Festival Idea
FlexFest is a Sheffield based music festival showcasing some of the most significant UK established artists from genres including Pop, Grime, Dance and Electronic music. The festival will also offer new and upcoming artists a platform to showcase their musical talent and gain a wider audience. Moreover, other festival activities will include a variety of street food stalls and games such as total wipe out inflatables, mechanical bulls and arcade games.
Website Problem Space
The problem space encountered when designing the website for FlexFest relies heavily on the user needs of the external stakeholders. This involves efficiently providing general up to date festival information such as where and how to purchase tickets, view the line-up, access travel and location information, accessibility services and security precautions in place without having to sift through old news. The solution opportunity for the problem space will be communicated through the design prototype and make finding the most relevant festival information easily accessible and stress-free, resulting in a larger audience and more festival profit.
Website Usability Goals
The usability goals for the FlexFest website consider the five principles required for solving problem space, including effectiveness, efficiency, utility, learnability, memorability and safety. How effective the website is at meeting the user needs depends on the utility of the interface, which refers to the functionality of the design. The FlexFest website will be made functional with the option to autofill information for a smoother transaction when purchasing tickets. There will also be accessible features for those who require them, such as haptic feedback and AUI/VUI. The learnability and efficiency of the website refer to how easy it is for the users to perform tasks the first time they use the interface, such as purchasing tickets for the event. This comes hand in hand with the memorability of the site. This is measured by how fast the user can pick up the website after not using it; universal design methods can increase the usability of these essential elements. Such as using globally familiar menus, buttons and icons. Safety protects the user from errors and how quickly they can recover from making a mistake, such as using incorrect autofill information for forms when purchasing tickets or pressing the wrong button when closing pop-ups.
App Problem Space
The problem space encountered when designing the companion app for FlexFestival is finding a solution to effectively compress the most relevant website information into a more streamlined, stress-free experience festivalgoers can utilise quickly on the day of the event. This will prevent the users from going back through the website to find relevant information.
App Usability Goals
The usability goals for the FlexFest companion app also consider the five principles required for solving problem space. How effective the app meets the user’s needs depends on its functions as a compressed website version. The app mustn’t lose integrity; it needs to remain consistent with the website so that the user feels familiar with the interface. Therefore, utilising similar website elements, such as layouts and menus, will result in a positive user experience. Moreover, how learnable and effective the app is will depend on how quickly the user navigates the app and performs tasks during a busy event, such as locating their favourite artist intime. This will be achieved by providing a seamless experience displaying only relevant information.
Conclusion
The website and companion app differ slightly and address different challenges when solving the problem space. The website will display all information, news, photos and video content from current and past events. Whereas the app will be a more tailored and interactive experience for use on the day of the event. The app will show the most relevant information such as festival maps, ticket QR codes, safety information and location services.
Bibliography
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