Musical Journeys
UX Design & Research | EdTech | SaaS
6
Mem.
I led a team of 4 developers and 1 UX Designer
2
nd
Place gained in our design competition by professional judges
40
%
Faster scheduling over the course of each sprint
Problem
Imagine you are a young adult who just found out about Musical Journey’s Studio — a cozy, creative space where you can take music lessons or rent a studio to practice with friends. But every time you try to book, you get stuck in endless emails and phone calls.
Solution
Then you discover their new website. It’s simple, clear, and designed just for you. You browse available lesson times, see teacher bios, and book your spot in minutes. Need to rent the studio? You pick a time, pay online, and get instant confirmation. Suddenly, the stress is gone. You spend less time scheduling and more time making music — feeling supported every step of your journey.
How I used Figma, Visual Studio Code, and Amazon Web Services to design and launch Musical Journeys, leading to a seamless user experience and reliable performance.
I used Figma to craft clear, user-friendly designs for scheduling lessons and renting the studio — making sure every interface felt intuitive and accessible. Then, I used Visual Studio Code to translate those designs into clean, functional code, ensuring data flowed smoothly from front-end to back-end.
Finally, we deployed the final product using Amazon Web Services, giving our users a secure, scalable platform they could trust to book lessons and manage studio time without hassle.
The result? A polished, well-built site that makes it simple for students and musicians to connect, create, and grow — all supported by thoughtful design, reliable development, and dependable hosting.
Branding From the Ground Up
One of the biggest roadblocks with Musical Journeys was that our client was starting completely from scratch — they had no established brand identity or visual language when we began.
To adapt, we worked hand-in-hand with the client through collaborative workshops and iterative design sessions to define what made their platform unique. We crafted memorable branding elements — from color palettes and typography to tone of voice and visual motifs — that reflected their mission and resonated with their audience.
To speed up the process and maintain accuracy, we used ChatGPT to generate naming ideas, tone guidelines, and brand messaging concepts. We also used Figma Styler to create cohesive color palettes and style variables, ensuring that the brand could scale consistently across the entire platform.
This close collaboration — combined with smart AI tools — ensured that the final brand felt authentic, cohesive, and ready to grow alongside the platform.
Coming Soon
Building a Brand from the Ground Up
One of the biggest roadblocks with Musical Journeys was that our client was starting completely from scratch — they had no established brand identity or visual language when we began.
To adapt, we worked hand-in-hand with the client through collaborative workshops and iterative design sessions to define what made their platform unique. We crafted memorable branding elements — from color palettes and typography to tone of voice and visual motifs — that reflected their mission and resonated with their audience.
This close collaboration ensured that the final brand felt authentic, cohesive, and ready to grow alongside the platform.
Coming Soon
80
Percent of respondents said they would be open to having additional resources offered through the website
90
Percent of respondents said they felt seeing their progression through the uses of badges would make them feel motivated to continue using the service
Streamlined Scheduling & Logistics
- Eliminated manual booking errors and scheduling conflicts through an integrated calendar system
- Reduced administrative overhead by automating lesson reminders and payment tracking
- Simplified room rentals with a centralized reservation and payment platform
Scalable Business Infrastructure
- Created a flexible system to easily add new instructors, classes, and pricing models
- Enabled data-driven decision-making with built-in reporting on lesson demand and studio usage
- Established a foundation for expanding to group workshops and community events
Preserving the Human Touch
- Maintained the personal feel of a local music school while modernizing operations
- Designed intuitive interfaces requiring minimal staff training
- Kept focus on student/instructor relationships while removing backend friction
Bilial Asif
Bilial Asif is a Backend Developer & Researcher for Musical Journeys, where he specializes in building and maintaining robust server-side systems that ensure seamless platform functionality. He conducts thorough research to optimize backend processes, improve system performance, and support user-centered design goals. Bilial’s expertise contributes to creating a reliable and scalable platform for users.
Daniel Buddington
Daniel Buddington is a Backend Developer & Researcher for Musical Journeys, where he specializes in building robust server-side architecture and optimizing database performance. He conducts thorough research to enhance system efficiency and ensures seamless integration between the platform’s front-end and back-end components. Daniel’s analytical approach and problem-solving expertise contribute significantly to the platform’s overall functionality.
Camille Foley
Camille Foley is a Backend Developer & Researcher for Musical Journeys, where he focuses on building and maintaining robust backend systems that ensure seamless platform functionality. He conducts thorough research to optimize system performance and collaborates closely with the design and development teams to align backend processes with user needs.
Jack Madison
Jack Madison is a Backend Developer & Researcher for Musical Journeys, where he specializes in building robust and scalable server-side solutions. He conducts thorough research to optimize system performance and ensures seamless data flow between the platform's frontend and backend. Jack is known for being contributing to the platform's success through his technical expertise and problem-solving skills.
Schuyler Lear
Schuyler Lear is a Co-Lead UX Designer & Researcher for Musical Journeys, where they collaborate with cross-functional teams to design intuitive user interfaces and conduct in-depth user research. They are skilled in wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing, ensuring the platform meets user needs and maintains high accessibility standards. Schuyler’s work focuses on enhancing user experiences by leveraging data-driven insights and fostering seamless communication between design and development teams.
Bucky Buckwalter
Hi! I'm an Innovative Product Design & User Experience Designer with 5+ years of experience in developing intuitive interfaces and conducting quantitative research with a focus in B2B and B2C Markets.
I help companies identify and act on meaningful trends to yield larger profits and am responsible for increasing user engagement by 30%, and improving system usability scores by over 40% through targeted design enhancements and data-driven strategies.