NOVA
Discover festivals. Connect with friends. Experience live music.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Role
UX / UI Designer
Team
Timeline
Toolkit
Figma, FigJam, Maze
13 Weeks
2 Designers
NOVA is a mobile music discovery app that connects digital streaming with live festival culture. Designed alongside another designer, I led the brand identity and UI system, refining a high-fidelity prototype through user testing. The app introduces a festival discovery feature that allows users to explore upcoming events and purchase tickets, creating a more immersive way to experience music.
01. THE CHALLENGE
While music streaming makes artist discovery effortless, the transition to live events remains fragmented. Users rely on multiple platforms to discover festivals, purchase tickets, and coordinate attendance.
Challenge
Design a unified social music platform that connects streaming behavior with live festival discovery, ticketing, and coordination.
Solution
Integrate discovery and ticketing into a unified flow to reduce platform switching
Replace passive social features with tools that support real-world connection
Goals
I conducted a detailed audit of Spotify’s features and user flow to identify friction points in the transition from streaming to live attendance.
02. COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Strong personalization and discovery
Extensive music catalog and curated playlists
Seamless multi-device streaming experience
STRENGTHS
Event discovery is not integrated into primary navigation
Ticket purchases redirect externally
Social features do not support real-world coordination
GAPS
To better understand how users transition from streaming to live events, we conducted 4 interviews with Spotify and Apple Music users ages 17–36.
03. USER RESEARCH
Users rely on multiple apps to discover concerts and purchase tickets
Existing social features support passive viewing, not real-world coordination
Discovery feeds prioritize promotion over personalization
INTERVIEW TAKEAWAYS
Following the interviews with users, the insights from user research were translated into key personas.
PERSONAS
Based on research insights, the app structure was designed to centralize festival discovery, ticketing, and social coordination.
APP USER FLOW
Low-fidelity wireframes were developed and tested through Maze to identify navigation friction and validate key user flows.
04. IDEATION & ITERATION
Account Creation
Add to Playlist
Festival Ticket Purchase
PRIMARY USER FLOWS TESTED
Unclear Purchase Entry - Checkout lacked visual emphasis
Weak Action Hierarchy - Primary CTAs lacked priority
Misleading Tap Targets - Tap targets lacked responsive feedback
WHAT WE LEARNED
FROM INSIGHT TO ITERATION
Testing insights directly shaped the following design refinements.
05. VISUAL IDENTITY & HIGH-FIDELITY
High-fidelity screens were developed using the visual system and refined in response to user feedback.
HIGH-FIDELITY & FEEDBACK
06. THE FINAL PRODUCT
The final prototype integrates discovery, social features, and ticket purchasing into a cohesive flow.
Onboarding
Add to Playlist
Purchase Ticket
07. REFLECTION & NEXT STEPS
Effective UX design requires structured research and iterative testing, not just visual execution
Accessibility and interaction clarity are foundational to strong interface design
User feedback often reveals friction that is not immediately visible to the designer
What I Learned
Prioritize accessibility (font size, contrast, state clarity) earlier in design process
Prototype ticket quantity updates and sale options prior to testing
What I Would Do Differently
Expand ticket management feature (sell / transfer)
Prototype search-accessibility across all screens
Next Steps