happen
mobile app
solving problems related to apps and platforms for selling tickets.
#productdesign
#UXUI #designthinking
#uxresearch
UX process
inicial desk research
the purchasing experience and usability applied to ticket sales platforms was the object of study of this project. it is possible to say that current models are outdated and do not provide users the necessary problem solving. it can, therefore, be subject to improvements and features' application to result in a better experience.
initially, the topic was investigated through desk research, to gain better knowledge of the practiced area, market share and all its particularities. therefore, it is possible to note that the research object is at the entertainment market in Brazil.
the events sector in Brazil has a positive expectation for an increase in opportunities in 2023 and so on. since 2020, it has been one of the areas most affected by the pandemic, accumulating a loss of R$230BI, according to Abrape (Brazilian Association of Event Promoters), it appears to recover in 2023. the expectation is that the sector will resume its leading role within 2 or 3 years, returning to the pre-pandemic scenario, according to a research done by American Express Global Business Travel, which interviewed 583 professionals in the area, in 23 countries.
allied to this global scenario, the national one stands out because investment in culture is one of the priorities of the recently inaugurated Lula government in 2023. recently in an interview, the president of Abrape, Doreni Caramori, cites the positive performance of the segment, which involves 52 economic activities, in the growth rates of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) throughout the year. according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), GDP grew 0.4% in the third quarter of 2022, compared to the previous quarter, influenced by the results of the service sectors (1.1%), responsible for approximately 70 % of the economy. “it is a better result than the industry, for example, which had growth of 0.8%. there are event promoters who are investing in activities across the country, involving tour operators, bars and restaurants, general services, private security, accommodation, among other areas, and boosting the country's GDP upwards, by having an above-average performance. it is important to highlight the social nature of this evolution, as it quickly generates jobs and benefits cities and regions far from large capitals that have their entire economy related to events”, reinforces Doreni.
as previously seen, the events and culture market moves a considerable part of the Brazilian economy, being necessary to generate local economies, formal and informal jobs, and also move other sectors such as infrastructure and urban mobility.
given this scenario, 2023 ahead appears to be promising for the sector. some of the biggest festivals in the world will be present in Brazil. it appears that this trend will not die soon. with many of the markets in North America and Europe saturated, Brazil and South America present themselves as a favorable and profitable alternative.
international festivals and shows, which usually congest ticket sales platforms when sales are open, have started to be more common here.
the biggest and most internationally recognized festivals Lollapalooza, Rock in Rio, Tomorrowland, big shows like RBD, Coldplay, among others, are always
number 1 of public complaints.
however, they seem to be reasonable.
non-transparent sales, high ticket values, unstable platforms, exchangers, ticket transfers, customer service, and so on.
questioning
can the ticket sales platform and transaction be improved to achieve notable levels of satisfaction and reliability for its users?
is it possible to include new features on the platform in addition to ticket sales? would the user be interested in new possibilities? can ticket sales be one of the platform’s functions among others?
benchmark
in this way, with the market, opportunity and problems highlighted below, the holders of the rights to sell shows and events in Brazil, ticket offices, as they are called, provide platforms for selling tickets to the interested public. there are countless companies that compete with each other for the best sales opportunity, collecting as much profit and users registered on their platform as possible.
the main brands/companies that perform this type of service in Brazil are:
Eventim - eventim.com.br
Eventbrite - eventbrite.com.br
Ingresse - ingresse.com
Ingresso Rápido - ingressorapido.com.br Sympla - sympla.com.br
Ticketmaster - ticketmaster.com.br
Tickets for Fun - ticketsforfun.com.br Tickets360 - ticket360.com.br
it is interesting to analyze the biggest players in the sector and their respective reputations according to Reclame Aqui. some stand out for their good relationship with the customer/user, others, on the opposite side, stand out negatively, without even coherent response rates.
on the other hand, if a company has zero customer service, but has a good platform in terms of usability, its large market share can be justified. below, the best platforms based on the application version, according to their users.
conclusion
it is notable that some sales platforms are better in usability and user experience than others. but still, none were observed to contain everything necessary to meet their needs. however, it is satisfying to see that some platforms are gaining more visibility and attention from their developers and investors. the features that can be implemented to this product category are enormous. there is a long way to go to deliver innovation and revolution, placing the user at the center of the product.
reviews on the App Store retrace the scenario. the user can understand the platforms that deliver the most innovation and fluidity in interactions, evaluating exactly which ones we can highlight most positively.
in addition to this fact, it is possible to say that we are in a very favorable environment for this sector of the economy. market in great expansion and enormous sales opportunities in the coming years. loyal users who remain in virtual queues for hours to gain access to tickets, and demand quality navigation. and technologically expanding platforms.
it is necessary to accelerate innovation and promote renewals in the system currently used. put the user at the center of the project, use and test new features. so, who knows, the necessary change could be made.
user research
after defining the problem and pointing out interesting insights in the sector in question,
the research plan was developed. the intention at this stage of the project is to evaluate whether the previously evaluated insights are in fact correct and to test any and all doubts regarding the project and its problematization, placing the user at the center and taking individual experiences to guide this project.
initially, two types of research were chosen to be carried out: questionnaires and usability tests. this decision was made expecting two types of important and distinct information:
1. quantitative, so that as many people as possible responded to a question form. and based on this information, create data and statistics guiding the project.
2. qualitative, closely observing a user interacting with the product and gaining insights after in-depth analysis according to each person's experience.
questionnaires
the basis that guides this stage is to confirm or change the data collected at the desk research in a quantitative way. understand problems, doubts and insights not yet reported and take all the data in depth that will be present in every aspect of the project.
the 18-question form was created in Google Forms. it was attended by 45 people from may 2, 2023 until may 5, 2023.
conclusion of the questionnaire
initially, it is necessary to analyze the users that participated in this research. they are, for the most part, residents of southeastern Brazil, between 26 and 33 years old, with a high level of education and with greater access to mobile phones on a daily basis.
these participants prefer to stay at home watching movies, series or playing video games. when they leave home, they prefer to go to somewhere they know or go to restaurants and bars.
relating the questions of the central theme to the user, we have the following data: 60% of interviewees declare that they go to shows 1 to 3 times a year. if added to second place, we have 86.7% of people who go to shows up to 6 times in a year. it's scary that live music consumption is so low compared to 365 days. people only attend some kind of show 6 days in a year.
when asked about their favorite band, 77.7% said they would buy a concert ticket, but the majority (44.4%) said they needed to plan their purchase. it is important to release news and increase its dissemination.
all participants declare themselves to be fans of a specific singer or a musical style in general. but among all the fan styles, we have more conservative people here, who don't go into debt, don't do everything for their idol, wait hours and hours in line to buy tickets, for example.
regarding ticket sales platforms, the absolute majority (48.9%) have Sympla as the best known and Ingresso Rápido in second place with 17.8%. and when the user was asked to select just one priority to improve the use of these apps, the vast majority (51.1%) indicated selling tickets in a fair and clear way, followed by a simple and useful layout (35.6% ) and centralization in a single app (11.1%).
when respondents were asked what would make them give up buying tickets on such platforms, being able to select more than one answer, the majority (68.9%) pointed to the price of tickets as a major motivator. lack of information comes second with 46.7% and problems with the sales platform comes third with 26.7%.
analyzing what bothers these users the most, within these platforms, the majority point to the lack of transparency at the time of purchase (40%) and the lack of personalization of the user experience (37.8%) as major problems. asked about what bothers them in person at the event, users were divided between the lack of organization, queues and the price of consumer items.
when asked what functionality he would like to see in a ticket sales app, we have the following answers highlighted: bar without queues with 66.7% and, almost tied, an app for everything with 64.4%. also, in third place
was the news portal (42.2%) and then social networks (35.6%).
in the descriptive questions, in which the user could describe their answer in a text, about the experience of a problem with these platforms, we had the following high points: problems and delays at the purchase process and at the virtual queue, lack of information about the event, the tickets , etc. and when asked about a possible suggestion we had the following answers: online tickets should not be collected at the in-person box office, greater publicity of events, focus on personalized interfaces for each person, greater organization and transparency at the time of sale, layout that prioritizes important information, improve the queuing and sales process, use just one app for everything, improve and implement new compatible features.
insights
a high degree of dissatisfaction with the general use of these platforms was noted. from advertising a show to the price, the search and purchase process to the queues and lack of in-person structure. still, it's notable how ticket prices have the biggest influence on why people don't go to shows anymore.
being able to look at the usability of apps, we can conclude that it is necessary to increase the accessibility of the search process, general layout and buttons. It is necessary to create ways to sell tickets, the most competitive ones, in a clear and fair way. that the users who stand in line know exactly where they are and are sure that they will have tickets once they have accessed the shopping page.
increase disclosures of important general event information, such as push notifications, and establish unique personalization for each user, according to their preferences and experiences. it is necessary to test new features such as using mobile phones as
a method of payment in bars, and even checking bathroom capacity remotely,
in order to reduce the number of queues.
and finally, centralize all sales platforms in
a single app. view all events happening in your location in one place, receiving news and staying informed about everything that happens in your region. to carry out the last stage of purchase, it is possible to redirect the user to the sales platform, but it is crucial that the consumer has all the options of where to go in one place.
usability test
online research script with real user.
the script for this field research begins by selecting 3 users (choice guided by the description of the personas), and asking them to perform specific tasks on the low-fidelity prototype. they were given the
Figma prototype link and asked to perform the actions described below:
it is important to observe each user's movement within the layout, as well as their flow of thought, and also encourage them to talk about the process and their feelings during the course of their actions.
prioritization grid
personas
the persona built around the application must be close to the user, such as a friend who asks you out on a saturday night.
product personality
after an in-depth study of the different personalities along with the study of the user base, some personality parameters for the application were decided based on all communication on irreverent, casual and funny personalities.
UI process
finally, after a long process of research and data study, we can apply it to the visual.
here every detail, spacing and button
were designed to better related to the user.
trying to solve all problems found in the market.
brand assets
brand assets were designed to communicate with established personas and embrace accessibility.
product mapping
the mapping was created mainly based on the usability tests carried out. designed to reduce as much useful time as possible and reduce the movements required for functions most necessary for the user.
medium fidelity prototyping
high fidelity prototyping
welcome and sign up
the welcome screen was created based on the project’s visual identity. it must be friendly and communicate the product's
idea. the following screens should make the sign up process less intrusive and boring as possible.
relying on step counting and collecting only necessary information. in the last step the user is asked to choose their areas of interest. personalizing your experience
from the first navigation.
for you (homepage)
this is where we turn one of the biggest pains into a solution. where personalization materializes into something concrete and functional. all content browsed by the user becomes data to make their experience as personal and unique as possible.
search and wallet
accessibility and usability are the key words for these screens. when the users clicks on one of the two screens, they will be looking for something specific. it is the product's responsibility to deliver what it needs when
it needs it.
discovery
discovery is another main pillar of the product. it is very important for users to connect and meet new people and events. this is an area to discover new possibilities and find out what is trending in your location.
profile
the profile area is the users' center. where they will be able to see his list of followers and followed. review saved events,
recent activity and adjust settings.
all in one click.
event page and buying process
here another pain is resolved. the often confusing and non-transparent purchasing process becomes simple and fluid when
the users have all the necessary information.
the entire process must be simplified
and cohesive.
