88rising
Turning 88rising's website into a discovery engine for fans across Asia.
ROLE
Product Designer
Prototyper
Facilitator
TEAM
Justin Yu
Luke Do
Claret Egwim
Terrence Xu
TIMELINE
4 Weeks – 2023
TOOLS
Figma
After Effects
Premiere Pro
the challenge
Fans can't find new artists
Fans land on the website and bounce. New signings get buried. I led the initial audit and mapped where fans actually spend time vs. where 88rising wanted them, which reframed the brief for the whole team.
the business problem
Growth has flatlined
The website wasn't pulling its weight and new artists weren't getting the discovery that early stars like Rich Brian and Joji enjoyed. That gap costs streams, ticket sales, and long-term brand momentum.
3 billion views
2016 — 2019
0.43 billion views
2020 — 2023
"For Asians, Asian Americans and just Asian youth globally, there's no real home on the internet or a company consistently putting out things that either include Asian talent or Asian viewpoints in stories."
Sean Miyashiro, Founder of 88rising
Solution
Language-driven discovery
I proposed and prototyped the core concept: a landing page built around a mosaic of Asian languages and home countries. Tap a language you relate to, and you instantly see artists who share that cultural backdrop. Heritage becomes a discovery springboard instead of a filter buried in a menu.
Culture hubs that surface new talent
Selecting a country opens a region hub with every local 88rising act. A side panel spotlights upcoming releases and collaborations. I designed the information hierarchy so lesser-known artists ride the visibility of star talent and fans discover new music without leaving the page.
Artist pages that flex to every vibe
Each artist owns a bespoke space with candid photos, bite-sized bios, looping video backdrops, and quick links to songs and merch. I built a modular layout system that adapts to each artist's energy while staying cohesive across the roster.
A release calendar fans actually use
62% of survey respondents said they miss new drops. I designed a waveform-inspired timeline that visualizes upcoming releases at a glance so fans can preview snippets and set reminders, closing the awareness gap that was costing 88rising streams.
current state
The two touchpoints fans have today
YouTube: scattered across channels, no path between artists.
Website: a merch storefront with no artist roster or identity.
the key insight
Fans want discovery, not a storefront
The team conducted 15 user interviews and received 89 survey responses from casual to die-hard fans about their music habits and perception of 88rising. The findings pointed to a lack of awareness within the fanbase of 88rising's frequent releases, which directly feeds their decline in popularity.
62%
of fans unaware of weekly releases
93%
of interviewees unaware of most signed artists
75%
believe 88rising is declining in popularity
41%
attributed decline to lack of brand engagement
design principles
Three principles that shaped every decision
We first considered the realities of a global, multi‑platform music ecosystem, balancing the needs of fans, artists, and the business before shaping the end‑to‑end experience.
explorations
Lat-long navigation
An early direction I explored: a stripped-down world map where neon-red bars sit at the actual latitude of each region in the 88rising roster. It tested well conceptually but added friction because fans had to learn a new mental model before discovering anything. We killed it.
Raw artist energy over polished bios
Another direction I pushed: leading with candid, unfiltered photos instead of stats or press shots. A backyard hose, a beat-up Rubik's Cube, Brian's sky-blue coat. This one stuck. It tested strongly because fans bond with personality, not metrics.
outcome
What this created
For 88rising
A platform that builds a loyal fanbase through deeper song engagement and merch discovery. Lesser-known artists gain visibility by sharing space with headliners, deepening the talent pool while promoting Asian American media to global audiences.
For fans
A more diverse range of music and artists through enhanced discoverability. Fans gain appreciation for each artist's creativity, influences, and personal experiences instead of relying on algorithms to surface what they might like.
Reflection
What I learned
A bad brief costs more than a late start.
We burned four of seven weeks circling the wrong problem. The three-week sprint that followed was the most focused work I've done, but only because the wasted time taught us exactly what to cut.
Culture is a design material.
Using language and geography as navigation wasn't a styling choice. It came directly from how fans already talk about 88rising artists. The best design decisions came from listening to the community, not inventing for them.
Want to hear more?
This case study is the highlight reel. If you'd like the full story including the detours, debates, and decisions that didn't make the cut, let's chat.