I was challenged to create a way for our client, the Mondavi Center, to transition its visitors from physical to digital tickets for a smoother admissions process leading up to the crucial moment when a user scans their ticket.
Overview
Timeline 6-week design sprint
Team 4 designers
My Role UX Research: Communicate client insights Hi-fi Prototyping: Making the admissions process feel easy and familiar Client communication: Client pitch
Tools Figma, Google Forms, Notion, Slack
Business Mission
The Mondavi Performing Arts Center aims to walk a more health-conscious and eco-friendly path by going contactless with its ticketing system.
Impact
Pitched our project to stakeholders (management teams) at Mondavi
- Currently in development stage - Users quickly pulled up tickets at the door, making the admission process more efficient and pleasant for both visitors and Mondavi staff
Problem
Visitors were presenting invalid ticket formats at the door, making the admissions process inefficient and taxing on BOTH visitors and Mondavi Staff.
- Accustomed to bringing physical tickets – Unsure what to present as virtual ticket - Taints the visitor’s experience with frustration The admissions process is super stressful.
Framing the challenge
"How might we help users feel guided throughout the ticketing process, confident in their ticket validity, and prepared for the show?"
Solution
Product Preview
Confirmation Email
Where are my tickets?
Check your inbox and rest assured that your order was placed. Your tickets are safe and secure!
Mondavi Mobile App
What's up next?
View your upcoming events at a glance.
How can I come prepared?
Preview event details to ensure a smooth admissions process.
Quick, scan your tickets!
Pull up your tickets at the door for your entire party.
user research
Research Findings
Do
Visitors scramble at the door when they fail to present valid digital tickets.
Say
Staff express that helping visitors find their tickets is most overwhelming.
Think
Visitors prefer traditional paper tickets over the new digital tickets.
Feel
Visitors feel confused, misinformed, frustrated.
How did we get here?
Internal user interviews journey mapping existing client products
External literature review competitive analysis
On-site User Interviews
Visitors
7 interviews - majority are 65+ years old - unfamiliar with Google Forms and Qualtrics - stressed about pulling up their tickets
Staff
5 interviews Inside perspective, the other side of the story: - What problems keep them up at night? - What is the bane of their existence?
I thought, "Why don’t we go undercover as staff and set up a Help Desk booth at Mondavi, bother some unsuspecting visitors in line, ...and I guess, help some users find their seats along the way?" :)
Users are unfamiliar with QR Codes
- They perceive QR codes as a pattern... or a little cluster of black squares. - Misconception that email receipt = ticket - Staff need to frequently re-explain valid ticket formats
Bad UI leads to angsty behavior and frustration
- Frantic scrolling - Tiny hyperlinks with inadequate touch targets - "Log-in" pop-up browsers + switching between apps disorient users
Journey Mapping
Tracing the visitor experience
The Admissions Process - presenting your ticket at the door: most overwhelming part of the experience - the crucial last 5 min
Streamlining several overlapping flows into two clear paths
Existing Client Products
Evaluated existing Mondavi products to understand the purpose and relationship between platforms that felt confusing, buried, heavy, distracting.
Should we drop or keep the app? Keep the mobile app!
Literature review revealed the benefits and drawbacks of website vs. mobile While transitioning to the app demands a learning curve and extra marketing costs, mobile app integration reduces complications during the admissions process, saving time and money long-term!
Literature Review + Secondary Research
Most older adults are open to using helpful devices and motivated to learn new skills, so what's the problem?...
Pervasive negative stereotypes about older adults and technology undermine their confidence and ability to learn new skills.
"I can’t seem to find my ticket. Here, take my phone. You find it. You probably know better than I do." *chuckles* -Barbara, age 76
The customer experience extends beyond the transaction - Confirmation emails - Event transparency - Professionalism
Design Approach
Affinity Mapping
Putting it all together
Unifying ideas and identifying insights + behaviors that speak to the user experience
How might we help users feel...
Disoriented Guided
throughout the ticketing process?
Unfamiliar Confident
in their ticket validity?
Uninformed Prepared
and informed for the show?
Exploration
Information Architecture
Visualize the relationship between different Mondavi platforms
Sketching
Prototyping
Honing in on the core functions
From disoriented to guided
By bridging the gap between purchasing and accessing tickets
Confirmation Email
Redesigned for readability and marketability to transition users to the mobile app
The purposeful and engaging "middle-man"
- Email does not feel like a printable ticket – The middle-man: directs users to the next step - Extracted the essential parts from the original email
Design System
Mondavi's brand identity is not only authentic to Mondavi and its visitors, but also aspirational. I crafted this brand identity to differentiate itself from competing campus branding.
From unfamiliar to confident
By easing the transition between physical and digital tickets
Mobile App
Making it quick + easy: Eliminating frantic scroll
Prototype testing
Vertical scroll does NOT anchor
Vertical vs. Horizontal scroll? Would horizontal scroll anchor users to the page? Result: Users preferred the vertical scroll because it was easier to scan multiple events at once.
BUT the issue of frantic scroll remains…
Feature
The Anchor: Today's Event Card
Today’s event card will be the first thing users will see. Users no longer need to scroll to the bottom to find their QR codes anymore!
Making it familiar with the Ticket
Feature
The Ticket: a QR code in disguise
Users don’t necessarily need to understand how QR codes work to present their ticket with confidence at the door
We want to help users understand that the QR code = YOUR TICKET
So, I made this initially frustrating and inefficient ticketing process feel, quick and easy, and most importantly, familiar!
Success Metrics
How quickly can users locate a specific event?
Initial interviews: 4-5 min - frantically scrolled up and down searching for their QR code - click between multiple apps to access essential event info and their tickets at the door With Mondavi Mobile, users accessed their tickets in 2 seconds!
Impact
Why is this shift worth it?
Structured out pitch around the impact of the app on their staff, company values, goals, time, resources
Saves time and money
- Less calls to customer service - Less staff needed
Better for the environment
- Paperless tickets reduce paper waste - Misplaced physical tickets need to be reprinted
Less confusion at the door
- One-time login - No need for internet - Tickets are no longer buried in inboxes
Next Steps
How can Mondavi further improve the experience for new and returning users?
Clear instruction
Short video tutorial + Community focus sessions where visitors learn about the app... with free snacks!
Marketing
Banners displaying ticketing process steps + advertisements that promote environmental awareness
Meeting accessibility needs
Guide users to accessible seating
Reminding visitors
Time and location based notifications to remind visitors about their ticket
Reflection
Working with a client 😎
Interview your client Interview your users, but also interview your CLIENT and AFFECTED EMPLOYEES! Ask them about their goals, visions, wishes, expectations, and constraints. It was incredibly helpful to understand the problem from the staff’s perspective and offer ways to improve their system.
Ask direct questions As we started to ask the RIGHT questions — more specific, quantifiable, tailored questions – we were able to uncover the real underlying need within the ambiguous problem space. Pitch as if the client is your user. HIGHLIGHT IMPACT, not process. How does the app align with the client’s vision?
Working with a unique audience 🤠
Meet your users where they’re at. No mass survey data could compare to our in-person interviews where I heard our users’ stories and observed pain points live. Laughing and relating with users and staff changed my perspective, opened up new avenues, and left my brain buzzing with inspiration. Working up the courage to approach strangers was no easy feat and completely drained our social batteries, but it was WORTH IT.
Working in a squad ⚡
It's easy for stages to blend together within the design process. So be clear and bring up any concerns or considerations early on. Communication is key.
The Mondavi gang hard at work (or hardly working :P) creating iterations on iterations of wireframes.
