran two rounds of remote usability testing with eight participants who regularly shared music or short-form content, completing a full journey from finding a clip to sharing it.
Insight: People found clips easily when they knew the song or artist, but struggled when searching for a mood or an occasion.
Action: I added browsable mood, genre and occasion categories alongside search.
Insight: Participants expected to preview clips directly from the results, not on a separate screen.
Action: I introduced immediate previews that stay available while users continue browsing.
Design decisions
Music Discovery and Seamless Sharing
The central decision was whether to prioritise search or browsing. Search is efficient when users know a title or artist, but testing showed it fails for mood-based discovery, which is how many people actually choose music. A browse-first model solved that, but slowed down users who knew what they wanted.
I chose a hybrid: prominent search supported by curated mood, genre and occasion categories, with immediate previews throughout. This supported both known-item discovery and exploration without forcing either group through the other's flow.
Wireframes
Early wireframes mapping the core flows: discovering a clip, previewing it, and sharing it across platforms.
High-fidelity iOS designs
The finished iOS screens for search, clip preview, and sharing in a couple of taps.
Web App Design
In order to reach non-iOS users, I also designed a Progressive Web Application suitable for users on desktop and mobile.
Third-Party Integrations
I designed the clip-discovery and sharing experience for Songclip's Viber integration. As the company's sole designer, I defined how users opened the library from a conversation, searched or browsed for a clip, previewed it and inserted it into a message. I worked directly with product, engineering and Viber's partner team to adapt Songclip's core interaction patterns to the messaging environment.
Animations and Interactions
The platform included carefully crafted animations to guide users through the music discovery and sharing flow.
Validating the redesign
To measure the redesign, participants completed the same task, finding, previewing and sharing a clip, in both the previous experience and the redesigned prototype. Median completion time fell by roughly 21%.
The solution
The final design transformed how Songclip presents and integrates music clips. The app now provides an intuitive search process with clear preview and editing options and seamless sharing capabilities. The design improvements simplified the user experience and addressed the complexities of copyright compliance and cross-platform compatibility.
Results
- •The iOS app was featured in the App Store
- •Median find-and-share task time fell 21% in comparative usability testing
Featured
The iOS app was featured in the App Store.
21%
Median task time reduced, measured in comparative usability testing.
What I learned from this project
What worked
The focus on simplifying complex music licensing and integration into familiar social media patterns created an intuitive experience that resonated with content creators and led to App Store recognition.
What I'd do differently
I would have invested more time in early partnerships with platform developers to better understand their integration needs and constraints before finalising the API design.
