Entertainment and leisure

OD2 is the world's top white-label downloading service, which powers MSN Music. OD2 was working with Hewlett Packard  to find out how much an online CD-labelling tool might encourage people to download music from the web.

We visited participants' homes, where they took us on 'tours' of their music devices and CDs. Participants told us the stories behind the:

• music they'd acquired
• compilations and playlists they'd created
• CDs they burned and labelled.

We then introduced participants to a prototype burning and labelling tool and explored their potential use of this in the context of the stories they'd told us.

We analysed the data to develop a framework describing the key components of users' music experience across digital and CD media. This helped us see how a tool to support compiling, burning and labelling could encourage people to legitimately download music and burn CDs instead of buying hard copies or pirate downloads.

We identified three opportunity areas based on scenarios we observed in research.

1. Mark and list - what people do when they create a compilation CD for use in their car or perhaps for a party. For this an online labeller needs to be as quick and easy as handwriting with a CD pen.
2. Album authenticity - people's craving to own the authentic item – when they buy an album. Here the authentic look of the label is crucial.
3. Unique presentation - how people create original compilation CDs as gifts or mementos, or to showcase their work. Professional finish is important plus making the label unique and relevant both to the content and recipient. These opportunity areas each had their own implications for functionality and ease of use as the tool was developed.

Towards the end of the process we conducted lab-based usability testing to identify final refinements before launching the tool Tattoo Studio.

We tested the tool using scenarios based on the three opportunity areas we had already uncovered.

"The insights we gained from new experience's research, analysis and usability testing have been invaluable in helping us develop and refine this exciting product. new experience was very responsive to our needs throughout the project delivering work of the highest quality in a very tight timescale." Mark Hicks, Product Director