2009-2011 / Social Network
I was thrilled to join MySpace for its first redesign effort. In 2009, MySpace was dealing with spam, lack of privacy, broken functionality and well, Facebook. Similar to a teenager’s bedroom - there was no order, random stuff everywhere, broken toys, some rotten apples in a lunch bag, unfinished homework with music blasting.
My role included product ideation and ux, system design, building and directing vsd teams, as well as creative direction for the marketing team.
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Myspace teases a completely rethought service, and believe it or not, it looks beautiful.
- The Next Web
Guiding Principles
The redesign was rooted in research, leading to our guiding principles of self expression, freedom to evolve oneself, real relationships, environmental exclusivity, and acknowledgement (i.e. likes) from friends.
The internal ideation process included inserting a new creative spirit while also building trust and inclusivity. We commissioned artists to design murals, created a dedicated space to sharing work weekly, did monthly events to socialize the effort.
Let’s Get On The Same Page
Page-to-page navigation was jarring. Each department had its own navigational structure, ui elements, ad styles, page structures, you name it. Our product ideation period focused on universal elements that fit the needs of every department and all user types.
As the project progressed, we audited, cleaned, improved. By launch in ‘10 Myspace had its first pattern library for every department to utilize.
Mine vrs Theirs
As we audited the site, it became clear we needed a simple way to divide the experience - mine vrs theirs.
Visual Strategy
Given our principles, we wanted the interface to feel like rice and people to be the sauce. Each individual’s identity created the visual identity of MySpace’s brand. We chose a monochromatic look and feel utilizing pop colors for the user’s important indicators.
Content Optimization
Entertainment content was a major time spent, hence the user’s home pages were designed to make it easy for the user to consume the music, movies and people’s updates within the page.
Themes
We enlisted around 30 artists to create public themes as early releases to the redesign. We continued interactive activations with musicians and entertainment properties communicating expression as a core principle of the brand.
Takeover Animations
At the end of ‘10 I lead my first Augmented Reality experience and created a web app to 8-Bit yourself with the Black Eyed Peas'. We also launched interactive animated logos site-wide.
When I started at MySpace it was owned by Fox and then was sold to Specific Media and Justin Timberlake post redesign.