Goal-Oriented Design for a Band Website

13 May 2016

The Run Boy Run website was built around the explicit goals and needs of the band: increase album sales, increase concert attendance, and increase concert bookings. Everything I included on the site was in service to one or more of those core goals. As we continue looking at this project, keep those goals in mind.

Designed for the Users

With those core goals in mind, I took note of who would be using the site. We divided the key users into three groups, each with potential to serve our goals:

• Fans – buying albums and attending concerts
• Press – publishing materials that serve to promote the band
• Talent Buyers – booking the band for concerts

Knowing what each of these groups would be looking for was key in developing an effective website. After careful consideration and some helpful feedback from our booking and PR people, we were able to optimize the site for these core sets of users.

Everything has a purpose

Filtering everything through our goals and our users resulted in a focused site. Let’s take a minute to look at some of the elements of the site, and how they meet the needs of the users and serve our goals.

Home

The home page was left with very little on it. Because every user first engages with the site on the home page, the story we tell here must be one that every user is a part of. If we make a home page that is optimized for existing talent buyers whose needs are centered around promotion for shows they already have under contract, it might be overwhelming for a new potential fan just wanting to find out more about this band. And, if we do the reverse, the talent buyer may find it difficult to do her best work for the band.

The primary purpose of the home page is to define the brand. Let’s define the brand as the sum of everything you communicate about who you are. This is often underpinned and expressed through a cohesive set of visual design patterns that include colors, typefaces, logos. The brand is not those assets any more than a home is an address.

On the home page, we have a large color photo of the band, a short elevator pitch or teaser, the band name, and a logo. The only other thing we put on this home page is an occasional modal dialog with big news the band wants to share with everybody. I designed the big news to be shown once for any person, then never shown again, and to only show a single big news item for each page load. Future band websites may include an archive of big news items, but I doubt they will be accessed very often.

Music

The music page is simple. It lists every album the band has for sale with large artwork, a short description, quotes endorsing the album, audio streaming, and a link to buy it immediately. All three of the major goals, and all three key users are served here. The fans are introduced to the product through the audio streaming, encouraged to buy the product by notable quotes, descriptions, and compelling artwork, and given the opportunity to buy the album. The press are provided with artwork, quotes, and a description they can use without having to search or scan. The talent buyers, like the fans, are introduced to the product and shown key endorsements.

There is nothing particularly special or unique about this music page. It is just like nearly every other music page for nearly every band with a website. The only difference between this one and most others is that the Run Boy Run music page was intentional rather than accidental, and that is important.

Shows

The shows page is also fairly simple, and fairly common. Included on the page is a section listing upcoming concerts and a section listing past concerts. The upcoming concerts guide fans to attend, give the press something to promote, and show talent buyers what their peers think of the band. Past shows let fans, the press, and talent buyers see how the band has grown, and what level of show they can expect.

About

The about page paints a picture of who the band is. Unlike the home page, that seeks to express the brand, the about page is explicit. A long form bio, photos of each band member with name and instruments, and a selection of press quotes (with links to the original articles for reference). This page is particularly geared towards increasing concert bookings and attendance. Press and talent buyers can use the bio and the press quotes in materials that promote concert attendance. Talent buyers, eager to find a band with a story they can sell, are going to learn if this band has that story in the bio. Fans who are curious about the upcoming show in their area will want to know more about the band before they spend money to see them. The headshots are helpful for connecting real faces to the names in the bio and the bodies on the stage. They are not strictly needed, but they can serve to amplify the interaction.

Contact

The contact page is exactly what it sounds like. If people need to contact the band or any of the people who represent the band, they find exactly the information they need on the contact page. If it’s a fan who wants to say thank you for a great show, a talent buyer who wants to book their festival, or a journalist who wants to conduct an interview for the local weekly before the show, they will find exactly who they need to contact and exactly how to contact them.

Photos

The photos page, while some fans might take a look, is primarily a resource for press and talent buyers. By providing several full resolution images that are high quality, members of the press do not have to scramble to find pictures for articles and talent buyers will be less tempted to use the wrong graphics in promotional materials (some will always use the wrong graphics, no matter what you do). The photos in collection also serve to reinforce the brand visually.

Videos

Probably the least used page, but still useful. The videos page shows a selection of videos of the band. This includes live concert footage, in studio performances, and official music videos. This page primarily serves talent buyers, and primarily in booking more concerts. Most talent buyers want to know what they are buying, so any high quality video of high quality live performance can be very effective in meeting goals here.

TL;DR

Organize your website around your business goals to serve the needs of your users. You may see something you like on another site, but unless it can be aimed at your goals and targets your users, it is a complete waste of time and money. That doesn’t mean you don’t use those cool ideas, but it does mean you think through them before you build.