Concertbox
Overview
This was a personal project that where I spent a large amount of my time working closely with a small team of engineers to build the vision and lead the development of the product.
Role
Product designer, product strategist
Product Strategy, User Research, Interaction, Visual design, Prototyping & Testing, Information Architecture, Marketing, Pitching, Events
I think what is more remarkable about this project is that, its a very small problem that requires a very easy but big solution. Very daunting product strategists/designers are the ones who attempt to Implement these sort of projects.
I was opportuned to be a part of one of the product strategy sessions, and I was like ‘wow, these guys are hitting the nails on the head with this innovation’. Chinedu should be commended for his passion and ability to drive things from the ground up.
Michael Kobis,
Executive Director, Paktim Global (Nigeria)
Background
The growth of the live-entertainment industry is continually being tested by various factors, which has necessitated the need for an alternative solution to attending concerts physically, not to eliminate the practice of attending concerts physically, but to improve participation and be resistant to some of these factors that pose a threat to the growth of the live-entertainment industry.
I was the lead designer in a lean team of only 2 designers
At Concertbox I led the product, marketing, UX and UI strategy for the team. I've been extremely fortunate to have been part of this journey and have grown tremendously while working on Concertbox, some key achievements of which I have listed below:
Turned an idea into a product- The ability to transform an idea into something much more tangible is a process that is both exhilarating and rewarding. I worked closely with the engineers and the team to shape the product vision and strategy of Sealadder. While the product is still in development and has not yet been released to the public, being able to see how much we have grown as a team and startup is truly sensational.
Juggled many different hats- Working in an early-stage startup is not easy. I dedicated a large chunk of my hours conducting research, sketching, testing and designing the product alongside coordinating managerial functions, creating pitch deck presentations and filling out grant applications for the business and marketing side of the business.
Pitched to investors and crowds- I developed skills in not only designing our pitches but also presenting them to investors and large crowds.
Led intersection between product development & Business Implementation- It didn’t end at transforming the idea to the product, I also led engagements for business implementations and carried out key product business functions, meeting the needs which led to the development of the product.
Methodology
I devised the double diamond process as the principal methodology for this project. Other supporting models were used, such as the bottom-to-top approach.
The major reason for this is that the double diamond model scales well to accomodate varying situations and we evisaged that this project would present varioud user scenarios that needed to be tackled. The model is shown below;
Understanding the problem
As an entertainment fan/lover, I understood the pains of not being able to attend concerts due to various reasons or factors beyond my control. I needed to validate this problem with other entertainment-inclined people, so I took initiative to run a focus group sessions with 20 random people who are entertainment inclined and were equally frustrated. We decided to focus on the live-industry, which was the industry with the greater need for a solution. The live-entertainment industry cuts across music, comedy, drama and lifestyle sectors.
After listening to the individuals at the focus group sessions, we were able to outline the top frustrations.
Missing out on concerts due to location barrier – We discovered that people miss out on concerts because they aren’t in the same city or town where the concert is happening. Some of the respondents were like “we can’t possibly board a plane to fly to another city or country because of a concert, that is too much cost and logistics for the common fan”
Missing out on concerts due to distance barrier – Even when the concert is happening in the same city, it is still an issue of concern for individuals to commute to the concert venue when the distance is far.
Missing out on concerts due to security concerns – In countries and cities that usually experience security breaches, attending concerts was also a problem.
Missing out on concerts due to lifestyle and background – At the focus group discussion, we also discovered individuals (dependents) who would love to attend concerts but cannot because of the nature of time the concerts are hosted, in the late hours of the night. Their lifestyles did not support going out to attend concerts at that time.
Missing out on concerts due to financial constraints – It was also uncovered that people missed out on concerts because they couldn’t afford the base fare for the concert. They were seeking cheaper alternatives.
Missing out on concerts due to fear of crowd/congestions – The focus group discussion also revealed that some individuals didn’t attend concerts because they couldn’t stand being in crowded spaces.
With the above problems extracted, we were ready to tailor solutions to solve the problems.
User Personas
Based on our research, we came across a wide array of user types, but they were streamlined to the 3 types below;
Defining the problem
After gathering the findings from the research, I worked with the team to define the problem statement.
Problem Statements
Entertainment fans are frustrated witht the fact that they miss out on concerts & other premium events due to factors such as; not being in the same location as the event, unfavourable timing, schedule, distance, security, crowd-related issues, lifestyle etc
Entertainers are not happy that theie entire revejue system for live performances are tied to physical presence of their fans. This really affected them during the COVID lockdown season. They would also want to increase partiticipation at their physical events by opening it up virtually.
The Product Vision
As a product, we wanted to position ourselves as the leading concert livestreaming platform with 3 key focus areas:
Streaming hybrid shows (Physical and Virtual) - We want to be at the centre of streaming shows which are happening at a physical location for those who cannot be there physically to attend.
Streaming virtual-only shows – We also want to be at the centre of creating a culture around artists leveraging the tool to stream their performances for their fans without a traditional concert setup.
Pre-recorded shows - We also want artists to be able to perform and upload their pre-recorded performances for their fans to watch later.
In addition to being a Product designer, I was also responsible for the marketing component where I developed pitch decks and videos to illustrate the concept of our product and the value that it provides to our users. I created the designs, put together the prototypes, the script, recorded and edited the videos to demonstrate our product vision to investors and target users at pitch events and at investor meetings.
Defining the MVP
I implemented workshops and sketching sessions with the team to map out the user flow and come up with a storyboard to capture the MVP.
We identified the following key features:
Goal definition: Allow users to join concerts remotely. Concerts can either be hybrid (physical and virtual), virtual-only or pre-recorded. Allow entertainers to schedule their events and stream for their fans when it’s time.
Features outline:
For Fans: Create your basic account, view live and upcoming shows, purchase tickets to shows or save for later, stream subscribed shows, chat with other fans during concerts, manage concerts i.e. have access and view highlights of past shows, view subscribed shows and call to actions, view wish list, manage concert streaming experience (data usage, cellular/wi-fi, sound preference, EQ settings etc.)
For Entertainers: Create and schedule your concerts, manage the concerts (go live, suspend, cancel etc.), cash-out.
Products outline:
Mobile app (fans)
Web app (fans)
Backstage
(Entertainers)
Admin (Company control)
Designs
User testing was an iterative process that was conducted at every milestone of the project to identify the biggest pain points in the current version. Once feedback was gathered, the prototypes would be revisited and we test again.
For the brand and outlook of the designs, we created a minimalist and popping UI that passed across the vibe of entertainment and video-on-demand to keep fans engaged while maintaining simplicity for easy user navigation and retention.
Mobile App
For more details - Get the Concertbox App on the iOS App Store or theGoogle Play Store
Fans Web App
For more details - Visit www.concertbox.live
Backstage
For more details - Visit entertainers.concertbox.live
Admin
Access to the admin system of Concertbox is out of bound to non-technical staff
Working with Developers
I worked closely with a team of 4 engineers to develop the designs for the MVP. I developed tickets for the front-end engineers with user stories and product functionality requirements. I developed and shared user flow and algorithm check lists with the back-end engineers to enable them move faster and more efficiently with development.
Timely work sessions, boot camps and stand ups were held to evaluate development progress vis-a-vis product design standards and MVP goals and requirements.
I broke down the UI and UX work flow into site maps to manage the development and testing process. The site map helped phase the developmemt and testing processes, it also helped track similar development tasks across multiple system for simultaneous development. The site map is shown below;
Results and takeaways
Developing products in early-stage startups is an extremely steep learning curve. It served as an eye opener, it also allowed me learn a lot about working lean and knowing when and where to focus your energy, efforts & resources. Some key takeaways from this project are:
Focus on the MVP - In a startup, there is only so much time and effort that you can invest, so it's important to focus on the features that can deliver the highest value for your users. Always remember that devops engineering and culture can allow you keep integrating the other futuristic features.
Don't worry too much about the detail-In my earlier days, I made the usual mistake of worrying about the look of the UI. Taking a step back and reassessing the user flows helped me to reprioritise the UX and at the end of the day, a perfect UX would trigger a perfect thinking cap for a fantastic UI.
Always focus on the problem that’s the reason you started out the product – It is very easy to loose sight of the initial problem and pain-points as you build, test out and interact with investors and other creatives, but always remember that any feedback or addition must contribute solving the users’ pains