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Terminology & Mental Models ​

Replacing "Project" in SongDrive's UI ​

Replacing the word "Project" in SongDrive's UI - 2025 (191 words) ​

  • Status: TERMINOLOGY REDESIGN - Fundamental concept change
  • Summary: Proposes eliminating vague "Project" terminology in favor of specific, purpose-driven terms. Aims to reduce cognitive load by using familiar music industry terminology.

Problem Identified ​

"Project" is too vague after user testing and demos:

  • In current system, "Project" can be whatever user wants (ambiguous)
  • Users have to think too much about categorization
  • No clear mental model emerges

Issues with Current Terminology ​

  • A "Project" could mean:
    • A single song idea
    • An entire album
    • A rehearsal session recording
    • A client's entire catalog (for producers)

This vagueness creates cognitive friction:

  • Users hesitate when creating new project: "Is this important enough to be a project?"
  • Searching is difficult: "Was that rehearsal in 'Band Practice' project or 'November Session' project?"
  • No self-organizing structure emerges from naming convention

Proposed New Terminology ​

Idea ​

  • Definition: Pre-song or small musical fragment that may be incorporated into existing/future song. Early-stage creative content.
  • Examples: "Guitar riff from 11/3", "Chorus melody idea", "Drum pattern experiment"
  • Storage: Flat list, not organized until promoted to Song
  • Lifecycle: Idea → Song (when fleshed out) OR Idea → Archive (if abandoned)

Song ​

  • Definition: Content related to existing song or work-in-progress song. Primary creative unit.
  • Examples: "Untitled Song 5", "Better Days (WIP)", "Lost in Translation (Final)"
  • Storage: Can be organized into Albums
  • Attributes: BPM, key, lyrics, chords, sections

Album ​

  • Definition: Collection of songs. Higher-level organizational unit.
  • Examples: "2025 LP", "Summer EP", "Acoustic Sessions"
  • Storage: Contains Songs, can have album-level metadata
  • Attributes: Release date, album artwork, track order

Rehearsal Recording ​

  • Definition: Audio or video recording of band practice. Practice documentation.
  • Examples: "Tuesday rehearsal 11/3", "Glazy Boys practice - new setlist"
  • Storage: Organized by date or event
  • Attributes: Date, location, attendees

Performance Recording ​

  • Definition: Audio or video recording of live performance. Live documentation.
  • Examples: "Radio Radio 11/15/25", "House show 10/22"
  • Storage: Organized by venue/date
  • Attributes: Venue, date, setlist reference, audience recording vs soundboard

Setlist ​

  • Definition: Planned list of songs to play at specific date. Performance planning.
  • Examples: "Radio Radio 11/15 setlist", "Festival set 2025"
  • Storage: Links to Song entities, includes order and timing
  • Attributes: Performance date, venue, total runtime, set breaks

Playlist ​

  • Definition: Arbitrary list of songs. Flexible collection.
  • Examples: "Current favorites", "High energy", "Chill vibes"
  • Storage: User-curated, no formal structure
  • Difference from Album: No intent to release as cohesive unit

Upload Flow Change ​

Current Flow ​

  1. Click "Upload"
  2. Select files
  3. Choose project (or create new project with generic name)
  4. Upload

Proposed Flow ​

  1. Click "Upload"
  2. System asks: "What kind is it?"
    • Idea
    • Song
    • Rehearsal Recording
    • Performance Recording
    • Other
  3. Based on selection, smart defaults:
    • Idea: Prompt for brief description, auto-generate name from date
    • Song: Prompt for song title, optional album assignment
    • Rehearsal Recording: Auto-name from date, prompt for attendees
    • Performance Recording: Prompt for venue and date
  4. Upload with metadata pre-filled

Benefits ​

Trivial to Find Content ​

  • "Show me all rehearsal recordings" → filtered list
  • "Show me all songs in 'Summer EP' album" → album view
  • "Show me all ideas from last week" → date-filtered idea list

Self-Organizing Through Smart Categorization ​

  • Users don't need to think about folder structure
  • System automatically groups by type
  • Consistent naming conventions emerge from prompted metadata

UX Philosophy ​

"Get the user to think less. Make content self-organizing through smart categorization."

Mental Model Shift ​

From Generic Containers... ​

  • Vague "Projects" that could mean anything
  • User decides organization structure
  • Manual categorization required

...To Purpose-Specific Categories ​

  • Clear types with specific meanings
  • System suggests organization structure
  • Automatic categorization at upload time

This mental model aligns with how musicians already think about their work, reducing the learning curve and making the interface feel more intuitive.