Streamlining Booking Experience:
Role
Lead Designer | Branding | Research
Year
2024
Applications
Figma, Screenflick, Gifski
Brief
Sonic House is a mobile app designed to revolutionize the gig booking landscape. By centralizing event management, enhancing communication, and minimizing administrative work, it empowers event organizers to create unforgettable events with ease.
What Makes an Event Organizer’s Job Harder Than It Needs to Be?
The DJ booking process, once a manageable task, had become a maze of complexities—fragmented communications, inconsistent contracts, and too many platforms to keep track of. After speaking with several organizers, I realized this wasn’t just a minor inconvenience; it was an industry-wide pain point.
What If There Was a Way to Unify These Fragmented Pieces Into One Seamless Experience?
I knew a solution is needed, but it wasn’t until I sat down with an event organizer in Brooklyn that the vision for Sonic House became clear. She walked me through her chaotic process: reaching out to DJs on Instagram, negotiating over email, managing payments on third-party apps, and juggling contracts in Google Docs. The stress in her voice was palpable as she explained, “I have three shows this month, and I’m already buried in logistics."
At that moment, I saw the opportunity: A single platform where event organizers could discover DJs, manage communications, finalize contracts, and process payments—without the hassle of switching between apps and platforms.
Understanding the Industry: Research Insights
To create something truly impactful, I had to immerse myself in the world of event organizers and DJs. I spent weeks connecting with club promoters, festival planners, and independent event coordinators. One organizer shared how he often worked until 5 AM, chasing down artists who didn’t respond during the day: “I’m constantly chasing people, trying to keep the show on track. It’s exhausting."
Another described how the booking process could take anywhere from a few days to several weeks—emails going back and forth, miscommunications piling up. These stories became the foundation of Sonic House.
Laying the Foundation: Developing the MVP
Crafting the Identity: Bringing the Brand to Life
The brand’s essence lies in its name—a fusion of sound and community. Sonic evokes a sense of audio, while House not only refers to a genre but also suggests a gathering place, implying a central hub where music events and activities occur.
The logo design embodies this concept by combining the initials S and H into a sleek, interconnected shape. This visual connection symbolized unity and flow, mirroring the app’s mission to streamline event management for organizers.
The vibrant color palette and clean typography added a dynamic feel, ensuring the brand felt both energetic and professional from the moment users engaged with it.
Talent Discovery
A curated marketplace for finding popular and emerging DJs, with filters to refine searches by genre, date, and location. DJ profiles feature a follower metric instead of lengthy bios—a detail organizers valued as a quick gauge of an artist’s credibility.
Communication Tools
A built-in messaging system that allows organizers to communicate with DJs directly within the app. This ensures that all messages are centralized and easily accessible, facilitating discussions about critical details such as travel accommodations, logistics, and technical requirements for DJ performances.
Booking Dashboard
A centralized hub where event organizers can manage everything from inquiries and contracts to payments, all in one streamlined interface. This feature provides organizers with an at-a-glance view of all their bookings, making it easier to track progress, follow up on pending actions, and access important details without navigating multiple platforms.
Testing the Waters: Real Users, Real Feedback
To ensure Sonic House could thrive in real-world scenarios, I tested the prototypes with a small group of early adopters—event organizers who had previously shared their experiences with us.
Many of them expressed excitement about having all their tools in one place, describing how much time it saved them in managing multiple aspects of event planning. However, as I delved deeper into testing, it became clear that certain areas still needed improvement.
Organizers highlighted a need for flexibility in contract management. Initially, I provided a built-in contract creation tool, but users wanted more freedom—they preferred the option to upload their own contracts. In response, I integrated an upload feature that fit naturally within the app's flow.
To further enhance the app’s functionality based on user feedback, I introduced a profile page for tracking past and upcoming events, giving organizers an organized view of their booking history and future plans. Users can take quick actions, such as rebooking an artist from a past event or adding an upcoming event to their calendar, making it even easier to manage and plan efficiently.
The Unexpected Challenge: Building Trust
One of the most surprising challenges I anticipated was not technical but emotional—building trust. I understood that organizers might hesitate to migrate their bookings to a new platform without solid proof of its reliability and effectiveness, especially given the high stakes of event planning. To address this, I designed strategies that would emphasize Sonic House’s core value: simplifying the booking process to save time and reduce stress.
I conceptualized a partnership program with prominent DJs to showcase the platform’s potential success. The idea was that if well-known figures in the industry endorsed Sonic House, it would build credibility and attract event organizers. Picture a renowned DJ sharing their positive experience—this could create buzz and encourage organizers to try the platform, seeing that respected peers trusted it.
While these strategies were theoretical, they demonstrated my approach to tackling the trust challenge and building credibility for Sonic House as it moved beyond the concept stage.
The Vision Ahead: Envisioning the Next Evolution
The story doesn’t end there. Sonic House’s potential for growth is immense. The next steps include adding promoter analytics, so users can track trends and optimize events with data-driven insights. I also plan to integrate event marketing tools to help organizers expand their reach effortlessly. The goal is to build a one-stop platform that supports every aspect of event management—not just bookings, but building successful events from start to finish.
Key Takeaway
Sonic House demonstrates that by understanding the core challenges users face and addressing them with a streamlined, user-centered approach, a platform can transform how an industry operates. It’s not just about creating a tool but about crafting a solution that reduces complexity, saves time, and empowers users to focus on what truly matters—delivering successful events. The journey of Sonic House highlights the importance of continuous testing, adaptability, and a vision that goes beyond immediate needs, setting the foundation for a scalable, impactful product.
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