DIBZ is a technology startup that offers real-time seat upgrade solutions via SMS. It’s as easy as three simple steps.
As a stan-hard-fan, the nose bleed section is so NOT the business… Hiking up countless flights of stairs and apologizing for crushed toes as you climb over people completely takes away from the overall experience. The worst is when you finally get to the top and see tons of open seats down below. How can you get there? Call Dibz on your seat.
The Problem
How might we simplify the upgrading process so that fans never miss a beat?
DIBZ needs an impactful way to convey their brand identity and connect with users across multiple fandoms that leaves a memorable impression because they seek community engagement and interaction with their product. Currently, the lack of a strong presence is inconsistent and makes it difficult to earn the trust of the people they intend to serve.
The Current Experience
Picking New Seats
Reading the floor plan for all seat upgrade options can be difficult for users especially on a mobile device.
Event Details
When reviewing purchase details, users searched to find summary of event information.
Brand Cohesion
The design should be representative of the brand through proper logo lockups, color, and flow.
Research + Analysis
I surveyed fifty people from around North America, with the goal to ascertain how and why users ask for upgrades. Along with surveying, I interviewed four industry professionals and analyzed two top competitors in the “ticketing” world to understand how their users use their platforms to upgrade their seats.
From survey questions and interview responses, I was able to generate an affinity map and performed an open card sort. In doing so, 4 key insights were extracted regarding consumers’ feelings concerning brand trust, education, upgrades, and user motivations/frustrations.
Key Insights
Build Trust
People were more interested in purchasing tickets from the venues directly, whenever possible. This led us to put an emphasis on the partnerships DIBZ has with affiliated venues as logo lockups at the top left.
Full Cost Transparency
People valued transparency and no hidden fees. With our designs, we didn’t want there to be any confusion surrounding cost. Underneath each individual ticket, the difference in cost is clearly shown and highlighted in bold text.
Establish Culture & Nostalgia
People enjoyed attending events to generate memories. We really wanted to dig into this concept and explore how we could iterate designs that would evoke nostalgic emotions. The upgraded ticket was designed to mock a real physical ticket down to the perforations.
Reputation & Engagement
50% of survey results showed people trust a shop based on their reputation and reviews, which include social media. Our team proposed multiple marketing campaigns, including a social media campaign to increase brand awareness, broaden networks, and engage with new customers.
The Solution
How might we gain customer trust and increase engagement?
Based on the research findings, it was discovered that nostalgia really impacted the way people remember and experience events. This led the solutions to be: shape the brand’s tone of voice to evoke emotions users would experience at events, design imagery for all collaterals t0 emphasize nostalgia through the use of black and white photos, and highlight the yellow hero brand color to amplify brand awareness.
User Flow
The research findings and insights defined our key design question, which would guide us through the entire process: How might we reduce the number of actions users need to take in order to upgrade?
For Next Time
Nostalgia Campaign
Hashtags like #FBF (Flashback Friday), and #TBT (Throwback Thursday) are a common way for brands to show off their love of the past while establishing a brand legacy, and stirring up old memories with their audience.
Instagram Campaign
50% of survey results showed people trust a shop based on their reputation and reviews, which include social media. Instagram has over 1 billion active monthly users. Social media is a great way to increase brand awareness, broaden networks, and engage new customers.
Interactive Art Campaign
Art installations are really great ways to interact/engage with the public and increase brand awareness. Global art projects, such as Before I Die originally created by Candy Chan, invite people to reflect on death and share their personal aspirations in public. It has been so successful, over 5,000 walls can be found around the world.