Recognizing Holdr's need for a mobile solution

My Role

UI Designer

Timeline

Feb-April '23

Tools

Figma

Team

Samantha S.
Yuting J.
Emily H.

Overview

The Problem

Holdr is an ambitious startup in its early stages, striving to create a fan community that support artist through a auction style, membership platform.

My 3-person team researched and designed a mobile application to allow users to place bids on memberships, and support their favorite artists.

The Outcome

We successfully implemented a mobile design that ensured consistency and cohesiveness throughout the platform. We were able to deliver an intuitive and user-friendly mobile application, effectively meeting the needs of its target audience.

My Contribution

Within our team, I took on the responsibility of visual elements and prototyping, while my teammates predominantly focused on conducting research tasks.

Discovery

Music fans place a high value on convenience and accessibility when attending live music events.

They are willing to pay up to 50% of the face value of a regular ticket for VIP packages.

They expressed dislike and confusion about the auction style for buying a memberships.

Holdr's primary objective is to establish an auction system for multiple memberships. Based on our research findings, the majority of users expressed a preference for either a tiered structure or a single membership bidding system. By evaluating the effectiveness of each option for the user, we aimed to find a harmonious balance between the business objectives and user satisfaction.

Providing fans with the opportunity to gain access to their favorite artists, while simultaneously offering up-and-coming musicians the chance to receive support from their fan base.

The users expressed their dissatisfaction with the auction system, primarily stemming from a lack of understanding regarding its functionality. They felt that the incremental increase in price did not align with the perceived value of the VIP perks offered.

The Goal

Our goal was to design a mobile app that enables users to bid on memberships and receive perks in return.

Our research indicated that users preferred purchasing a membership that offered specific desired perks, rather than an auction-style approach. However, the company's preference for an auction system took precedence over the research findings.

How might we develop a membership solution that aligns with users' preference for specific perks while incorporating the company's desire for an auction-style system?

Interviews

To gain a comprehensive understanding, the team conducted surveys and interviews with fans who attend more than 5 concerts annually. The objective was to explore their expectations for artist memberships and their perceptions of auctions.

We kept hearing one statement.

“I love going to see live music with my friends. But there are so many lines. Lines for getting in, lines for merch. I buy VIP because then I don’t have to wait.” Time-saving measures and convenience are crucial factors for concert-goers, particularly for frequent concert-goers and those with higher levels of engagement in the music industry.

Music Fans Said

Summer

“I don’t mind paying for a membership even if it’s expensive if it gets me a good seat. I just don’t want to have to fight other people for it.”

Derek

“I love going to see live music with my friends. But there are so many lines. Lines for getting in, lines for merch. I buy VIP because then I don’t have to wait.”

Casey

“ I would rather have like a better ticket, closer seat or space for the show.”

Competitive Research

Once we understood what was important to our users, we did research to understand what elements our competitors were leveraging and which could potentially best serve our users needs.

Wireframe

Usability Testing

Methods

We conducted each 30 minute test via video conference. Each participant was instructed to bid on a membership, purchase a presale ticket, and purchase a hoodie for their event on the app.
As participants tested each flow they gave feedback on our designs and the navigability of the app.

Key Findings

Overall users were able to smoothly navigate the app in order to accomplish the 3 goals of bidding on a membership, purchasing a pre sale ticket, and purchasing merchandise for the concert to pick up at the event. However, there was a great deal of confusion around the bidding process. Users were unclear about the fact that there were multiple memberships being bid on at once and some users were resistant to having to bid at all because they wanted to purchase a membership outright.

Hover to see findings

Testers need to clearly understand the hierarchy of information
Need a way to visually demonstrate that multiple memberships are being auctioned at once
Keyboard on auction page needs to follow Apple rules
Value of the membership over 3 month period needs to be represented more clearly
Move “10 memberships available” closer to the “Top 10 bidders list”