Phil Banks
For the last 10 years I’ve been embedded in high performing, consumer product teams as a designer at:
Peloton WIP
Halter
InMusic
Nura
Serato
For the last 10 years I’ve been embedded in high performing, consumer product teams as a designer at:
Peloton WIP
Halter
InMusic
Nura
Serato
Oliver Heldens using Engine DJ
2018 - 2022
Senior UX Designer
Embedded OS, desktop, iOS
Software releases
Our team was responsible for Engine DJ, embedded software built to power standalone DJ hardware. It’s a strategically important piece of software for InMusic as it powers three of their DJ hardware brands: Denon DJ, Numark and Rane,
InMusic is also home to 20 of the world's premier music industry brands including Akai, Alesis, and M-Audio.
- Contributed to cross functional leadership, collaborating with product, engineering and executives to define strategy and deliver experiences for hardware and software.
- Facilitated UXR that impacted business decisions, hardware designs and software designs.
- Designed software for 14 pieces of hardware with expertise in systems design, user flows, interaction design and information architecture.
The NZ office
- In 2018, I was the 4th hire at InMusic’s New Zealand office and played a pivotal role in shaping the vision, culture, and operational foundations of the new location.
- We grew the office form 4 to 80 staff, purchasing an office big enough for all of us. As a memeber of the leadership team, I travelled often to Miami and Berlin to visit the other offices.
Denon DJ Prime Series
Our team was established 6 months before the release of the Denon DJ Prime Series in 2018. We made as many improvements to Engine DJ before the launch as we could...
InMusic was always a hardware company which relied on third party software integrations. This series of hardware was embedded with their own software which they struggled to get stable.
The release comprised of 5 standalone DJ controllers, first of their kind
- Prime 4
- Prime 2
- Prime Go
- SC6000 + X1850 Mixer
Despite the hardware receiving outstanding praise, Engine DJ software was consistently criticized in user reviews for instability, clunky usability, and missing key features compared to competitors. This contrast hurt the overall perception of the product.
For example, the first minute of a review by a respected YouTube reviewer highlights these issues in stark detail.
Luckily, in the 6 months we had, our team had enabled over-the-air updates. This allows users to receive and install firmware updates directly on the device via Wi-Fi, keeping the system up-to-date with the latest features and bug fixes. Users are notified when an update is available.
Traditionally this process is done using USBs or cables. This was the first time a piece of DJ hardware had over-the-air updates meaning the value proposition improves over time.
In high-stakes environments, especially live settings like performances or broadcasts, stability is non-negotiable. Users need absolute confidence that the software won’t crash or behave unpredictably. At the same time, the business relies on releasing new, marketable features to remain competitive and drive growth. Balancing these needs means carefully prioritizing performance and reliability while delivering innovation. My role often involved advocating for stability-first approaches, ensuring new features don’t come at the expense of trust, and that every update earns its place in the hands of professionals who can’t afford failure.
2019-2022 |
Engine DJ updates
Over the next 4 years we would continue to support the Prime hardware release with quaterly software updates, each time improving the over all perception of the hardware in the industry.
- Elevate the perception of Engine DJ within the industry by redefining its value proposition, emphasizing innovation, usability, and performance.
- Fuel growth in hardware sales by creating a seamless software ecosystem that not only meets but exceeds user expectations.
- Use insights gathered about the hardware during software uasability testing to inform the next generation of hardware.
User testing lab I set up in our office
I contributed to strategic planning and product delivery by working closely with cross-functional teams using industry-standard tools and frameworks:
- Governance: Supported business value scoring, roadmap planning, epic definition, sign-offs, and stakeholder alignment to ensure clarity and accountability.
- Quarterly Planning: Participated in big room planning to scope quarterly releases, break epics into actionable stories, and commit to realistic, value-driven work.
- Fortnightly Sprints: Participated in weekly team rituals.
Creating specification documents for both hardware and software teams required navigating significant complexity.
An example was the FX units. Each piece of hardware had a unique configuration of buttons, knobs, and sliders, depending on its price point. While higher-end models relied less on the touchscreen, every device still needed full access to all 25 Main FX parameters.
To solve this, I developed UX documentation within product requirement documents to clearly visualize how the system would function across multiple hardware variants.
Watch the video below to learn more about the FX complexitiy
Multiple different hardware layouts causing complexity.
- I set up multiple DJ booths, a music production studio and hung lighting throughout our office space to create a UXR lab specific to the needs of our users.
- Extensive testing with clickable prototypes and beta versions. as well as working software. These prototypes allowed us to evaluate user interactions early, gather valuable feedback, and refine the interface for seamless usability.
- This iterative approach guaranteed a polished product that met the highest standards of quality and functionality.
- While testing the software releases we gathered a lot of insights about the hardware which were used to inform new hardware releases.
Over the next 4 years we would support the release of 8 more pieces of hardware. Every piece was unique in hardware UX, meaning Engine DJ had to be specced in detail for all arrangements of knobs, buttons, sliders, faders and wheels.
We created product definitions in Confluence, stories in Jira, and a design system in Figma to ensure clarity and single sources of truth across huge complexities for the software and hardware teams.
Denon DJ:
- Prime 4 +
- Prime Go+
- SCLive 4
- SCLive 2
- LC6000
Numark:
- Mixstream Pro
-
Mixstream Pro +
- Mixstream Pro Go
2022 |
Denon DJ Prime 4 +
The flagship Denon DJ Prime 4+ was an update to the Prime 4 we had worked on software updates for 3 years. Although a lot of the tooling would not change, we were able to influence the design direction through insights learned in our UXR sessions.
Key improvements:
The Prime 4+ features a more refined aesthetic with a matte finish on the mixer section. Users had complained tha the gloss finish of the previous version had been a fingerprint magnet. This change reduced fingerprints and giving it a more sophisticated look.
The Prime 4+ has a toned-down color scheme, replacing the bright green and blue lights with a more modern white/blue/orange. Many users had commented on the blue and green lights being garish and that the new look felt more understated and professional.
Denon DJ Prime 4
Denon DJ Prime 4+
Users had commented on the previous hardware’s jog wheels feeling small when compared to industry competition. We increased the jog wheel surface area by 10% and added adjustable resistance, improving tactile control and customizability based on user feedback from Prime 4 testing.
We determined the jog wheel displays on the prior generation were too small. We made them 6-inch high-resolution displays that show information relevant to your performance. This includes:
- Current play-head position: Helps you visualize where you are in the track.
- Auto-loop size: Displays the current loop duration.
- Layer: Indicates which deck layer (1-4) is currently active.
- Track artwork: Shows the album art of the currently loaded track.
- Custom DJ logos: You can replace the album art with a personalized logo by placing a 600px png file named "logo.png" in the root folder of your media source.
Based on our testing with all of the hardware. We determined tha the rubber pads felt more premium and were easier to trigger in time with the music. Rubber pads are an industry standard in music production and what a lot of users requested.
The PRIME 4+ boasts over 25 fully customizable Main FX and 4 dynamic, knob-controlled Sweep FX so that you can unleash your full creative mixing potential.
Every piece of hardware we released had subtle variations to how their FX units were setup. It was a real challenge to make one piece of software which was compatable with all of them. On the Prime 4+ we attempted to create a standard for all hardware moving forward.
Unleash powerful effect combinations with ease. Simply swipe in any direction to instantly craft dynamic build-ups, seamless drops, and smooth transitions, putting creative possibilities right at your fingertips.
Many users had requested bluetooth connection to their phones, keyboards and mice. We enhanced the setup with Bluetooth, allowing you to play audio wirelessly. Additionally, keyboard support offers greater flexibility and control, making your experience more intuitive and versatile.