Ticket spot

eCommerce ticketing app

Target Users

Ticket buyers to major events that requires seating selection and online purchase.

Project Goal

Design a responsive website (desktop, tablet and mobile) that covers the main functionality: search, buying and confirmation. If possible, add additional functionalities to the website that may be valuable to users.

My Role

User Research, information architecture, interaction design, branding, and UI Design.

Research

User Interviews
Persona
Empathy Map
Storyboard

Define

Sitemap
User flow
Task flow

Design

Wireframes
Prototypes
Key website screens
UI Kit

Testing and iteration

Usability testing
Affinity map

Background

There’s no substitute for live events, it's a once in a lifetime experience for fans! Fans are passionate and loyal! In this proposed project, Ticket Spot is a company that sells primary tickets for more than 10,000 clients whose events range from professional wrestling matches, rock concerts and Broadway shows. A great user experience can be the competitive edge needed as more consumers buy tickets online.

“I don't have to wait or stand on a line for tickets, it's very convenient.”

Research Objectives

  • Learn about current ticket seller market and business trends
  • Identify ticket buyer segments and website experience patterns
  • Find out relevant challenges to buying tickets online

Secondary research findings

Tickets selling is a complex business but it is primarily divided into two markets, Primary and Secondary. Historically, ticket sellers focused their attention on relationships with venues and artists. They provide a major convenience to ticket buyers compared to how tickets were sold.

  • Search: All websites have good search and filter functions by date, city, genre and budget.
  • Payment: Generally good payment experience. The process is usually broken up into many screens.
  • Delivery: Wide range of ticket delivery, from mail, store pickup, download and mobile.
  • Seat selection: Good seat selection functions on their website. Their user interfaces are inconsistent and range from low to high fidelity depending on venue.
  • Content: Website content lists events by categories, date, and location.

User inteview findings

I interviewed four people who bought tickets to events in the last six months. I asked my participants to interact with three websites to find out about their impressions about the landing page, search, buying and payment process.

  • Users feel nothing for the ticket sellers. My interviews revealed a general negative to neutral feeling about ticket sellers. The websites are just for buying tickets. Users are task focused and know what they want. Users arrive on a ticket page from social media, fan websites, emails or search. The search function is used first on the landing page.
  • Users fear being over-charged and want accurate pricing with no hidden charges. They also care about e-ticket delivery options and follow ups.
  • Users hate tickets being sold out by bots, corporate accounts and scalpers. This dynamic forces them to buy from resellers at inflated prices or just plain give up on seeing their favorite performer or team. Users hate the current system, but they have no other option.
  • Seating selection for big-ticket events and large groups has the most complex user flow.
“I check my favorite comedian on Twitter and they’ve announced a new date. Then I just go to the ticket site from my phone, I don’t use the app”
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“I kept getting emails from Amex & I click on the link & there’s nothing available, it’s all sold out. You have to go to these other companies and pay triple the a price. It’s very upsetting to me.”
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“I clicked on this (search result) and it takes me to the venue? I don’t know how to change to another venue.”
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I created a persona to guide me throughout the design process.

Empathy map

Defining

From my findings I built a site map

Then I built a user flow based on my persona

Design

As I reviewed my findings and designed my screens I kept thinking about how Ticket Spot could possibly be a more engaging place for fans.

“I’m not interested in these other events, it’s very utilitarian for me when I go on the website”

I sketched out my screens before building wireframes


I built a prototype with Marvel to check the flow.

Then I built my responsive wireframes before moving to mobile wireframes.

Brand design

I sketched some quick logo idea exploration for Ticket Spot before playing with typography and color.


Mobile screens for prototype

Select mobile screens for prototype

Testing and iteration

I tested my prototype with several users.
Link here
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I asked my subjects to perform the following tasks:
1. Tell me their impressions of the landing page
2. Use the search function
2. Look for seats, price options, select then check out
3. Payment and confirmation

I introduced features into user experience that may be valuable to the user.

ARTIST ENGAGEMENT FEATURE:
‍1. Artist biography section has links leading to their social media
2. Embedding artist videos within the section
3. "Read more" drop down rather than infinite scroll

‍CROWDSOURCED SEATING FEATURE:
‍1. Seating picture popup
2. Incentive for Ticket Spot members to submit photos from their seats for a chance to win rewards. This is inspired by websites like aviewfrommyseat.com and seatguru.com

Usability test findings

Overall impression of the pages were familiar and consistent with most ticket seller websites.

Success

  • Landing page is familiar, there's no learning curve
  • Search function is obvious
  • Users liked the ticket pages.
  • Seating page features were very helpful
  • The checkout process was clear and smooth

Friction

  • Seating information was perceived as too much
  • Some users would not use Facebook log in for confidentiality
  • Checkout needs an edit button
  • Sharing seat photo promotion is interesting, but too long.

User patterns

  • General pattern is search, artist information, date, location, price then seats
  • Users liked the Bio information. It's more interesting than other websites.
  • Most users chose e-ticket delivery, it's most convenient
  • Users liked the fast checkout, but they spend time reading through the receipt and confirmation

Opportunities

My user interviews were great resources for ideas. The expanded artist information feature was nice to have. Users liked the seating previews and thought the idea of crowdsourcing more venue photos could be interesting. My users had great suggestions for enhancing my features!

“VR or AR views of the venue could be useful” - Tom

“Does the map show you where the bathrooms are from your seat?” - Elyce

“I would love a way to distribute 10 seats that I bought for the Drake concert” - Natasha

Conclusions

Ticket buyers are emotionally invested in the experience with vastly different tastes and preferences. It would be a massive and profitable challenge for Ticket Spot to invest in the fan experience further. Especially, since the e-commerce user pattern has been well explored by the UX community. I'm happy that I got to explore features ideas that might add value to the passionate ticket buyer. Of course, any new feature requires further study and iterations.

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