TicketScout: Senior Capstone
TicketScout is an aggregator app designed to simplify the concert ticket buying experience. By pulling listings from major resellers like SeatGeek, Ticketmaster, and StubHub, the app helps users compare prices and locations all in one place. As my capstone project at Purdue, this was a comprehensive solo effort that included competitive research, user interviews, wireframes, a clickable prototype, and a usability study to validate the design.
Understanding the Problem
Today’s concertgoers often need to browse multiple apps to find the best ticket deals. My research revealed that five out of six interview participants regularly used more than one platform when searching for tickets. This back-and-forth not only frustrated users but increased the risk of losing out on tickets while comparing options.
I also noticed a common issue across platforms: hidden fees. Most apps withheld the final ticket price—including fees—until the last step in checkout, leaving users unsure of what they were really paying. These two pain points—lack of price transparency and app-switching fatigue—inspired the core functionality of TicketScout.
Finding the Solution
The core focus was on speed and clarity. I displayed full ticket prices (including fees) upfront and created a clean, simple interface that made comparing offers effortless.
By offering a central hub for ticket searches, TicketScout reduced the need to jump between apps. The prototype demonstrated how thoughtful design could transform a tedious process into a seamless one, ultimately saving users time and minimizing stress.
My Role
As the sole contributor, I led the project from start to finish. It began as a research paper exploring the challenges of the current ticket-buying landscape, followed by in-depth user research and the development of user personas. From there, I built wireframes and a high-fidelity prototype, all informed by user needs.
I concluded the project by conducting a usability test to measure how well TicketScout performed in comparison to the user’s current method of finding tickets. My goal was not just to build a concept, but to prove its effectiveness through real data.
“I’ll compare from a few apps, not always the same seats but same location to see if there’s any price differences.
-Participant 1 Interview Quote
Overcoming Challenges
Balancing the workload for this capstone project was a challenge, especially since it took place during my final semester at Purdue. Midway through the project, I received the difficult news that my mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This personal hardship made it difficult to stay focused at times.
Despite these circumstances, I remained committed to completing the project. It became one of the most challenging yet meaningful experiences of my college career, showing me the importance of resilience and dedication—both as a student and a designer.
Impact on Users
The results of the usability testing were striking. In the pre-test phase, three users were asked to find the cheapest ticket for an event by manually comparing listings on three separate ticket apps. Their average time: 150 seconds.
Next, five users different from the pre-test were given the same task using the TicketScout prototype. Their average time: 36 seconds.
This 76% decrease in task time demonstrated how much more efficient and user-friendly the TicketScout experience was. It validated the hypothesis that aggregating ticket listings could significantly reduce friction and improve user satisfaction.
Project Reflection
TicketScout taught me the true value of user-centered design. While I learned a great deal about interface design and research methods, it was the usability testing that provided the most impactful insights. I gained hands-on experience in structuring tests, writing protocols, selecting participants, and analyzing data in a way that supported design decisions.
Most importantly, this project proved that even a relatively simple UX solution can have a major effect on the user experience. TicketScout not only made buying tickets faster—it made it better. And for me, it marked a turning point in how I approach design challenges, research, and real-world problem solving. This project didn’t just teach me lessons on an academic level, it also taught me how to work through personal challenges as well.