Ticker
App that will help music lovers discover concerts and remember when their desired concert tickets go on sale which helps to increase the chances of securing a ticket to their favorite shows.
Problem Statement
How might we help music lovers discover concerts and remember when those concert tickets go on sale so that they have better chances of securing tickets to their favorite shows?
Problem Background
Coronavirus ended life as we knew it, including live music entertainment. Now that restrictions have been lifted, music enthusiasts everywhere are returning to what they love: concerts. Fans are flocking to stadiums in record numbers to see their favorite artists take the stage. Live Nation, the world’s largest concert and live event promoter, reported a 20% increase in concert attendance in 2022 as compared to 2019 pre-pandemic attendance levels.
Concerts have become so popular that securing concert tickets can be challenging. The popularity of some artists fuels increased concert ticket demand, making the purchasing act a competitive process. For example, Taylor Swift announced her highly anticipated 2023 The Eras Tour in late 2022. According to calculations by sports betting website Bookies, fans had a 2% chance or 1-in-50 shot of scoring general sale tickets at face value. If fans were lucky enough to participate in ticket presale, the odds improve to a 5% or 1-in-20 shot of securing tickets. For many fans, getting a ticket to a Taylor Swift concert was a pipe dream. But many Swifties still tried. To increase their chances of purchasing a Taylor Swift ticket, fans had to be on time for concert ticket presales and general sales.
Research Insights
User Pain Points
Five user interviews were conducted to ascertain the pain points of buying concert tickets. Through this research, two main issues that arose: remembering when to buy concert tickets and discovering concerts.
- Remembering when to buy concert tickets
- To ensure they don’t miss out on tickets, most participants used reminders, alarms, or calendars to remember when to sign up for ticket presales or when the general sale begins.
- Without using some form of memory aid, participants acknowledged that they would likely have forgotten when their desired concert tickets would be released.
- Discovering concerts
- Some participants forget to buy concert tickets for smaller artists because they miss the tour announcements. All participants cited social media as their primary source for new concert discovery. With all of the content flooding user’s feeds, they may forget that their favorite artist is coming to town.
Supporting Data
- 80% of the participants said that they view concert ticket releases as an event, and that they need to be online at the exact time of the release to get the best seats for a concert.
- 60% of participants forget to buy concert tickets for smaller artists because they miss the tour announcements.
- While conducting our user research, the users interviewed described the competitive process of trying to purchase concert tickets as a “war” or “battle.”
Landing on the Solution
The goal of Ticker is to help music enthusiasts know when concerts of interest are occurring, reminding them of the date and time that those concert tickets will be released. This product will also alert users if the desired concert date has a presale option and the duration of the presale period. Since fans need to sign up for a presale code days before the presale occurs to be eligible to participate, they need to be aware of the registration deadline.
Learnings
Product Manager Learnings:
Arielle Hutchinson
I’ve learned so much valuable information through exploring the problem space of ticket sales and coming up with possible solutions.
Industry and user research
Exploring the problem space was one of my favorite parts of this process. I enjoyed reading countless news and research articles about the difficulties of purchasing concert tickets. After learning more about complaints targeted at the ticket industry, I was able to validate those same issues by conducting informational interviews with concert lovers. Gathering It was extremely helpful to explore the problem space from both a qualitative and quantitative angle.
User centered design
I learned how to extract pain points from informational interviews with users and ideate on potential solutions to alleviate those issues
Prioritization
After brainstorming potential features, I practiced feature prioritization which helped me focus on the most essential aspects of a product
Creating Ticker has been my first taste of product management, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about this space. After completing this sprint, I hope to keep building my PM skills and exploring more problem spaces, and eventually, I want to build my first product MVP and lead a team. In the future, I hope to become a product manager in the music, entertainment, or gaming space!
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
&
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
&
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:
&
Developer Learnings:
Maurquise Williams
&
- 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
&
All in all this experience was very awesome I learned that in coding with others being transparent is key
Developers Learnings:
Justin Farley
&
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.