Sound Made Seen

Using AI to help audio creators make social video content

UX/UI • Web App • Lean Startup

SoundMadeSeen helps audio creators transform their podcasts and audiobooks into shareable video and text content with the help of AI and a custom design editor. The initial prototype was built by a solo developer without the help of design and ux. With the goal of scaling up the product needed a professional UI and considered user experience on a small budget.

Client

SoundMadeSeen

Contributions

UX design, UI design

Year

2024 - Current

Sound Made Seen

Using AI to help audio creators make social video content

UX/UI • Web App • Lean Startup

SoundMadeSeen helps audio creators transform their podcasts and audiobooks into shareable video and text content with the help of AI and a custom design editor. The initial prototype was built by a solo developer without the help of design and ux. With the goal of scaling up the product needed a professional UI and considered user experience on a small budget.

Client

SoundMadeSeen

Contributions

UX design, UI design

Year

2024 - Current

Sound Made Seen

Using AI to help audio creators make social video content

UX/UI • Web App • Lean Startup

SoundMadeSeen helps audio creators transform their podcasts and audiobooks into shareable video and text content with the help of AI and a custom design editor. The initial prototype was built by a solo developer without the help of design and ux. With the goal of scaling up the product needed a professional UI and considered user experience on a small budget.

Client

SoundMadeSeen

Contributions

UX design, UI design

Year

2024 - Current

Our Approach

Establish a better baseline

With a solid technical foundation but no prior product design involvement, there were clear areas for improvement. Our goal was to bring the product to a stronger baseline by addressing the biggest pain points and most-requested features. Through user feedback and observation, we prioritised high-impact changes that required minimal effort, working efficiently within the constraints of a small budget and team of just a developer and designer.

Our Approach

Establish a better baseline

With a solid technical foundation but no prior product design involvement, there were clear areas for improvement. Our goal was to bring the product to a stronger baseline by addressing the biggest pain points and most-requested features. Through user feedback and observation, we prioritised high-impact changes that required minimal effort, working efficiently within the constraints of a small budget and team of just a developer and designer.

Our Approach

Establish a better baseline

With a solid technical foundation but no prior product design involvement, there were clear areas for improvement. Our goal was to bring the product to a stronger baseline by addressing the biggest pain points and most-requested features. Through user feedback and observation, we prioritised high-impact changes that required minimal effort, working efficiently within the constraints of a small budget and team of just a developer and designer.

Design System

Building the foundation

I created a simple design system to quickly elevate the site’s design to a more polished standard. The system included components and styles that the developer, Rane, could implement independently, reducing the need for constant design input. This initial design system was a rapid update, with the flexibility to expand and refine it over time.

a new journey

Streamlining the process

By analysing the 'create a video' flow, I identified some unnecessary steps that could be consolidated and simplify the user experience. I also improved the starting screen by introducing a dashboard that displays all options and recent files for easier access.

Dashboard

Guiding new users

I designed a central starting point that adapts to each user’s journey. For new users, getting started guides are available right on the dashboard, helping them onboard smoothly from the moment they sign up.

Dashboard

Quick access for established users

For returning users, the dashboard now prioritises their most recent content, offering instant access to synced podcast episodes or uploaded audio, streamlining their workflow.

Transcription editor

Streamlined usability and new features

One of our top priorities was improving the transcription editor, which users found challenging to navigate. I redesigned the UI for clarity and ease of use, while Rane enhanced the technical functionality to create a smoother, more intuitive experience.

Design editor

Making design easier for beginners

After selecting an audio clip users proceed to the design editor to style their video with backgrounds, shapes and captions generated from the transcription. We've been progressively updating the design editor starting with a more efficient layout and adding more features with more iterations to come.

Homepage

Making a better first impression

After upgrading the product we needed a better way to showcase the features and benefits to potential users on the homepage. I updated the homepage design to our new brand style and refreshed the content, images and copy to highlight how all the tools could help users in their workflow.

What's next

Onwards and upwards

The journey of bringing SoundMadeSeen to it's current stage has been about setting a solid foundation, prioritising key feature improvements and enhancing the usability and design within the constraints of limited resources. We've got more to do to reach to it's final vision but now we're at a better baseline to make that happen.

Let's work together.

© Kelly Stubbs 2024

Let's work together.

© Kelly Stubbs 2024

Let's work together.

© Kelly Stubbs 2024