JOYSTICK:
your neighborhood arcade
Joystick is a space for a well-loved neighborhood arcade to show case upcoming events to their community. The app will serve as a platform for outreach, ticket sales, and special event promotion. Joystick targets anyone who enjoys a fun night out with friends or people interested in getting to know their community.
Project Overview:
A majority of ticket apps on the market frustrate users by overwhelming them with information and options in the beginning of their search and then rushing them through the checkout process.
The goal of Joystick is to create an enjoyable and efficient event browsing and ticket buying experience.
My Role:
Lead UX designer
UX Researcher
Responsibilities:
User Research
Wireframing
Prototyping
Tools:
Photoshop
Illustrator
Figma
I conducted user interviews to figure out what current ticketing apps did well and what some popular ones didn’t do well to see what features could be improved. After my initial research I identified my two main user groups as busy young professionals and families who want to be able to go have a fun night out together while also meeting others in their community.
A majority of the feedback I got from potential users was not a surprise, everyone generally had the same criticisms. However, a lot of good ideas came out of the interviews that I was not expecting. Some users brought up stressors that extend beyond the app that could be helped by the app.
Research.
Pain Points:
1.
Information Overload
Current ticket apps are very text heavy and it can be overwhelming.
2.
Event Browsing
Having an organized and clear way to search for events takes the stress out of decision making
3.
Multiple Tickets
Keeping paying for and keeping track of multiple tickets, for a friend group or family, isn’t ideal.
User Persona No. 1: Emma
Emma is a young professional who needs a simple way to buy tickets for their group of friends.
User Background:
Age: 27
Education: Bachelor’s Degree
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Family: Single
Occupation: Architect
Emma is a newly emerging professional with a busy schedule. They work for a large multidisciplinary architecture firm and are a part of an artist community outside of work. They like to take advantage of their free time and regularly check out local events with their friend group. Emma often encounters frustrations with keeping track of confirmation emails for events and wishes the process following purchasing a ticket was more personal.
Goals:
Be engaged with her community and support local small businesses and artists.
Frustrations:
Tends to have a busy schedule and would like to be efficient with their free time. Struggles to find a straightforward and easy to use resource for seeing what events are going on at local venues.
User Persona No. 2: Mark
Mark is a partner and parent who needs an easy way to browse upcoming events their whole family can enjoy.
User Background:
Age: 42
Education: Graduate Degree
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Family: Married with 3 kids
Occupation: Software Developer
Mark is a partner as well as a parent of 3 kids. Their job requires their undivided attention while at work so they enjoy outings as a family when everyone is home. Mark is always buying multiple tickets and could use help keeping order confirmations and tickets organized in one easily accessible location.
Goals:
To have a fun and enjoyable time as a family outside of the house.
Frustrations:
Coordinating a day or night out for a family of 5 has the opportunity to be very stressful. Sometimes so much so that staying home sounds more appealing.
Concept.
Features:
Have a variety of options for users to browse events
Use engaging imagery to help explain events and minimize copy
Create a calendar feature to help users plan out their month
Split pay feature was something that was brought up in user research. This feature would allow users to place tickets on hold while they were sent to friends for them to pay and go through the check out process. This takes the financial burden off of one group member.
JOYSTICK: Low Fidelity Prototype
This prototype shows how a user would move through the app to purchase tickets for the arcade. Prototype was then used for the first round of user testing.
Usability Study:
After conducting the first round of usability studies feedback was analyzed and incorporated into the designs. A lo-fi prototype was used for the first round of testing.
Usability Study Findings:
Round No. 1:
Users were confused on the difference in browsing options
Users wanted more information on how the split payment feature worked
Site navigation had room for improvement
Design.
JOYSTICK: High Fidelity Prototype
This hi-fi mock up created a more confident experience for the user by integrating appropriate informational pop-ups for less familiar features. While I wanted to be mindful of information overload some features still need to be explained. Mock up was then used for the second round of user testing.
Usability Study Findings:
After conducting the second round of usability studies feedback was analyzed and incorporated into the designs. A hi-fi mock up was used for the second.
Round No. 2:
Action items needed to be larger and appropriately spaced for use on mobile
Some UI features made the app difficult to use
Users wanted a space to save events they were interested in
Outcome.
Takeaways:
Impact:
This app made going out and attending local events in peoples neighborhood seem more attainable. Often people don’t know of small events happening around the corner from them. This product makes it easy to check in with whats going on as well as get a group together for a fun night out, even on a weekday!
What I learned:
I learned to not get attached to ideas, especially early on in the design process. The best ideas are the ones that you can build on and that means that they will change with the needs of the user.
Next Steps:
1.
Conduct more market research to see what currently is and isn’t working.
2.
Find more local venues to use in a competitive audit as a direct competitor.
3.
Test new features with rounds of usability studies.