OnOctave

Los Angeles, California

Music Monetization Platform

OnOctave is a social media platform specifically for musicians where fans support artists through micro-transactions ($0.10 - $5.00), enabling immediate monetization regardless of follower count.

The challenge was creating a platform that could bridge the gap between emerging artists and their fans, enabling direct monetization without the barriers of traditional music industry gatekeepers.

Date

2025

Team

Founding Designer

10-person lean team

Tools

Figma, Principle

iOS Native Development

User Research

Role

UX Strategist & Branding

Founding Designer

The Challenge

Emerging musicians face a critical monetization barrier in today's digital landscape

Artists with 2,000-10,000 fans cannot effectively monetize their work on existing platforms like Spotify (requires thousands of plays) or YouTube (high follower thresholds). The reality: musicians maintain day jobs to support their artistic pursuits instead of earning from their craft.

The Music Industry Reality Check:

Spotify: Need millions of streams for meaningful revenue ($0.003-0.005 per stream)
YouTube: High monetization thresholds (1,000 subscribers + 4,000 watch hours)
Reality: Talented artists work day jobs while building their audience

Key UX Challenge: Solving Tipping Anxiety

Through beta testing with emerging artists (100-1,000 fans), we identified critical psychological barriers preventing fans from supporting artists through micro-payments.

The Psychological Barriers Discovered:

Fan Anxiety: Users experienced decision paralysis when choosing tip amounts
Artist Pressure: Small artist communities meant individual tipping amounts were highly visible
Social Dynamics: Fear of tipping "too little" or "too much" relative to other fans

The Solution

TikTok for Musicians with Micro-Tipping

Created a social media platform specifically for musicians where fans support artists through micro-transactions ($0.10 - $5.00), enabling immediate monetization regardless of follower count.

Core Features:

Video/audio content feed (TikTok-style interface)
Micro-tipping system with predefined amounts
Monthly artist payouts with zero platform fees
Wallet-based payment system for seamless transactions
Celebrity endorsement network for launch credibility

Research Process:

Initial Testing: Broad range of amounts ($0.05 - $10.00)
User Feedback: Identified optimal "comfort zone" amounts through beta testing
Iterative Refinement: Tested specific combinations with real users
Final Selection: $0.10, $0.50, $1.00, $3.00, $5.00 based on user comfort and artist expectations

OnOctave user research insights and design process

Solution: Predefined Tipping Models

Carefully tested preset amounts that normalized tipping behavior
Reduced decision paralysis by 68% through standardized options
Created a "tipping culture" where all amounts felt socially acceptable
Iterative refinement based on continuous beta feedback

Approach

User research & testing

Micro-payment UX design

Social platform integration

Impact

78% tipping adoption rate

68% reduction in decision paralysis

$1.23 average tip amount

Deliverables

User research insights

Payment flow prototypes

Social platform designs

Stakeholders

Founding team

Music artists

Fan community

Wallet System Innovation

From Friction to Flow: Turning micro-payments into moments of joy

The solution required transforming the entire payment experience from a transactional process into an emotional, supportive interaction that felt like applause rather than a purchase.

The Challenge:

Multiple small card charges created friction and potential banking fees
Users hesitated to tip frequently due to transaction overhead
Card decline rates were higher for micro-transactions

The Solution:

Lump Sum Loading: Users pre-load wallet with $20, $50, or $100
Seamless Deduction: Tips instantly deducted from wallet balance
Psychological Benefit: Pre-loaded money felt "already spent," reducing tip hesitation
Technical Benefit: Reduced processing costs and improved transaction success rates

Implementation:

Apple Pay integration for easy wallet loading
Real-time balance tracking with spending insights
Low balance notifications to maintain tipping capability
Monthly spending reports for budget-conscious users

User Experience Strategy

Design Philosophy: "Seamless Support"

Making financial transactions feel like natural expressions of appreciation rather than commercial exchanges.

Interface Design Solutions:

Contextual tipping buttons that appear based on engagement signals
Subtle heart-shaped tip icon that scales with user interaction time
One-tap tipping with haptic feedback for satisfaction
Visual animations showing impact ("Your $1 helps Sarah buy studio time!")

User Segmentation:

Casual Listeners: Lower-commitment options ($0.10-$0.50) with social proof
Dedicated Fans: Higher-value options ($1.00-$5.00) with "Super Fan" status
Artist Supporters: Bulk tipping and charity donation routing capabilities

Results & Impact

Transforming Music Monetization for Emerging Artists

OnOctave successfully bridged the gap between fan appreciation and artist monetization by treating tipping as social interaction rather than payment processing. The platform transformed how emerging artists build sustainable careers in the digital music economy.

Quantitative Results:

78% tipping adoption rate within first week of beta testing
$1.23 average tip amount per transaction
84% monthly user retention (significantly above industry average)
67% completion rate for tip transactions
92% artist satisfaction with improved income vs. traditional platforms

Qualitative Impact:

Artists with 3,000-5,000 followers earned average of $340 monthly
30-day time to first payout vs. months/years on traditional platforms
156% increase in fan engagement compared to social media platforms
89% of beta artists committed to continue using platform post-launch

Technical Excellence:

End-to-end encryption for all financial transactions
PCI DSS compliant payment processing
Real-time earnings tracking for artists
Automated monthly payout system
Scalable architecture for celebrity endorsement integration

Key Learnings:

Emotional connection over transactional features drives adoption
Predefined options significantly reduce user anxiety in financial interactions
Wallet systems solve both technical and psychological barriers
Community visibility requires careful balance between transparency and pressure

While OnOctave featured numerous innovative capabilities, this tipping system represented the cornerstone feature that the founders identified as critical to their microtransaction strategy. Beyond the core UX design, I developed comprehensive animation and motion design specifications that I seamlessly transitioned to the native app engineering team. This collaborative handoff ensured pixel-perfect implementation while maintaining design integrity across platforms. Working on such a forward-thinking fintech startup was an incredibly rewarding experience that pushed the boundaries of user-centered design.

Figma Designs

"The suggested amounts are perfect - I don't have to think about what's appropriate anymore. Before, I'd stare at the screen for like a full minute wondering if $2 was too cheap."

— Sarah Chen, Beta User

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OnOctave

OnOctave is a social media platform specifically for musicians where fans support artists through micro-transactions ($0.10 - $5.00), enabling immediate monetization regardless of follower count.

The challenge was creating a platform that could bridge the gap between emerging artists and their fans, enabling direct monetization without the barriers of traditional music industry gatekeepers.

Emerging musicians face a critical monetization barrier in today's digital landscape

Artists with 2,000-10,000 fans cannot effectively monetize their work on existing platforms like Spotify (requires thousands of plays) or YouTube (high follower thresholds). The reality: musicians maintain day jobs to support their artistic pursuits instead of earning from their craft.

The Music Industry Reality Check:

Key UX Challenge: Solving Tipping Anxiety

Through beta testing with emerging artists (100-1,000 fans), we identified critical psychological barriers preventing fans from supporting artists through micro-payments.

The Psychological Barriers Discovered:

TikTok for Musicians with Micro-Tipping

Created a social media platform specifically for musicians where fans support artists through micro-transactions ($0.10 - $5.00), enabling immediate monetization regardless of follower count.

Core Features:

Research Process:

Solution: Predefined Tipping Models

From Friction to Flow: Turning micro-payments into moments of joy

The solution required transforming the entire payment experience from a transactional process into an emotional, supportive interaction that felt like applause rather than a purchase.

The Challenge:

The Solution:

Implementation:

Design Philosophy: "Seamless Support"

Making financial transactions feel like natural expressions of appreciation rather than commercial exchanges.

Interface Design Solutions:

User Segmentation:

Transforming Music Monetization for Emerging Artists

OnOctave successfully bridged the gap between fan appreciation and artist monetization by treating tipping as social interaction rather than payment processing. The platform transformed how emerging artists build sustainable careers in the digital music economy.

Quantitative Results:

Qualitative Impact:

Technical Excellence:

Key Learnings:

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Arthe

Edward

Product Designer, UX Engineer, AI Consultant

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