What it does

Donna is an AI-powered mobile app that allows users to create complete songs, including lyrics and vocals, from simple text prompts. Users can describe the song they want, specify a mood and genre, and even provide their own lyrics. The app then generates a unique track that can be played, shared, and downloaded. It also features a community feed where users can discover and listen to songs created by others.

Where it shines

Donna excels at making AI music creation accessible and fast. The onboarding is a prime example. Instead of a dry tutorial, it immediately plays a sample song while you swipe through a carousel of other creations (00:07). This instantly communicates the app's core value. The main creation screen (00:58) is also well-designed, offering both a simple text prompt and optional tags for mood and genre. The "Get Inspired" button (01:04) is a thoughtful touch, helping users overcome writer's block with a single tap.

UX highlights

• Dual Creation Flows: The app smartly offers a guided, 3-step quiz for a user's first song (00:16), making it feel easy. For subsequent creations, it provides a more robust, single-screen editor (00:58) with more options for efficiency.
• In-Player Lyrics: When a song is playing, the lyrics are displayed and scroll in sync with the music (02:21). This is a great feature for engagement and helps users appreciate the AI's lyrical capabilities.
• Actionable Song Details: Tapping 'View Details' on a playing song (02:41) opens a modal with all the generation parameters (Mood, Genre, Vocal Gender, etc.). This is excellent for users who want to learn how to create similar-sounding tracks.
• Community Feed: The app includes a social discovery element with 'Popular' and 'New' tabs (03:53), sorted by different timeframes. This adds a layer of content consumption and inspiration beyond just creation.
• Advanced Options: Hidden behind an 'Advanced Options' button (01:25), users can specify vocal gender and recording style (Studio vs. Live), offering a deeper level of customization without cluttering the main interface.

Monetization & growth

The app uses a soft paywall strategy. Users can go through the entire creation process, but to actually generate and hear the song, they must subscribe. The primary paywall (00:51) presents two options, Weekly and Yearly, with the yearly plan highlighted with a "SAVE 80%" tag. A standout tactic is the "FREE ONE TIME OFFER" screen (01:42) that appears if a user backs out of creating after seeing the main paywall, giving them a free trial of the core feature to get them hooked.

Who it’s for

Donna is for anyone curious about AI music generation, from social media creators looking for unique background tracks to aspiring songwriters who want to quickly prototype ideas. Its simple interface makes it accessible to beginners with no musical experience, while the advanced options and community feed can appeal to more dedicated hobbyists looking for inspiration and a platform to share their AI-generated creations.

Notes & opportunities

The app's core loop is strong, but the user experience could be slightly smoother. For instance, after generating a song, the user is presented with a rating prompt (02:51) before they've had a chance to explore all the options like separating voice and music. Delaying this prompt might lead to more thoughtful feedback. Additionally, the public feed (03:54) could benefit from more advanced filtering or search capabilities to help users find specific types of songs more easily.