SoundCloud for iPhone first time user experience
The good bits:
- SoundCloud shows an intro tour but allows users to quickly get started via an omnipresent action at the bottom of the screen
- There is no prompt to sign up before the new user can start streaming music. The new user can immediately start experiencing the value of the product. This is a great use of the free sample pattern.
- The initial view of the app is well-focused; instead of a complicated list of stations, it focuses the user on exploring trending music.
- Sign up prompts are limited to when a user tries to access functionality such as sharing or saving to a playlist.
To be improved:
- The intro tour in the beginning spends its energy trying to describe UI functionality, when this kind of explanation might be best used in a user guided tour context where hints appear to the user as explores the interface.
- It would be interesting for SoundCloud to add a layer of personalization for the new user by asking her about her music interests before going straight to trending music.