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Tempo · 2024
A music app that feels like a mixtape
Product design for an indie streaming startup
Tempo wanted to feel like the friend who burns you a CD — not another algorithmic feed. We designed the interface to match.
The challenge
Spotify-shaped patterns made Tempo's hand-curated playlists feel small. The product needed a personality of its own.
The approach
Created a chunky, tactile design system with handwritten labels, sticker-style album art, and gestures that feel like flipping cassette covers.
The outcome
Beta retention hit 71% at week four — the highest the team had ever seen — and a seed round closed three weeks after launch.
71%
W4 retention
+220%
Daily plays
4.9★
App Store
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