DESKTOP APP
NIMBUS
Nimbus is a redesign of open-source javascript app Cumulus; a music player that uses the SoundCloud API to bring your track feed, likes, and playlists to your desktop.
Download it here.
Client
Personal Project
Year
2018
Role
UX Design, Development
THE PROBLEM
A GREAT APP,
BUT ONLY UNTIL 9AM
As a fan of the open-source soundcloud player Cumulus, I was disappointed when it stopped functioning. With the app's ever-increasing popularity, Cumulus users were reaching Soundcloud's API play rate limit of 15,000 songs before 9am daily. The app functioned perfectly, just not for very long.
Instead of only listening to my music until 9am, I decided to build my own version of the app. I applied for a SoundCloud API Key, cloned the Cumulus Github Repository, and got to work on my redesign.
DESIGN NEEDS
MAKE IT PRETTY
The Cumulus player functioned well, but it wasn't very visually appealing. I put together a list of items that needed addressing in my redesign:
1. Album artwork was cropped and covered by the artist and track information.
2. Controls were squished between the artwork and the progress bar.
3. Colors and typography could be improved.
INSPIRATION
FOLLOW TYPICAL
DESIGN PATTERNS
To get inspired, I researched music player designs from around the web and found alot of great examples. Music players are very common, and usually follow a typical layout convention. To increase accessibility, I decided to follow a conventional layout while designing my music player.
ITERATION
TRIAL AND ERROR
I dove into the code and started adjusting elements. I simplified the color scheme to help the text be more legible. I increased the padding between the track controls to make them easier to select, and moved them to the bottom of the window so they'd be quickly accessible. I increased the size of the artwork and moved the track & album information to the bottom of the field.
FINAL DESIGN
GREAT MUSIC AT THE
TOP OF YOUR DESKTOP
After several dozen rebuilds, I was able to manipulate all of the code to create the design I desired. I now have a very functional and (in my opinion) pretty music player that I use every day.
You can download the latest version of Nimbus for OSX here.
Or take a look over the project in Github here.
