To kick off the project, I launched an extensive discovery phase during which I analyzed existing music distributors. I summarized findings and noted key observations in a presentation for stakeholders. The findings influenced product direction.

Information architecture of one of SpaceHeater's competitors, Opus

I documented the pages of each competitor with screenshots and detailed notes

Feature comparison matrix mapping capabilities across major music distribution platforms to identify gaps and opportunities for SpaceHeater

I decided to build designs using an existing component library, Google Material Design, rather than create one from scratch. This helped streamline designer/development hand-off, and allowed me to focus on solving the bigger-picture design challenges.

Google Material Design system providing comprehensive guidelines, components, and icons that enabled rapid prototyping and consistent implementation across the SpaceHeater platform.

Users were unable to find change requests on the main releases page. It turns out change requests were actually a type of release, and could be categorized by the same statuses. I decided to combine change requests and releases into one table, and have them be paginated by type of release rather than status. Keeping in close communication with the client and testing early and often helped tame assumptions and center the design around users.

Before: Separate sections

Old releases page showing separate sections for releases and change requests

After: Combined table

New releases page showing combined table for releases and change requests

In one of our collaboration sessions, I received feedback from the development team that we could speed up production time by eliminating modals in the product. I didn't see this as a huge hinderance to user experience, and found a solution.

Mid-fidelity (modal)

Initial design approach using modal overlays for release configuration, which required additional development complexity and time to implement properly.

High-fidelity (in screen)

Final design solution integrating the same functionality directly into the main interface with sidebar navigation, eliminating modal complexity while maintaining user experience and workflow efficiency.

Record labels have to input album information and provide audio files and delivery information before they release an album. Existing upload flows do not organize content in a thoughtful manner with attention to user experience, so I capitalized on this gap in the market.

Within each page of the upload flow, I categorized form fields into two groups: Primary and Details. Primary form fields must be filled out in order to release an album, and "Detail" form fields are optional. This hierarchy expedites filling out information for releases.

Primary content

Primary form fields highlighted in teal include essential release information that must be completed before an album can be distributed, creating a clear hierarchy for users.

Secondary content

Secondary "Details" fields highlighted in teal contain optional metadata and additional information that can enhance the release but don't prevent users from completing the upload process.

Competitor's upload flows are rigid, requiring users to fill out all form fields on a page before moving to the next step. We designed an upload flow that allows users to move freely from page to page, autosaving information as they go. Users can review missed fields and errors on the review page of the flow.

Error correction

Competitor's upload flows are rigid, requiring users to fill out all form fields on a page before moving to the next step. We designed an upload flow that allows users to move freely from page to page, autosaving information as they go. Users can review missed fields and errors on the review page of the flow.

Freedom to skip

Users can skip certain sections and return to them later.

Simplicity in color choice helped to focus user attention on completing complex flows.

By interviewing catalog owners we uncovered their need to see as much of their catalog as possible at one time to glean its overall health. We looked to WINAMP, the classic early 2000s media software, as design inspiration for the platform's catalog, adding to data scan-ability.

One of my tasks was to design a style guide for the platform's suite of analytics tools. To prevent visual noise and allow the data to shine, I took a minimalist approach to UI design. Every element included in the interface has a function.

I modified the brand palette to create a color palette for data. The brand calls for the motif of fire, and I communicated this by crafting a quantitative palette that assigns larger values to warmer colors.

Main analytics dashboard featuring fire-themed color palette where warmer colors represent higher values, creating an intuitive visual hierarchy for data interpretation.

Alternative view of the analytics interface demonstrating the same minimalist, fire-themed data-visualisation system across multiple chart types.

A differentiator of the SpaceHeater platform is it not only show analytics about one's catalog, it incorporates actionable AI insights on how to act upon data. Following the UX principle of Jakobs Law, I applied light "AI-infused" branding to the platform when that technology was used.

The product was launched early 2025 to critical praise. Using the design system set forth the team was able to integrate new AI functionality into the experience to further elevate it for catalog owners.

LinkedIn announcement from Sureel AI highlighting SpaceHeater's groundbreaking integration of AI-powered attribution for music rights, marking a new standard in music analytics and transparency.

Industry press coverage of SpaceHeater's launch, featuring Rostrum Pacific CEO Benjy Grinberg

Industry press coverage of SpaceHeater's launch, featuring Rostrum Pacific CEO Benjy Grinberg and demonstrating the platform's reception in music industry publications.

This was one of my earlier experiences implementing Google's Material UI component library. While the decision to use an established design system accelerated development, I learned valuable lessons about the importance of maintaining design-development alignment throughout the process.

In retrospect, I realized I wasn't properly updating the library's design tokens and variables in Figma, which potentially created friction during the handoff process. The disconnect between my design files and the actual MUI implementation may have led to inconsistencies and additional development time. For future projects involving component libraries, I know to invest in the official Figma kit that allows proper variable manipulation and ensures seamless design-to-code workflows.

If I could approach this project differently, I would have conducted preliminary user interviews with catalog owners and music industry professionals before diving into the design phase. While our client's experience with music distributors provided valuable insights, direct user research would have given us a more comprehensive understanding of pain points and user needs. This would have helped validate our assumptions earlier and potentially uncovered additional opportunities we might have missed.