Alltel Jump Music Case Study

Process

The Benefits of Direct Downloading

frog’s long history of music player and mobile application development with clients like Yahoo! and Microsoft provided the design team with a strong foundation on which to build. But mobile technologies and trends are constantly evolving. frog completed a competitive analysis of the existing mobile music space to identify key opportunities for improving the user experience. Together, frog and Alltel defined the application’s target audience, then created user profiles and use cases to guide the design process.

We also analyzed the benefits of side-loading applications, those that transfer data between PC and mobile via a direct connection. We found that a side-loading application would maximize benefits for Alltel, with lower development costs and higher revenue potential than “over-the-air” music download services. It would also benefit users, allowing them to easily move music to their handsets and go – taking their music wherever they go.

Eliminating Roadblocks

Throughout the project, ease of use was the prevailing design objective. Because Alltel’s application would not replace a user’s existing music player, but rather operate as a transfer portal for media, the design team streamlined functionality to encourage easy file transfer. The Jump Music application operates within the same design language as Celltop, the award-winning mobile UI that frog and Alltel created in 2006. Together, the two applications lay the groundwork for a consistent visual expression of the Alltel brand.

Automatically upon startup, the application scans a user’s computer for music files, formatting content into a song library. To ease the browsing process and eliminate frustration, songs already on the phone are indicated with a simple icon, as are files with DRM- or PC-protection, which cannot be transferred to the phone. Users can choose to ignore these protected songs, or have them hidden from view in the library, further simplifying the selection process.

When a handset is connected to the PC, a right-hand column appears in the interface. An intuitive graphic illustrates the handset, indicating remaining storage capacity and complete song list. To move music from the PC to the connected handset, users simply highlight a selection of songs from the music library, then either press “Move” on the central control button or drag the files directly from the music library into the handset song list. A graphical display indicates transfer status of each song and adjusts the memory status icon of the handset itself, issuing a clear warning when song selections exceed available handset space.

Additional songs can also be downloaded from eMusic, one of the world’s largest online music stores, or imported from CDs. Jump Music automatically imports music in a format supported by most handsets, and allows users to Import and Move in one simple step, getting music onto their phones quickly.

End-to-End Development

Design and development evolved hand in hand as Alltel, frog, and Aricent worked together to build the application, refining the user experience throughout production. Iterative testing ensured that all aspects of the application met with a rigorous approval process – from frog, Alltel, and the users themselves.