Showmate
Live music event matchmaking app that pairs users based on their musical preferences and location. It offers an entertaining and social opportunity for music enthusiasts to attend live performances with similarly inclined individuals.
Problem Statement
How might we make it easier for solo concert attendees to find companionship so that they have the chance to enjoy concerts comfortably and meet others who like the same music?
Problem Background
Anyone who loves live music and wants to attend concerts, but either doesn't want to go alone or is looking to meet new people with similar music interests. During user research, 88% of people say they are hesitant to go to concerts alone due to self-consciousness. The problem addresses a lack of social and fun experience that people may face when attending concerts alone or with people who have different music tastes.
The problem of attending concerts alone or with people who have different music tastes is significant, as it can take away from the enjoyment of the live music experience. While conducting our own user research, 94% of people say they would have a better experience at concerts if they went with someone. Finding the right people to attend concerts with can be challenging, especially for those who are new to a city, have limited social circles, or have different music tastes from their friends. In addition, there are safety concerns when meeting up with strangers and 63% of people say they would not go with strangers due to safety but would go with them if there was prior screening.
The pandemic disconnected people and they are now looking for tools to bring them back together. Right now, there is a growing demand for social and fun experiences. How do we connect with people who we haven’t been able to connect with during the pandemic?
The problem now is that there isn’t a valuable service to the music lovers community that fosters connections, and enhances the live music experience.
Research Insights
By conducting surveys, we have identified common themes from 34 participants.
- 94% of people say they would have a better experience at concerts if they went with someone
- 88% of people say they are hesitant to go to concerts alone due to self-consciousness
- 67% rated the importance of having companionship at a concert as 4 or higher on a scale of 5.
These findings confirm that attending concerts alone impacts a person’s concert experience.
Landing on the Solution
Based on our target users’ pain points, we knew we wanted to work on a solution that would connect like-minded individuals at concerts.
Showmate makes it easy and accessible to find companionships at live music events and create memorable experiences. You can find people by using filters and locations so you can find the ideal concert buddy. The “Need a Buddy for” function allows you to easily find someone who is attending the same concert as you. After you have matched with them, you can start the conversation and plan meetups accordingly. With added safety features, you can swipe with a peace of mind.
Future Steps
I plan to use this experience to work with a cross-functional team and bring the product to reality. In addition, looking to perfect core features of the product and brainstorm additional paid features that will entice more users to use the app.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Eileen Duong
Even though you may come up with many solutions, you need to focus on the problem space. Narrowing it down will better help identify possible solutions to your target user.
In addition, having user stories will help prioritise which features will be used by certain people and how they benefit using your app. Creating a concise and thorough spec is important to communicate with designers and developers in executing the product.
Designer Learnings:
Designer Learnings:
Jo Sturdivant
- Adapting to an Established Team: Joining the team in week 6 of 8 was challenging, as I had to quickly adapt to existing workflows, dynamics, and goals. This mirrors real-world situations where you often integrate into teams mid-project, and flexibility is essential.
- Work-Blocking for Efficiency: With only two weeks to complete the project, I learned the importance of a structured work-blocking system. This approach allowed me to manage my time effectively and meet deadlines under pressure.
- Making Data-Driven Design Decisions: Unlike my past projects, I had to rely on research conducted by others. This was a valuable experience in using pre-existing data to guide design decisions, helping me focus on the core insights without starting from scratch.
Developer Learnings:
Developer Learnings:
Vanady Beard
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As the back-end developer, I learned how important it is to create efficient and reliable systems that support the entire application. This experience also taught me the importance of optimising the database and ensuring the backend is scalable and easy to maintain.
Developer Learnings:
Stephen Asiedu
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As a back-end developer, I've come to understand the importance of being familiar with various database systems and modules. This knowledge enables me to build diverse applications and maintain versatility in my work. I've also learned that the responsibility for making the right choices rests on my shoulders, guided by my best judgement.
Developer Learnings:
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Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
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- Process of Creating an MVP: Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) taught me how to focus on delivering core functionalities balancing between essential features and avoiding scope creep.
- Collaboration in a Real-World Tech Setting: This experience taught me how to collaborate efficiently in a fast-paced tech environment, keeping the team aligned and productive, even while working remotely across time zones.
- Sharpening Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills: This experience honed my ability to think critically and solve problems efficiently. By tackling challenges and finding quick solutions, I sharpened my decision-making and troubleshooting skills in a dynamic, real-world setting.
Developer Learnings:
Jeremiah Williams
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All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
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I learned how important communication is when working with a team. Communication provides understanding, advice, ideas, and much more. While working with the product team, I’ve found that communication keeps everything flowing smoothly. Working with a team also showed me that every member brings something different to the table and we all have to work together in order to align and meet our end goal.