NOVA

Discover festivals. Connect with friends. Experience live music.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Role

UX / UI Designer

Team

2 Designers

Timeline

13 Weeks

Toolkit

Figma, FigJam, Maze

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

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.

Solution

Design a unified social music platform that connects streaming behavior with live festival discovery, ticketing, and coordination.

Goals

  • Integrate discovery and ticketing into a unified flow to reduce platform switching

  • Replace passive social features with tools that support real-world connection

02. cOMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

I conducted a detailed audit of Spotify’s features and user flow to identify friction points in the transition from streaming to live attendance.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

STRENGTHS

GAPS

  • Strong personalization and discovery

  • Extensive music catalog and curated playlists

  • Seamless multi-device streaming experience

  • Event discovery is not integrated into primary navigation

  • Ticket purchases redirect externally

  • Social features do not support real-world coordination

03. USER RESEARCH

To better understand how users transition from streaming to live events, we conducted 4 interviews with Spotify and Apple Music users ages 17–36.

INTERVIEW TAKEAWAYS

  • 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

PERSONAS

Following the interviews with users, the insights from user research were translated into key personas.

APP USER FLOW

Based on research insights, the app structure was designed to centralize festival discovery, ticketing, and social coordination.

04. iDEATION & ITERATION

Low-fidelity wireframes were developed and tested through Maze to identify navigation friction and validate key user flows.

PRIMARY USER FLOWS TESTED

  • Account Creation

  • Add to Playlist

  • Festival Ticket Purchase

FROM INSIGHT TO ITERATION

Testing insights directly shaped the following design refinements.

WHAT WE LEARNED

  • Unclear Purchase Entry - Checkout lacked visual emphasis

  • Weak Action Hierarchy - Primary CTAs lacked priority

  • Misleading Tap Targets - Tap targets lacked responsive feedback

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

What I Learned

  • 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 Would Do Differently

  • Prioritize accessibility (font size, contrast, state clarity) earlier in design process

  • Prototype ticket quantity updates and sale options prior to testing

Next Steps

  • Expand ticket management feature (sell / transfer)

  • Prototype search-accessibility across all screens

Next

Mun Matcha