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Helping Sofar Sounds improve the search experience for Sofar Sounds users.

Sofar Sounds specializes in organizing exclusive live music events in unconventional venues. As a Product Designer, I was entrusted with the responsibility of enhancing the search experience for Sofar Sounds users.

Role

User Research

Product Strategy

UI Design

Interaction Design

Usability Testing

Tools

Dovetail

Figma

Figjam

Maze

Notion

Timeline

5 weeks

The Problem

The existing search experience on Sofar Sounds is restricted, featuring only a single dropdown menu and limited search filters. This poses a challenge for the business as it results in a reduced number of users successfully completing the search and purchase process.

Original Design of Sofar Sounds Desktop Application

The Solution

To enhance user engagement and satisfaction, the objective was to create an improved search experience that emphasizes the search and filter features.

Usability Review

After conducting a thorough usability review, I observed that the current Sofar Sound website has limited search functionality and an inconsistent user experience, leading to the identification of business and user frustrations.

Business & User frustrations

After conducting a comprehensive usability review, it was determined that the desktop application of Sofar Sounds failed to effectively promote the business model, and the overall search experience was overwhelming to users.

Primary Frustration

When engaging with the Sofar Sounds Desktop application, users reported a lack of clear structure and hierarchy when searching for concerts, as identified through user feedback and testing.

Secondary Frustration

When utilizing the existing search process, users found it challenging to navigate due to its limited filter options, which ultimately resulted in their abandonment of the search experience.

Competitor Benchmarking

To conduct a competitor benchmarking analysis, I evaluated both indirect and direct competitors of the Sofar Sounds desktop application.

Direct Competitors:

Ticket Master's search interface features an intuitive design, with an easily accessible search bar and relevant filtering options to enhance the user experience.

Indirect Competitors:

Viagogo's website presented visually compelling content and provided diverse filtering options to improve user search experience.

Research Interviews

As part of the user research process, a script of interview questions was prepared and a diverse group of concertgoers were interviewed to gather feedback and information regarding their preferences. The interviews were conducted remotely via Zoom and subsequently transcribed.

Key takeaways from the interviews revealed that users strongly prefer filters when searching for concert tickets, and commonly search based on criteria such as genre, artist, price, transportation, and location.

Affinity Mapping

After conducting the research interviews, I leveraged the Dovetail platform to upload and analyze the recordings. Using Dovetail's features, I created an affinity map to synthesize and categorize the data collected from the interviews.

Key Highlights:

The research findings were categorized by various factors including demographics, research methods, user behaviors, and motivation.
Based on the insights gathered from the research interviews, it was found that users prioritize information on the artist, genre, price, and venue when searching for concerts. This information is critical for users to make informed decisions when selecting an event to attend.
Based on the research findings and feedback, it was determined that users would appreciate additional search options to improve their experience. Nice-to-have features that were identified include search filters for ADA accommodations, health and safety, and parking.

Information Architecture

After completing the affinity mapping, I was able to analyze the current information architecture of the Sofar Sounds desktop application. This led to the identification of the search process being based solely on the nearest and most visited cities. By examining the page, section, and component levels, I was able to improve the hierarchy of information, resulting in an improved search experience for Sofar Sounds users.

Research Interviews

Affinity Mapping

Key Highlights:

The research findings were categorized by various factors including demographics, research methods, user behaviors, and motivation.
Based on the insights gathered from the research interviews, it was found that users prioritize information on the artist, genre, price, and venue when searching for concerts. This information is critical for users to make informed decisions when selecting an event to attend.
Based on the research findings and feedback, it was determined that users would appreciate additional search options to improve their experience. Nice-to-have features that were identified include search filters for ADA accommodations, health and safety, and parking.

Information Architecture

Example of IA at the Search Component

Problem Space

Taking into account the results of my research, it became apparent that the primary issue was the intricate and burdensome process of searching for concerts using the Sofar Sounds desktop application.

This led to How Might We…

Re-create a system that provides an easy search experience.
Encourage the users to search for concerts near them.
Create a process that allows the users to have a better user experience.
Help the users navigate the app and complete the search experience.
Design a feature to filter and search for concerts on Sofar Sounds.

Ideation

In the ideation stage, I utilized Crazy 8's challenge as a rapid visualization tool to generate potential ideas. Additionally, I created a priority matrix to assess the viability and impact of each idea, allowing me to identify the highest-priority solutions.

Crazy's 8

What can we add

To make the filter feature more prominent and add more options for the users.

What can we improve

Revise the hierarchy of the nav bar and improve the search bar by making it more accessible.

User Flows

In order to optimize the search experience, I conducted a thorough mapping of both the current and proposed user flows. Through the revised user flow, my emphasis was on providing users with pertinent search options to facilitate a streamlined search experience, ultimately increasing the likelihood of users completing their desired search.

Original User Flow

Revised User Flow

Rapid Prototyping

In the rapid prototyping phase, I utilized wireframing techniques to improve the landing page and search experience of the Sofar Sounds desktop application.

Styles & Components

During the design phase, I carefully considered the color palette and typography to ensure a modern look and feel. To choose an accessible palette, I leveraged the Stark app. I selected Inter as the primary typeface to convey a contemporary tone. Additionally, I developed a design system with pre-defined components necessary for each page.

Iteration 1: High Fidelity Prototype

After finalizing the design system and UI components, I proceeded to develop a series of interactions to improve the user experience. This culminated in the initial iteration of the Sofar Sounds Desktop Prototype, which integrates the components mentioned previously.

Usability Testing

I utilized an unmoderated testing tool, Maze, to gather data on user behavior and sentiment toward the Sofar Sounds Desktop Prototype. Through the use of heat maps, I was able to verify that users were selecting the correct areas to access desired concerts. Additionally, feedback collected from users highlighted positive sentiment toward the application, as well as opportunities for improvement in the user experience.

Test outcomes

After conducting testing on the prototype, it was determined that users preferred a simplified interface for the home page and search filters. This finding suggests that simplification could lead to increased user retention and satisfaction.

Next steps and final High Fidelity Prototype

Herein presented is the final version of the High Fidelity Prototype, which underwent multiple iterations based on user feedback. The resulting improvements include the following:

Implemented a design change to increase the font size, which was aimed at enhancing the readability and user experience of the Sofar Sounds desktop application.
Adjusted the padding of the buttons to improve the overall visual hierarchy and enhance the user experience.
As part of the design process, I made adjustments to the spacing and alignment of the filter section to improve the overall visual hierarchy and usability of the product.

Conclusion

After the successful completion of this project, I have acquired invaluable skills that I can apply to future endeavors. This experience has further underscored the significance of user-centric design and the importance of data in driving informed decisions.

Conducting user research enabled data-driven decisions that were grounded in user needs.
Utilizing affinity mapping helped identify recurring patterns and gain a deeper understanding of user requirements.
Implementation of information architecture is instrumental in creating a product design that is both sustainable and well-organized.