Sofar Sounds — Alex Rosales

Landing Page

The user opens the app to a simple greeting, a prompt to see upcoming shows, a navigation menu, and can swipe left and right for more features.

Navigation Menu

The navigation menu provided a clear list of features to support all types of users-- those considering, committing, and championing.

Go to a Sofar

The user can view upcoming shows, sorting by dates or location. Each Show card has the option to buy tickets or share the event through any of the options in iOS's sharing features.

Payment Screen

Once a show is confirmed, the user can pay through one of two options-- inputting credit card information into the app, which is saved for future use or paying with a card in a user's Apple Pay wallet.

My Artists

Once users have seen a show, artists they have seen appear on the My Artists page. The user can choose to follow artists, in which case, the intent is to suggest similar artists on the Discovery feature hidden on the landing page. The actual Discovery feature is still in development and in this release, follow doesn't really do anything than show you that you "favorited" an artist.

SOFAR SOUNDS IOS APP - USER RESEARCH

Note: All screens to the left are from the current release of the Sofar Sounds iOS app, not the tested prototypes.

Sofar Sounds is a global music community connecting concertgoers with up-and-coming bands in intimate venues. In 2016 and 2017, I performed user testing sessions with users in San Francisco and Chicago to provide localized feedback on prototypes of the Sofar Sounds iOS app.

What problem were we trying to solve?

Veteran and potential Sofar Sounds concertgoers only had two options through desktop and mobile to consider joining the community, commit to shows, and relive their experiences. The Sofar team in London developed prototypes in Marvel and Principle and I was tasked with conducting user testing sessions and synthesizing feedback.

What were we testing for?

Our research focused on testing features related to users considering attending a show, committing to attending a show, and championing Sofar Sounds as a repeat concert goer.

Considering:

Finding a nearby gig
Planning in advance

Committing:

Attending a gig
Purchasing a ticket

Championing:

Reliving the Sofar experience
Discovering artists

How did we do it?

Participants were selected in Chicago and San Francisco based on a diverse mix of factors such as:

Age
Gender
Tech savviness
Whether or not they had seen a Sofar show
Level of interest in music
Musical taste
Appetite to try new experiences

While I asked users to generally interact with the prototype, I also had users test specific user flows. We focused on the features listed above.

What were they saying?

Pain points included:

Features
- Homepage had too many features cluttering the screen
- Ability to see catalog of past shows you had attended
- Lack of meaningful artist information within app
Usability
- Undiscoverable interactions
- Inconsistent navigation
- Cumbersome profile set-up (i.e. giving date preferences, location preferences, etc.)
Content
- Copy was not localized (London based design team used British terminology - i.e. gig vs. show or event)
- Unclear content on how the service worked

Positives included:

Features
- Location-based show discovery was how the user wanted to discover shows
- Simple sign-up and payment flows
- Easily accessible way to view purchased tickets
Usability
- Enjoyable animations to signify that an interaction had occurred
- Perfectly sized touch targets
- Clear visual hierarchy
Content
- Fun copy
- Engaging calls to action
- Useful tips at bottom of the screen

How did it turn out?

Research was synthesized by the team in London and used to inform special localized releases of the Sofar app. Much of the feedback directly affected tweaks to features, usability, and content.

The app is now available on iOS and Android in the US and Europe and continues to bring engaged users to Sofar shows.