02
Yes, we did our research
First we mapped what’s out there. We signed up for the main concert, music and ticketing apps, used them, and looked for the gaps between them.
BandsintownSpotifyTicketmasterAmazon MusicDICESoundCloud
Gap 1 · DiscoverySpotify and Bandsintown recommend shows, but discovery and buying live in different apps, so finding a show and getting the ticket are two separate trips.
Gap 2 · TrustDICE and Ticketmaster sell tickets in-app, but discovery apps send you out to other sites to pay, and some fans don’t trust the redirect.
Gap 3 · SocialFew apps make it easy to see which friends are going and plan a show together.
Gap 4 · ArtistsEvent tools for artists are mostly desktop dashboards, with little for creating and managing a show from a phone.
Gap 5 · Can’t make itTicketmaster and DICE offer resale or waiting lists, but fans who discover a show elsewhere have no such safety net.
Live resultsSurvey · fans & artists
Then we ran an online survey about how people discover shows, buy tickets and decide to go. 68 music fans and artists answered, after we shared it in Facebook groups, on Instagram and on WhatsApp.
95.5%would go to more live shows if they saw more shows by related artists
80.6%prefer rock and metal, likely a reflection of the networks where we shared it
64.2%decide to go based on the price range
61.1%of users are aged 20–40
Survey answers show what people say they’d do, not behavior we measured. We used them as direction, not proof.
From insight to design decision
95.5% would go to more shows if they saw related artists→A home feed built around the artists you follow, and artists like them.
64.2% decide based on price→Every discount shows up front on the event page, not at checkout.
67.2% trust a payment redirect only “depending on the link”→You buy inside Spotted, with Bit or PayPal, and never leave the app.
Gap 5: no safety net when you can’t make it→Sold out isn’t a dead end: join a resale list and get notified.
Testing & next steps
I walked a handful of people through the prototype informally. We haven’t run a formal usability study yet, so the next step is moderated tests on the purchase flow. These are the edge cases I’d design next:
Payment failsKeep the seats on hold, explain what happened in plain words, and offer another way to pay.
Transfer isn’t allowedSay so before checkout, not after, and point to the resale list instead.
No signal at the gateKeep the QR ticket available offline, with a clear “works offline” badge.
Show gets cancelledA push notification with the refund status and similar shows nearby.
