Problem Space
About a week before my professor assigned this project, I was trying to buy tickets for my first football game at U of M ever. I was cycling between Facebook, Reddit, and GroupMe trying to find which tickets were selling at the best price, and messaging sellers on each app. The seller would reply, "sorry, it's been sold." or sometimes not reply at all.
When I was finally able to land on a ticket, I had to communicate with the seller through FB Messenger, send the money through Venmo, and receive the ticket through U of M's online ticketing site. I couldn't help but think that there should be an easier, secure method to do all of this.
THE CHALLENGE
U of M students are looking for an easy and reliable way to buy and sell U of M football tickets as well as transfer money and tickets on the same interface. The current methods use multiple apps and are susceptible to scams, and students need a more convenient method.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
GroupMe
WHAT THEY DO
Student group chats where U-M students can get invited and sell tickets through direct messaging
STRENGTHS
U-M email addresses keep it secure
Anyone can be invited
WEAKNESSES
Difficult to find invite link
Not updated after tickets are sold leading to confusion and time wasted
Needs separate payment app
WHAT THEY DO
Student groups where people can post and sell ticket listings, reach out through FB Messenger
STRENGTHS
Convenient and easily accessible
Can view sellers' profiles
WEAKNESSES
Not updated after tickets are sold leading to confusion and time wasted
Needs separate payment app
WHAT THEY DO
Students post listings on a thread linked to the UofM Reddit page.
STRENGTHS
Convenient and easily accessible
WEAKNESSES
Anonymous, susceptible to scams
Not updated after tickets are sold leading to confusion and time wasted
Needs separate payment app
PERSONA DEVELOPMENT
How can my prototype help people like Mary and Sarah?
Being convenient and easy for busy students
Easy to navigate for new students
Help students achieve a work/play balance
USER FLOW
The user flow compares and contrasts the roles of seller and buyer. Through this, I can understand more about the needs of each role and where they share similarities. I aimed to simplify the decision-making process for a smoother experience.
Final Designs
visit interactive prototype
M-TIX allows students to be both the buyer and the seller whenever they want. Buyers can browse tickets, message sellers, and send payments, while sellers can list tickets and transfer them.
🎟️ For the Buyers:
Browse listings
Students can pick from a list of all home games that are included in the U-M student season passes, and browse ticket listings for each game.
Messaging
Students can click the "Message seller" button on each ticket listing to start a conversation. Students are able to converse and negotiate ticket prices.
Transferring Payment
Once a bank account is linked, students can transfer money for a specific ticket by visiting the recipient's profile. The transaction is not complete until both sides accept, and there is the option to withdraw.
💵 For the Sellers:
Listing a Ticket
Ticket listing is easy to access on the home page, where users can click "New Ticket Listing" and input the game, seat, price, and notes for the ticket.
Sending a Ticket
Students can send a ticket by visiting the profile of who they want to send the ticket to and selecting one of their listings from the drop-down menu. The ticket will appear in the message chat.
🤝 Finalizing the Transaction
Accepting Tickets & Payment
Students receive the transaction in their messages and choose to accept or ignore. The transaction will go through once both parties accept, and they will receive it in their profile page.
Students can transfer money to their bank and tickets to Apple Wallet.
Style Guide
Original Designs: The First Round
I originally designed this app in a class at my university called Digital Product Design. "Football games" was one of the prompts we were given for our first design project.
While looking back on this design, I felt dissatisfied with parts of the interface and felt that I could make things a little more streamlined in terms of visual design and usability. After receiving feedback on the project, I started working on the second version of this app. The final design, which you just viewed, was released about a year later, after I had gained a more robust design skillset.
EARLY DESIGNS
BEFORE & AFTER
Sign up
Browse Tickets
User Profile
Reflections
Working on this project was a great learning experience, and I'm very glad I took the time to redesign it! I learned a lot from the initial class project and the feedback I received from my peers and professors throughout. I have definitely improved the efficiency of my designs, developed a stronger sense of visual identity, and have a better idea on how to tackle design problems through a user-centered lens.
