Company Context
Ozen is a multimedia company specializing in music distribution, video content, and creative services.
Core Problem
Ōzen is a Web3 music platform that lets artists and listeners share revenue directly through a “listen and earn” model. The goal was to design a Telegram Mini App that makes earning from music as simple as listening to it.
Challenge
Existing music platforms centralize profits, giving artists little control and users none. The Ōzen team wanted to change that — inspired by Hamster Kombat’s viral token model — by introducing an economy where 1 minute of listening = 1 Ōzen coin.
The challenge was to design a product that felt familiar, trusted, and instantly usable, while introducing a new crypto-driven behavior.
Research & Discovery
During the discovery phase, I analyzed top-performing Telegram Mini Apps and leading music platforms (Spotify, Yandex Music, Apple Music).
The insight was simple: viral Mini Apps don’t reinvent UX — they embed into existing user habits.
We decided to leverage Telegram’s native design system for the Beta version, ensuring immediate onboarding without tutorials or cognitive friction.
Design & Product Architecture
Ōzen’s core experience blends music streaming and token-based rewards:
- Invite-only access — exclusive entry builds FOMO and organic virality
- Minutes farming — 1 coin = 1 minute of listening, even in passive mode
- Task system — complete daily actions: watch videos, follow artists, earn coins
- Referral program — invite friends and boost earnings
- Music investments — invest earned coins into tracks and earn as they’re played
Design-wise, I adopted Telegram’s patterns — bottom tabs, large interactive surfaces, and light typography — to create a native, low-friction experience. The player and profile designs echoed Telegram’s aesthetic, giving users trust and familiarity in a new economic model.
Main page ui designs:
Music player UI designs mostly repeated Telegram's native player:
Profile page, Collection, Invest and Earn:
Tasks page, Referral form:
Beta Launch Result
- 5,000 active users in the first week
- Organic virality through invite-only model
- FOMO effect across Telegram communities
- Even Telegram CEO Pavel Durov tested the app
Ōzen demonstrated that the “listen and earn” concept can thrive inside the Telegram ecosystem — combining community, entertainment, and micro-economics.
Key Learnings
- Platform-native design accelerates adoption
- Behavioral design patterns like exclusivity and progress loops drive engagement
- Simplicity matters — users shouldn’t have to “learn” crypto to participate
Next steps: integrate on-chain token transfers, expand artist dashboard, and introduce NFT-based track ownership