Role
User Research
Product Strategy
UI Design
Interaction Design
Usability Testing
Tools
Figjam
Notion
Dovetail
Figma
Otter
Timeline
5 weeks
The Problem
The current search flow for SoFar Sounds lacks filters and is hindered by a confusing color scheme. Additionally, the search bar is not prominently displayed on the homepage, making it difficult for users to locate.
The Solution
To improve the user experience and simplify the design of the SoFar website, we propose introducing an all-in-one search card system that allows for more intuitive filtering and clearer navigation. This will help to streamline the website and make it more visually appealing.
Usability Review
Our usability review aimed to identify the challenges users face while navigating the search flow. To do this, we conducted a usability audit by taking screenshots and analysing them to identify areas of difficulty and success. This allowed us to identify the pain points and wow moments in the search flow.
Business & User frustrations
Overall, users are faced with a few issues, from lack of clarity on the search flow to confusing design choices, read ahead to see our main frustrations with this search flow.
Primary Frustration
When searching for a concert, users are faced with a lack of filtering options, making it difficult to find specific information or products. This can be frustrating and time-consuming and lead to users becoming overwhelmed, making it challenging to find relevant or high-quality results.
Secondary Frustration
If the search bar on the SoFar website is not prominently displayed, it can be difficult for users to find it and complete their search. This can result in users abandoning their search and choosing to go to a competitor's website, resulting in lost business for SoFar and reducing the chances of users completing their search and converting on the website.
Competitor Benchmarking
Our competitor benchmarking consisted of an analysis of two different products:
Ticketmaster as a Direct Competitor - Chosen for the analysis of its concert search, checkout and home page layout.
Airbnb as an Indirect Competitor - Chosen for its in-depth search functionality and design.
Our competitor benchmarking analysed the products in 5 different categories:
Learnability - How easy the product is to master.
Memorability - How easily users can use the product once revisiting it.
Efficiency - How quick users are to perform tasks after having familiarised themselves with the product.
Satisfaction - How satisfying the product is to use.
Errors - What types of errors users encountered while using the product.
In conclusion, we found that Ticketmaster's website, despite offering a prominent main search bar, was perceived as cluttered and overwhelming due to the presence of numerous distracting links. On the other hand, the search flow on AirBnb's website was found to be user-friendly and efficient, with a clear search functionality and a variety of helpful filters.
It's worth noting that SoFar places a strong emphasis on discovering new artists, which is why it can be considered comparable to Spotify's new artist discovery feature. This is why we also considered Spotify as a potential competitor during our analysis of the search flow.
View the FigJam file here>
User Research
Our User Research part of the project consisted of interviewing 2 members of the public about their concert-going habits, in order to better inform our knowledge of what users look for from a product like SoFar.
We came up with a series of 15 questions centered around 2 main topics:
How do users search for concerts online? - The aim of this question is to gain insight into the preferred products of our users, as well as their thoughts and opinions on these products.
What factors drive users to book a new experience, such as a SoFar concert? - The aim of this question is to identify opportunities for improving the user interface and search experience to enhance the appeal of SoFar and increase bookings.
Once the interviews were conducted, they were uploaded into Dovetail - a qualitative data analysis software, in order to separate the interviews into themes and be able to use information from the interviews to better inform our questions.
Problem Space
SoFar Sounds needs a more efficient search flow and a revised, simpler design.
How can we incorporate the user-friendly experience of AirBnb while maintaining a cohesive and bespoke design?
Ideation
During the ideation phase, our team meticulously cataloged all proposed features and necessary changes by listing them out. To prioritize and effectively allocate resources, these ideas were then input into a priority matrix. This allowed us to determine which ideas would require the most effort and attention, enabling us to approach the development process with a clear and strategic plan.
What can we add
A clear set of filters, with an option to 'surprise me'.
What can we improve
The search functionality, by creating a detailed card on the homepage.
User Flows
We started by creating a detailed map of the current user flow on the SoFar website, to gain a better understanding of the search process. For our improved search flow, we implemented the addition of filters, utilising both an input field and a dropdown menu for selection.
Wireframes
Our wire-framing phase was focused on defining the overall aesthetic of the design. Although it was a relatively small part of the process, it served as the foundation for our final design. A prime example of this is the search bar function, where we solidified the concept of a search bar with filter options accessible through a dropdown feature.
View the FigJam file here>
Styles
When developing our colour scheme, we started with a primary colour, which was a slightly darker variation of the red used in Apple Music. We then carefully selected additional colours that complemented the primary colour to create a cohesive and visually consistent experience.
After careful consideration, we settled on Nunito Sans as the perfect typeface for our design. The elegant simplicity of the font allows it to seamlessly blend in with both our heading and supporting text, creating a cohesive and visually pleasing aesthetic. As you will see in the final prototype, the clever use of bold and regular variations of the font adds depth and dimension to the design.
High Fidelity Prototype
Please find our final prototype below, feel free to click through to have a better, in-depth look at our redesign of the search flow.
View the full prototype here>
Outcomes
Upon conducting user testing on the prototype, it was evident that the sleek and minimalistic design, coupled with the intuitive filtering system and efficient selection process, greatly enhanced the user experience. These features not only simplify the process of finding desired experiences, but also increase the likelihood of user engagement and retention.
Three key learnings
1. The art of conducting comprehensive user experience interviews via individual focus groups and effectively analyze the data gathered to enhance the overall design and user satisfaction.
2. The importance of marrying stakeholder needs and advocating for the user.
3. Collaborating with other designers and ideating to create a carefully crafted product.
Next steps
Had we had more time and resources, there are a few things we would have done differently:
Conduct more interviews with a wider population: This could be achieved by sending out a survey rather than conducting interviews, for example. This would have allowed us to have access to significantly more data which we could have applied to this design.
Integrate a map search functionality: Introduce a dynamic element to the design by incorporating interactive features, which were initially intended but constrained by time limitations. Such engagement would have resonated with users and added value to the overall experience.
Understand the business goals better: As this was a case study, we were unable to speak directly with SoFar Sounds to better understand their ideals, leading us to make calculated guesses.