Setting the Stage: A UX-First Approach to Booking Live Music

Arizona State University: Graduate UX / CX Project

Duration: Spring 2024 – 6 weeks

Role: Lead UX Researcher & Designer

Team: Solo capstone lead with feedback from musicians, venue managers, and peers

Project Summary:

Stagent is a conceptual mobile app designed to solve common UX issues in the live music space:

• Booking dates as an independent artist
  

• Finding quality acts that align with your customer base

Developed as part of my graduate coursework, the project was designed to address real pain points experienced by both artists and venue owners in the independent music scene. The platform facilitates discovery, outreach, negotiation, and scheduling for both parties, all through a centralized, user-friendly interface.

I led the UX strategy, from research to wireframes, building a platform that streamlines the booking process for musicians while helping venue owners discover acts that align with their audience and brand. The app centers on two tailored user flows. Each user flow was carefully crafted to minimize friction, establish clear expectations, and enhance the likelihood of successful, stress-free bookings.

The UX Challenge:

Booking live music is still stuck in the analog world: email chains, cold DMs, missed messages, and mismatched expectations. For musicians, that often means long stretches without gigs. For venue owners, it means more time spent sorting through unreliable leads than actually filling their calendar.

From a UX perspective, the challenge was to untangle a complex, informal process and rebuild it in a way that felt natural, approachable, and aligned with how users already behave, just smarter. Interviews revealed a clear gap: there was no centralized platform that addressed the unique needs of both groups while making the booking flow intuitive from the first tap.

User Research → UX Decisions:

Stagent Wireframes

UX Approach: Designing for Two Audiences:

The nature of the platform required the UX to serve two distinct user groups: independent musical acts and small venue operators. To meet that challenge, I led the research and design process, mapping user journeys and testing concepts to ensure the experience aligned with the realities of live music booking.

User Research = Understanding Journey:

• Qualitative interviews were conducted with musicians and venue owners to gain an understanding of the challenges each group faced during the booking process.

  
  

• Insights revealed communication gaps, scheduling mismatches, and difficulty assessing the fit between artists and venues.

  
  

• These findings informed user flows that shaped the mobile product design and concept.

Design, Test, Repeat:

• I created mobile-first wireframes, focusing on key features such as customizable artist profiles, calendars, and a streamlined booking flow.

  
  

• Based on initial designs, a round of usability testing was conducted with representatives from both user groups.

  
  

• Feedback directed the refinements in messaging and booking interfaces, helping craft a more intuitive and rewarding experience.

  
  

Outcome & UX Learnings:

The final Stagent prototype delivered two distinct, purpose-built experiences: one for artists and one for the venue. The interfaces were designed to cut through the noise, clarify key information, and help both sides make faster, more confident booking decisions. Both user groups praised early testing for its clarity and ease of use. Key areas of note were browsing profiles and improved communication channels.

This project demonstrated my ability to translate the goals of multiple user groups into a design that serves each party, without creating friction. Musicians and venue managers approach booking differently, but through research and iterative design, I built a system that felt natural for both. That's what ultimately made the product work: it felt honest, intuitive, and grounded in how people actually book shows, not how we think they should.