Bearbeitungsbeginn: 01.03.2016

Vorgelegt am: 31.08.2016

Thesis

zur Erlangung des Grades

Bachelor of Science

im Studiengang Online Medien

an der Fakultät Digitale Medien

Jens M Eichkorn

Matrikelnummer: 244521

Conceptual design of a universal smartphone application for German music festivals

Erstbetreuer: Frau Prof. Patricia Stolz

Zweitbetreuer: Herr Prof. Thomas Krach

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I hereby declare that the thesis submitted is my own unaided work. All direct or indirect sources

used are acknowledged as references. I agree with the publication of my thesis online and

offline.

Ich erkläre hiermit an Eides statt, dass ich die vorliegende Thesis selbständig und ohne

unzulässige fremde Hilfe angefertigt habe. Alle verwendeten Quellen und Hilfsmittel, sind

angegeben. Ich stimme der Veröffentlichung online, sowie offline zu.

___________________ __________________

Signature: Jens M Eichkorn Location, Date

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I. INDEX

I. INDEX ...........................................................................................................................III

II. ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... V

III. TABLE OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... VI

IV. LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................... VIII

V. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................... IX

1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1

1.1 INITIAL SITUATION ........................................................................................................... 1

1.2 ISSUE ............................................................................................................................ 2

1.3 OBJECTIVE ..................................................................................................................... 2

2 STATUS QUO .................................................................................................................. 3

2.1 MUSIC FESTIVALS ............................................................................................................ 3

2.2 FESTIVALS IN GERMANY .................................................................................................... 3

2.3 SMARTPHONE BEHAVIOR IN GERMANY ................................................................................. 4

3 REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS ............................................................................................... 5

3.1 ACTUAL STATE ANALYSIS ................................................................................................... 5 3.1.1 ROCK AM RING ...................................................................................................................... 5 3.1.2 WORLDCLUBDOME ............................................................................................................... 7 3.1.3 COACHELLA MOBILE APPLICATION ............................................................................................. 9 3.1.4 TICKETING SYSTEMS ............................................................................................................. 11

3.2 USER ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 11 3.2.1 USER KNOWLEDGE ............................................................................................................... 12 3.2.2 PERSONAL PREFERENCES AND CHARACTERISTICS ........................................................................ 13 3.2.3 INTOXICATION ON MUSIC FESTIVALS ........................................................................................ 16

3.3 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ............................................................................................. 17 3.3.1 SHORT INTRODUCTORY PERIOD .............................................................................................. 17 3.3.2 MOBILE CONNECTIVITY ON MUSIC FESTIVALS ............................................................................ 18

3.4 FEATURE ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................ 19 3.4.1 LOGIN ................................................................................................................................ 19 3.4.2 TICKETING .......................................................................................................................... 19 3.4.3 GIGS .................................................................................................................................. 21 3.4.4 INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................... 21 3.4.5 FOOD AND DRINK PURCHASE .................................................................................................. 21 3.4.6 RECAP................................................................................................................................ 22 3.4.7 FEEDBACK .......................................................................................................................... 22 3.4.8 AFFILIATE ........................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.9 LOST & FOUND ................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.10 PROMOTION ....................................................................................................................... 23 3.4.11 SEARCH .............................................................................................................................. 24

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4 CONCEPTION ............................................................................................................... 25

4.1 STRUCTURE .................................................................................................................. 25 4.1.1 CONTEXT AWARENESS .......................................................................................................... 25

4.2 USER STORIES ............................................................................................................... 27

4.3 WIREFRAMES ............................................................................................................... 29 4.3.1 MENU ............................................................................................................................... 29 4.3.2 TICKETING .......................................................................................................................... 32 4.3.3 FOOD ORDER ...................................................................................................................... 34 4.3.4 MY FESTIVAL ....................................................................................................................... 35

4.4 DESIGN ....................................................................................................................... 36 4.4.1 STYLE GUIDE ....................................................................................................................... 36 4.4.2 TYPOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................... 37 4.4.3 ICONOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................... 37 4.4.4 FINAL DESIGN ...................................................................................................................... 38

5 REVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 42

5.1 TENOR OF WORK ........................................................................................................... 42

5.2 OUTLOOK .................................................................................................................... 43

5.3 CLOSING WORD ............................................................................................................ 44

VI. ATTACHMENTS ............................................................................................................ 45

6 REFERENCES................................................................................................................. 46

VII. EXPERTENINTERVIEW MIT YOLANDA VON DER HEIDE ................................................... 49

VIII. EXPERT INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD LITTAUER .......................................................... 52

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II. Abstract

In Germany, there is a large market for music festivals. Second only to the USA, Germany has

the highest revenue on music events. In the digital era, mobile applications have penetrated this

market already.

This thesis will analyze which special circumstances are to be considered and which

requirements need to be fulfilled for a music festival application to both improve the visitors’

satisfaction and support the operator with its effort. Handling problems that occur with

intoxicated users, as well as technical challenges with bad connectivity in remote areas, are

being considered.

The theoretical part of this bachelor thesis will analyze existing mobile applications of German

and international music festivals for implemented features, design and usability. A quantitative

survey about users’ behavior regarding smartphone usage in general, and on music festivals in

particular, will then collect information for a user analysis. This will give an insight on the

habits, knowledge, willingness and personal preferences of festival attendees.

Based on that information, part two will then develop a concept of a mobile application. It will

target not only the time during the festival, but also the time beforehand and afterwards. The

concept will include the structure of the application as well as the layout in the form of

wireframes and designs.

The result will be a universal design concept for mobile applications, which target German

music festivals. Operators can use it for customizations of their event branding.

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III. TABLE OF FIGURES

fig. 2.1 – Global comparison of music events in revenue (Statista - Digital Market Outlook,

2016)

fig. 3.1 – Screenshot: Rock am Ring Android app (start)

fig. 3.2 – Screenshot: Rock am Ring Android app (sidebar)

fig. 3.3 – Screenshot: Rock am Ring Android app (timetable)

fig. 3.4 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (Start)

fig. 3.5 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (Sidebar)

fig. 3.6 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (timetable)

fig. 3.7 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (own schedule pre login)

fig. 3.8 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (own schedule post login)

fig. 3.9 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (times)

fig. 3.10 – Screenshot: Coachella Android app (Use my location)

fig. 3.11 – Screenshot: Coachella Android app (Sidebar)

fig. 3.12 – Screenshot: Coachella Android app (My schedule)

fig. 3.13 – Survey: Users that bring smartphones to festivals

Fig. 3.14 – Survey: Age of festival attendees

fig. 3.15 – Survey: Education level

Fig. 3.16 – Survey: Smartphone system

fig. 3.17 – Survey: Problems on festivals

fig. 3.19 – Survey: Most used smartphone features

fig. 3.20 – Survey: Most used smartphone features on festivals

fig. 3.21 – Survey: Reasons to visit a festival (artists)

Fig. 3.22 – Overlay of LTE connectivity (purple) of Telekom and some music festivals (red

pins) in Germany (Google, 2016; Telekom, 2016)

fig. 3.23 – Diagram: Ticket market structure (a)

fig. 3.24 – Diagram: Ticket market structure (b)

fig. 3.25 – Sketch: Food stall with food boxes

fig. 4.1 – Diagram: Application structure before the festival

fig. 4.2 – Diagram: Application structure during the festival

fig. 4.3 – Diagram: Application structure after the festival

fig. 4.4 – Wireframe: Menu before

fig. 4.5 – Wireframe: Menu during

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fig. 4.6 – Wireframe: Menu after

fig. 4.7 – Wireframe: Menu before (more)

fig. 4.8 – Wireframe: Menu during (more)

fig. 4.9 – Wireframe: Menu after (more)

fig. 4.10 – Depth of application structure

fig. 4.11 – Wireframe: Menu scrolled 1

fig. 4.12 – Wireframe: Menu scrolled 2

fig. 4.13 – Wireframe: Menu scrolled 3

fig. 4.14 – Wireframe: buy tickets

fig. 4.15 – Wireframe: Manage tickets (select)

fig. 4.16 – Wireframe: Manage tickets

fig. 4.17 – Wireframe: Confirm ticket release

fig. 4.18 – Wireframe: Ticket entry

fig. 4.19 – Wireframe: Food (overview)

fig. 4.20 – Wireframe: Food (detail)

fig. 4.21 – Wireframe: Food (confirm order)

fig. 4.22 – Wireframe: Food (My orders)

fig. 4.23 – Wireframe: Food (claim order)

fig. 4.24 – Wireframe: My festival (friends)

fig. 4.25 – Wireframe: My festival (my gigs)

fig. 4.26 – Color palette

fig. 4.27 – Example of baseline grid (Google, 2014a)

fig. 4.28 – Example of typography in a baseline grid (Google, 2014a)

fig. 4.29 – Typography

fig. 4.30 – Design: Menu before

fig. 4.31 – Design: Menu during

fig. 4.32 – Design: Menu after

fig. 4.33 – Design: Menu before (more)

fig. 4.34 – Design: Menu during (more)

fig. 4.35 – Design: Menu after (more)

fig. 4.36 – Design: Ticketing (buy)

fig. 4.37 – Design: Ticketing (manage 1)

fig. 4.38 – Design: Ticketing (manage 2)

fig. 4.39 – Design: Ticketing (entry)

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fig. 4.40 – Design: Food stalls (overview)

fig. 4.41 – Design: Food stalls (detail)

fig. 4.42 – Design: Food stalls (confirm order)

fig. 4.43 – Design: My order

fig. 4.44 – Design: Claim order

fig. 4.45 – Design: My festival (friends)

fig. 4.46 – Design: My festival (My gigs)

Images appearing in design screens

Friends and Artists: Jens M Eichkorn

The Burger House & Hamburger: www.foodiesfeed.com (Jakub Kapusnak)

Cheesburger: www.unsplash.com (Niclas Rhöse)

Burger Deluxe: www.unsplash.com (Freddie Marriage)

China Wok: www.unsplash.com (Clem Onojeghuo)

Noodle soup: www.unsplash.com (Piotr Miazga)

IV. LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 – User story: Buy tickets

Table 4.2 – User story: Sell tickets

Table 4.3 – User story: Order food

Table 4.4 – Menu iconography

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V. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AI Artificial intelligence

API Application programming interface

App Application

BC Before Christ

DP Density independent pixel

LTE Long term evolution

NFC Near field communication

GmbH Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung

GPS Global positioning system

QR Quick response

USA United States of America

USD United States Dollar

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1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Initial Situation

Since Apple has made the smartphone suitable for the masses with its first release of the iPhone

in 2007, there has been continuous growth in the smartphone market. In 2015, 92% of all cell

phones owned by those aged 16 to 35 in Germany were so called smartphones (Pew Research

Center, 2015). Companies can see the possibilities in this market growth and seek out new fields

of applications. Still, there are quite a few areas that smartphone technology has yet to penetrate,

and many opportunities are being wasted. Because this technology lets us connect services so

closely, data has never been available in a more widespread manner.

Smartphones give users the ability to access seemingly unlimited information right at their

fingertips. People can text, hear and even see their friends all over the world, or rather entertain

themselves or simplify their lives. Organizing tools that used to be all on paper have become

digital and mobile.

Today, smartphone users are accustomed to getting personalized search results or playlists.

Companies like Google, Apple and Intel are investing in deep learning and AI technology

(cbinsights, 2016), to use their vast collection of user data to improve their offerings.

Music festival operators have also started to use the opportunity of mobile devices with their

visitors, to make information more easily accessible. There is, however, still a lot of potential

not being used and many possible influencing factors not being considered. Furthermore, most

existing festival applications concentrate on servicing only the time during the event, yet there

remains great potential for an application that services the time before and after a music festival.

While a lot of money is spent on sound and visual technology, as well as on artists’ fees, it

seems that a lot of potential is wasted on the interface between visitors and the operator.

Information is only being pushed through social media channels, where an overload of

information makes it nearly impossible to reach every potential customer. Ticketing processes

are outsourced to third party suppliers, thereby relinquishing the control of analytics, meaning

less control and more effort for the operator alongside services for the visitors that are not ideal.

Especially in the field of ticketing, there usually arises the same problem of black markets (von

der Heide, 2016), which again leads to a lot of effort in explanatory work for the operator and

frustration for the visitor.

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1.2 Issue

How can smartphone technology be used to improve the user experience at German music

festivals, and which external circumstances are to be considered?

1.3 Objective

The objective of this thesis is to develop a universal concept and design for a mobile application

for German music festivals. Users shall therefore be analyzed in regard to their smartphone

behavior – especially on music festivals – and the environment shall be analyzed to so that

influencing factors can be considered in the concept.

The application shall provide functionality to resolve problems that commonly arise at festivals,

support visitors and operators and lead to higher satisfaction and consumer acceptance.

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2 STATUS QUO

2.1 Music festivals

Music festivals are aimed at entertaining a large crowd of people with the same musical interest.

At them, thousands of people come together to celebrate their favorite artists and collectively

have fun.

Events of this kind have a long history. In ancient Greece, festivals were very important and

were held in honor of their gods. In the Pythian Games starting around 582 BC people competed

not only in athletics, but also in poetry and musical contests (Shephard, 2015, p. 202).

The first modern music festivals have their origins in the USA. The Newport Folk Festival in

1959 can be seen as the first massive music festival, in terms of the size of the audience (Hiller,

2016, p. 309). About 10,000 people have come to see musicians every year. Exactly ten years

later, the Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York surpassed that number by almost fifty times.

These kinds of productions becoming bigger and bigger creates a great challenge for the

operators. Management includes booking artists, gastronomy and safety issues. But also, visitors

can face difficulties when attending such large-scale events.

2.2 Festivals in Germany

The first modern music festival in Germany was the Love and Peace Festival in 1970, on the

island of Fehmarn. Although this was a financial fiasco (Strelow), music festivals today

represent a very lucrative enterprise.

After the USA, Germany presently has the second highest revenue in music events globally. In

2016, it held a revenue of USD1,504,200,000 (Statista - Digital Market Outlook, 2016). The top

three festivals by revenue in Germany are Southside (8.9Mio €), Rock im Park (13Mio €) and

Rock am Ring (15Mio €) (Pollstar, 2015).

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f ig . 2.1 – Global comparison of music events in revenue (Stat ista - Dig i ta l Market Out look, 2016)

2.3 Smartphone behavior in Germany

Since the rise of cell phones, their range of functions has progressively increased. Whereas cell

phones in the 1990s could only make phone calls, their purpose has tremendously evolved.

Nowadays, they substitute entire computers.

A survey conducted in 2015 gives insight into how smartphone users use their devices. It was

reported that at least 70% of smartphone users accessed their devices for social networking,

messaging, using their digital calendar and taking photos or videos. More than half of all

smartphone users are familiar with navigation and listening to music on their mobile devices

(Bitkom, 2015).

As the application field has developed, so too has the acceptance of mobile devices increased.

Today, almost everyone has a smartphone. In April of 2016, there were 49 million smartphone

users in Germany (Statista, 2016). It is assumed that there is a very high penetration of

smartphones, especially amongst young people. This massive volume of smartphone users has

significant network effects, meaning that the devices get more useful as they are used by more

people (Katz and Shapiro, 1994). And as mobile devices perform an increasing number of

different tasks, users are bringing them everywhere. This omnipresence again brings new

possibilities for developers. Applications are not limited for home use.

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3 REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS

Considering the previously attained knowledge, this chapter will discuss, analyze and introduce

the requirements for the application. This will be the basis for the concept in chapter 4.

Information in this part of the thesis will support the process of developing the structure and

user interface of the app. In chapter 3.1, existing applications in the same field will be analyzed

to get an overview of the status quo. Based on a recently conducted poll as part of this thesis, a

user study will analyze the behavior and needs of festival attendees in chapter 3.2. Following

this, the next chapter will determine functionalities that are required, based on the gained

knowledge. In the last subchapter, possible environmental conditions will be considered.

3.1 Actual state analysis

The aim of an actual state analysis is to record and analyze competing products, currently or

over past years on the market. Findings will help the avoidance of similar mistakes and save

time over problems that have already been solved in the past.

The applications of three festivals will be analyzed: “Rock am Ring” because it’s the biggest

festival in Germany, “WorldClubDome” because it is a city festival and “Coachella” to add one

international festival. This will give a wider range of perspective, instead of concentrating only

on the three largest German festivals. Analysis will focus on functionality and visual design.

After analyzing those three applications, the ticketing systems of the two German festivals will

be examined.

3.1.1 Rock am Ring

Rock am Ring is the largest German music festival in terms of revenue. The operator, “Mark

Lieberberg Konzertagentur”, provides a mobile application for this festival. It is available on

Google Play1 and the Apple Store2 for free and gives its users some basic information.

1 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mlk.rockamring (accessed 13/06/2016) 2 https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/rock-am-ring-die-offizielle/id438327574?mt=8 (accessed 13/06/2016)

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Users are not prompted to log into an account on first launch of the application, but can use the

app immediately. The start screen (fig. 3.1) welcomes the user with latest information and

displays some sponsors (fig. 3.1 (2)). It does not feel very personal or user centered. Instead, it

looks very commercial due to the presence of the sponsors’ logos.

In the upper lefthand corner can be found a navigation icon (fig. 3.2 (1)), which brings a

navigation sidebar (fig. 3.2) into the canvas with further functions. Alternatively, the user can

swipe right from the left border to get the same sidebar. The menu items in this sidebar include

a time table, line up, favorites, news about the festival, general information, a map of the

festival area, notifications and information about the nearby discounter (LIDL) (fig. 3.2).

The “timetable” (fig. 3.3) is structured as a table with three tabs on top, one for each day of the

festival. On the bottom, the user can switch between different stages. Provided in the table are

photos of the artists, artists’ names, performing stages, play time and a clickable star icon to set

an artist as a favourite. In the “lineup” section, all performing artists are listed, again with the

option to mark a certain performer as a favourite. Those favourites are listed in the next menu

item in the sidebar, which uses the same layout as the timetable.

“News” provides a news stream embedded by the operator, seperated by date and a facebook

and twitter feed.

Source: Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, 2015

“Info” lists thirteen different entries with useful tips for the event: arrival, general information,

visitor’s information, visitors with handycaps, caravan, FAQ, festival abc, green camping, site

f ig . 3.1 – Screenshot: Rock am Ring Android app (start)

f ig . 3.2 – Screenshot: Rock am Ring Android app (sidebar)

f ig . 3.3 – Screenshot: Rock am Ring Android app (timetable)

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rules, parking and camping rules, Rock am Ring experience, power supply and environmental

notice. If a user were to needs a piece of specific information, it would take a long time to find it

among all those items. There is no search function to support the user.

The location map utilizes the proprietary map of the phone and marks all points of interest. This

creates a very cluttered and confusing visual. Different areas are highlighted in different colors.

The notification item doesn’t list anything on date of attempt. The last item of the main menu is

“Lidl”. It’s the name of a German discounter and gives information about the closest

supermarket.

These features offer basic information about the festival, but they are very restricted in terms of

their connectivity to other services. Only two of the items use third party services. The news-

section has an embedded facebok and twitter stream, and in the favorites section, there is an

option to connect a facebook account. This, however, was not functional on the date of attempt

(13/06/2016).

The overall appearance is very cluttered and potentially confusing. That many navigational

elements on every edge of the screen create an untidy feel and poor usability.

3.1.2 WorldClubDome

On day of attempt (15/06/2016), the Android version of the World Club Dome application was

not working. This is why the iPhone version was tested.

The WorldClubDome differs from the other festivals analyzed because it is located in a city and

takes place in the indoor “Commerzbank Arena” in Frankfurt. Its operator, BigCityBeats

GmbH, also offers a free mobile application through Google Play3 and the Apple App Store4.

As with the “Rock am Ring” app, no login is needed after opening this application.

The date of attempt is just after the festival itself (03 - 05/06/2016), yet still is the start screen

(fig. 3.4) be used for some useful information. A countdown displays the number of days until

the next festival takes place, in the next year, and a news section gives information about other

upcoming events by BigCityBeats. Another news section called “Latest Updates” shows some

placeholder images for artists’ photos and their names. This is a bit confusing, since it is not an

3 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.bigcitybeats.worldclubdome&hl=en (accessed 15/06/2016) 4 https://itunes.apple.com/de/app/world-club-dome/id993476813?mt=8 (accessed 15/06/2016)

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actual update and looks unfinished. Overall, however, it looks less commercial than the start

screen of the “Rock am Ring” app.

In the upper lefthand corner, a menu icon (fig. 3.4 (1)) brings a navigation sidebar onto the

canvas, and in the upper righthand corner, a calendar icon (fig. 3.4 (2)) that links to a timetable

can be found. There are seven items in the sidebar menu (fig. 3.5), a number that should not be

exceeded according to George A. Miller. In 1955, he found that “there is a finite span of

immediate memory and [...] this span is about seven items in length.” (George A. Miller, 1955,

p. 9). These menu items are: Discover, LineUp | Schedule, Map, Social | News, Camera, Radio

and Partners.

The timetable (fig. 3.6) is arranged into a table where the x-axis represents the time and the y-

axis the variety of stages. Since, on the day of attempt, the festival was already over, it cannot

be discerned whether the time-axis is aligned with actual time so the users could see which

artists were presently playing.

f ig . 3.4 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (Start)

f ig . 3.5 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (Sidebar)

f ig . 3.6 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (t imetable)

Source: BigCityBeats GmbH, 2015

The “LineUp | Schedule” screen is segmented in “own schedule” (fig. 3.7), “artists”, “times”

(fig. 3.9) and “stages” through tabs on the upper edge of the page.

Within “own schedule”, all performances by artists that were previously favored inside the

application are listed. There is also an option to connect one’s Facebook profile. After

connecting the service (fig. 3.8), a profile picture is displayed along with two buttons to share

one’s calendar and to see friends’ schedules. Sharing in this case only shares within the

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application, and not to Facebook. It is not clear whether Facebook likes are pulled to set favorite

artists.

The “artists” section lists all of the artists playing at the festival in alphabetical order, while the

“times” section (fig. 3.9) sorts this list by play times, and the “stages” section by stages.

f ig . 3.7 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (own schedule pre login)

f ig . 3.8 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (own schedule post login)

f ig . 3.9 – Screenshot: World Club Dome iPhone app (t imes)

Source: BigCityBeats GmbH, 2015

Overall, the application looks somewhat less cluttered than the “Rock am Ring” app. It uses

only two colors (magenta and shades of grey) and navigation elements are not as fragmented.

Still, there is no consistent grid or pattern recognizable.

3.1.3 Coachella mobile application

The world’s biggest music festival by revenue, Coachella, also provides a free smartphone

application on the Apple Store5 and Google Play6.

When starting the application for the first time, after a flash screen7, there is a series of seven

screens asking about defaults and permissions. These settings include location permission (fig.

3.10), notifications, Facebook or Twitter connection, sharing permissions and setting up an

5 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/coachella-2016-official/id632833729?mt=8 (accessed 17/07/2016) 6 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goldenvoice.coachellafest&hl=en (accessed 17/07/2016) 7 Screen used while loading the application to place a logo.

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account to activate the wristband8. Going through all of these steps takes some time and they

cannot be skipped. This may discourage users from using the app, as they might not want to

spend several minutes configuring the application.

After the user completes this procedure, a start screen displays with the navigation sidebar open

on the canvas (fig. 3.11). This gives quick overviews of the available features, which are:

Weather information, Settings, LineUp/Schedule, Map, Wristband, Shuttle, Fun & Essentials,

Eat & Drink, News & Social, Webcast, VR and MyAccount. All menu items are a combination

of icons and text.

f ig . 3.10 – Screenshot: Coachella Android app (Use my location)

f ig . 3.11 – Screenshot: Coachella Android app (Sidebar)

f ig . 3.12 – Screenshot: Coachella Android app (My schedule)

Source: Goldenvoice Concerts, 2016

All in all, Coachella’s mobile application seems to be provide the best service and information

to its users. Additionally, it is the best visually structured.

8 Used as an entry verification.

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3.1.4 Ticketing systems

The German festivals analyzed both use third party ticket providers. WorldClubDome sell their

tickets through PartyTickets9 and Rock am Ring through Eventim10. Both suppliers exclude

refundment in their disclaimers (eventim.de, 2016; partytickets.de, 2011).

From an expert interview with a former BigCityBeats employee, it reveals that this creates a

major issue. Customers that change their minds, and want to get rid of their tickets, try to sell

them through social media channels. This leads to two problems.

Paper tickets are usually based on a QR code, and are either personalized or non-personalized. If

they are personalized, selling is not possible at all, because the secondhand buyer cannot get

access to the event with another person’s name on the tickets. If they are non-personalized, they

can be sold, but the buyer wouldn’t know whether the seller has kept a copy of the ticket. And

with a QR code, only the first person to use it for entry will get access to the festival. If the

person with access is not the legitimate buyer, the frustration will be palpable, even working its

way up to the festival’s operator (von der Heide, Yolanda, 2016).

The other problem is that tickets for an event are being sold at disproportionate prices if the

official sources have sold out. This results in black market sales that the operator cannot control.

3.2 User analysis

Analyzing the potential userbase will give some indication of their experiences regarding

smartphone usage and their personal preferences. Arising from this will be findings that flow

into the requirement analysis and design phase, by providing meaningful insights for user

interface. A survey about smartphone usage on German festivals as part of this thesis (Eichkorn,

2016) achieved 509 responses and will influence the analysis along with secondary literature. If

not stated differently, the following findings and diagrams arose from this survey.

9 https://www.partytickets.de/shops/worldclubdome/shop.php (accessed on 27/06/2016) 10 http://www.eventim.de/rock-am-ring-tickets.html? (accessed on 27/06/2016)

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3.2.1 User knowledge

It is first of all necessary to determine whether music festival attendees do bring their

smartphones along at all. Because a festival can be quite chaotic, and users might fear losing

things, it is possible that they could decide not to bring their valuable devices. In the survey,

however, it was found that 88.2% of respondents do bring their smartphones to festivals. 17.8%

do not, or only bring non-smart cellphones.

The survey also revealed that most

festival visitors are less than 30 years old.

Only a small fraction of visitors, 12.8%,

is older. People born after 1980 are often

called digital natives. They grew up with

digital technology, which is why they are

familiar enough to use it (Buhse and

Reinhard, 2009).

This is a relevant fact to consider, because the implication is that the digital natives’ experience

with smartphone applications is very high. It is especially important since a festival application

doesn’t give its users much time to learn. It is only used once a year, and only then for a few

days during the festival.

Another indicator of their learning ability is their high level of education. 68.8% have a high-

school diploma or higher degree (fig. 3.15).

f ig . 3.13 – Survey: Users that bring smartphones to fest iva ls

Fig. 3.14 – Survey: Age of festival attendees

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Each smartphone operating system has a different design and set of hardware characteristics that

define handling. Consequently, users were also asked which system they use. 64.6% of the

respondents run an Android system on their mobile phones, so they are familiar with typical

Android user interfaces and interactions. Based on this, the concept will concentrate on typical

Android user interfaces and navigation elements.

3.2.2 Personal preferences and characteristics

Problems

To find out which smartphone features might support festival attendees, visitors were asked

about problems they faced and how they used their smartphones on and off festivals in the past.

The three most mentioned problems, according to the survey, are missing an act (56.6%),

standing in line (41.5%) and losing their friends (38.2%).

Fig. 3.16 – Survey: Smartphone system

f ig . 3.17 – Survey: Problems on festivals

f ig . 3.15 – Survey: Educat ion level

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Top smartphone features

The three most used smartphone features outside of festivals are messaging (77%), social

networking (75.2%) and taking photos (71.3%).

Top smartphone features on festivals

At the festival itself, they state that they use the camera (80.9%) and messaging feature to

contact friends at the festival (73%) and at home (57.3%) the most. Based on those values, a

feature analysis can then elaborate on the most useful functions for the application.

f ig . 3.18 – Survey: Most used smartphone features

f ig . 3.19 – Survey: Most used smartphone features on fest iva ls

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Decision-making factors

The respondents were asked which factors most influence their decision to visit a festival. On a

scale from 0 (no influence) to 5 (high influence) 83.3% marked performing artists as a 4 or

higher (fig. 3.20). After other attending friends (63.1% claimed as 4 or higher), this makes it the

highest ranking factor for deciding on a festival.

Feature requests

In a “further comments” section, over 60 wishes for possible application features were posted.

Influenced by the weather conditions of some major German festivals in 2016, a lot of wishes

deal with weather forecasts and disaster warnings. As those were relatively singular

circumstances which are not expected regularly, this thesis will not go into detail about them.

Other frequently mentioned features are offline or low connectivity modes, the ability to save

one’s campsite or parking lot and making and tracking friends.

Privacy concerns

Smartphone applications have access to all kind of data. Some can access the internal phone

book, location or even private photos. Some of this access is needed for a designated purpose.

Others collect even more information about their users than necessary. This data can then be

sold for a great deal of money. For consumers, it’s difficult to distinguish whether a permission

is justified or not. And even if it is needed, users usually don’t know if it’s handled privileged.

Therefore, most concerns over privacy are due to poor communication about how their data is

processed. And with that comes concerns about privacy and becoming a so called “transparent

f ig . 3.20 – Survey: Reasons to vis it a fest iva l (artists)

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citizen”, where everything about everyone is known by companies and governments (Statista,

2015). Compared to other European countries, with 62% of all citizens being worried about

their private data, Germany is one of the countries with the most privacy concerns. Only Spain

has a higher rate at 78% (Symantec, 2015).

These concerns make it very challenging for developers to build trust in their services. iOS and

Android make it easier for users to determine when a permission is needed. Users have to

confirm a permission right when the app tries to access it the first time. With this method, users

can feel more confident about their data, knowing the extent to which it is being used.

3.2.3 Intoxication on music festivals

Where people come together to celebrate, alcohol is frequently involved. At music festivals, it is

abundantly clear that many visitors are intoxicated. Because visitors consume much of the

alcohol beforehand, it is quite difficult to determine the average amount of alcohol consumed at

festivals. In an expert interview, however, it was stated that about 75% of all visitors are clearly

intoxicated (von der Heide, 2016). Since it is not possible to determine the average blood

alcohol level, it is assumed that the average is around 0.8‰. This value will be used as a

reference and considered in the conception.

Up to 0.8‰ blood alcohol concentration is enough to cause light influence on both sight and

coordination and 0.8‰ and above seriously influences eyesight and body coordination (Sucht

Schweiz, 2014). To use an application on a small smartphone screen, good hand-eye

coordination is very important, as well as good eyesight. Intoxicated users may find it difficult

to navigate through an application and recognize important elements.

However, a clear assessment cannot be made regarding how elements should be designed for

intoxicated users. “Font size is variable, and so is focus and attention. There’s no definitive font

size” (Littauer, 2016).

Littauer also claims, however, that being drunk reduces the user’s willingness to read texts.

Images and design should indicate what a design is intended to be and whom it is for. If much

text is needed it is not a good design. If content is redundant, users will be even more likely to

skip it. Things that appear elsewhere, or are not essential for comprehension, should be omitted.

Additionally, because drunk users do not have the ability to think complexly, one should not

create new, abstract visuals that the user might never have seen before. Rather, it is important to

use common standards that have already been learned. Also, call to action buttons are not clear

or prominent enough, and are easily overlooked when being drunk (Littauer, 2015).

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It is explicitly important, therefore, to simplify an application for a very likely intoxicated target

audience. Navigation structure and navigation elements must be simple and easy to recognize

and understand. Texts and interactive elements should not be too small and icons can support

text elements as seen in the Coachella application (3.1.3).

3.3 Environmental analysis

Every environment provides different conditions. Those conditions may affect the usability of a

mobile application, so it’s necessary to discover and consider those conditions in order to

develop an appropriate application. Analyzing the unique conditions of field at a music festival,

the environment must be observed, especially determining the differences and departures from a

more regular environment11. While there are many irregular conditions, like loudness and tight

crowds, this thesis will concentrate on two major aspects as they distinguish the use of a

smartphone at a festival from more regular use. These aspects are the short period of

introductory and restricted mobile connectivity.

3.3.1 Short introductory period

Festival applications are usually installed right after their release (von der Heide, 2016). It is

then assumed that they are only being intensely used during the festival. Music festivals usually

do not last longer than three days, as do the two German festivals of the analyzed applications in

chapter 3.1. So the window of time for the user to familiarize them self with it is very short. It

can only be extended slightly if features that provide a benefit before the festival are

implemented, and if the application gets promoted enough beforehand.

11 By this are meant conditions in everyday use like on the street, at work or at home where special conditions as on festivals do not occur.

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3.3.2 Mobile connectivity on music festivals

There are two problems that cause restricted mobile connectivity at music festivals. The best

mobile connectivity is found in city areas where radio cells are positioned. The power flux

density, which is the intensity of the radiation, decreases by a quarter in relation to the distance

(Jörn, 2003, p. 34). Many music festivals are loud and require a lot of space, so they take place

in remote areas where this space is available. However, the further they are from populated

areas, the worse the connectivity becomes. The availability of Broadband LTE in Germany is

mostly centered in major cities (cf. Fig. 3.21).

Additionally, radio cells can only supply a limited number of users. According to Rogowsky,

when too many users log into a single radio cell, the provided bandwidth is divided between the

number of users, and connection gets very slow. An overloaded network is the result

(Rogowsky, 2012).

Since the concept and design of an application cannot solve that issue significantly, it will not

be considered in the further course.

Fig. 3.21 – Over lay of LTE connect iv ity (purple) of Telekom and some music fest ivals ( red pins) in Germany (Google, 2016; Telekom, 2016)

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3.4 Feature analysis

The preceding actual state analysis, user analysis and environmental analysis provide valuable

information regarding which features are useful and should be implemented in an application

for music festival visitors. Using this information, this chapter will amass all of the necessary

functions for a mobile application for German music festivals. This thesis, however, will not

discuss every feature in detail. It will concentrate on new ideas, rather than features already

available in existing festival applications. Those will be mentioned if they ought to be carried

over and whether they are in need of improvement.

3.4.1 Login

In the actual state analysis of the Coachella application (3.1.3), it was shown that upon the

initial launch of the app, the user is prompted to login, and taken through a long process of

setting up the application. In the other two analyzed applications, there is no login at all. Only

connecting the application with one’s Facebook account is possible.

This seems to be more convenient, since 25.9% of all users are not willing to use a login for

such an application (Eichkorn, 2016). Furthermore, a seven step process is not within proportion

for an application that will only be used for a couple of days.

As a result, a login function should only be placed where necessary. Also, a one-click social

login ought to be possible, as it was demonstrated that users are more willing to register for an

application if they don’t have to sign up manually (Eichkorn, 2016). With a social login, instead

of manually typing in the user details, they are just pulled from a respective network.

Permissions should only be requested where needed. And since Android 5.0, permissions like

location or camera access are requested as needed, not right at installation (Google, 2015). This

way, the user is not asked unnecessarily, without having even used a function that requires

permission, as seen in the Coachella application (cf. 3.1.3).

3.4.2 Ticketing

Such a feature is not available in any of the analyzed applications. Instead, their operators sell

the festival tickets through third party suppliers on external websites. Problems that result from

this practice were mentioned in chapter 3.1.4. A dedicated ticketing feature inside the

application should address those problems. In the ticketing section, users must be able to both

buy new tickets and manage their existing ones.

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As potential customers are more willing to buy a product if they have the chance to return it

(DeMicheli, 2013, p. 146), an option to return purchased tickets should be available. For

operators, though, this means huge uncertainty regarding whether customers will keep their

tickets or not. That is why this option can only allow users to swap tickets with other visitors. A

function to release a ticket and offer it on the original market, at the original price (fig. 3.23),

prevents the rise of black markets and gives an official opportunity to people who want to buy

sold out tickets. The money, however, will only be returned to the seller if someone else buys

the released ticket the market again.

f ig . 3.22 – Diagram: Ticket market structure (a)

f ig . 3.23 – Diagram: Ticket market structure (b)

Both parties, the seller and the buyer, will be kept anonymous, and the first offer placed on this

market will be the first available to new customers. This offers a fair exchange and leaves no

room for privileging or competition to emerge. So, the chance to sell one’s ticket is only

determined by the time the offer is placed. The earlier somebody offers tickets, the higher the

chance is that someone else will buy them. These secondhand tickets ought also to be prioritized

over the original tickets.

After a successful transaction, the old ticket and its corresponding QR-code will become

invalid, and a new ticket will be created in the account of the new customer.

This enables a risk-free transfer of the ticket for both the seller and the buyer, and eliminates the

possibility of scam, which also is a common issue for festivals (3.1.4). And with the opportunity

to get one’s money back, buying a ticket will feel more like registration, granted there cannot be

absolute certainty that someone else will buy it.

Alternatively, if the ticket owner knows a prospective customer personally, he or she can also

change the name of the ticket owner inside the app and treat the transfer privately.

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When the application locates a visitor at an entrance, the QR code within the ticketing section

will become very prominent for the user. This will make access easy and stress free.

Another benefit of a ticketing system within the application is that the users have good reason to

install and use the app, even before the festival has started. Users that might otherwise not use

the application will now have access to it, giving them an opportunity to learn and familiarize

themselves with the features before the festival even begins.

3.4.3 Gigs

The gigs section can widely be adapted from the analyzed applications in chapter 3.1.

As showtimes of artists are usually fixed weeks before the festival begins, they should be

entered into the application as early as possible. Performing artists are one of the main reasons

for people to visit a festival (3.2.2).

This can therefore serve as a promotional platform. By letting the user choose their favorite

artists, they can generate their personal schedules ahead of time. Connecting services like

Facebook or Spotify, this process can be simplified even further. Likes of artists’ Facebook

pages can analyze the user’s preferences. Not only the specific artists playing at the festival (cf.

analyzed apps from 3.1), but also artists of the same genre can be considered to create a

personalized timetable.

3.4.4 Information

As long waiting times were one of the top responses to the survey regarding things that can be

annoying at festivals, a method of reducing these could improve the visitors’ experience. Beside

the basic information that festival applications already provide, this section should also provide

smart information. During the festival, beacons on food stalls can track every visitor with the

application installed on their smartphones. Derived from the number of recognized devices, an

average waiting time can be estimated. This data can flow into the information about the various

food and drink stalls, in the form of a graphic indicator.

3.4.5 Food and drink purchase

A function of the application that would allow users to preorder food and drinks is another way

that this app could help reduce visitor frustration. The user can simply browse through the

different vendors, chose the desired product and even pay for it through the app. This

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information will then be pushed to the staff of the food stall so that they can prepare it. Once

finished, they can put it into a designated food box (fig. 3.24) and notify the customers through

the app. They can then simply go and claim the food or drink through a QR code or NFC with

no waiting time at all.

f ig . 3.24 – Sketch: Food sta l l with food boxes

3.4.6 Recap

For the operator, the work usually does not end at the conclusion of the festival itself. Social

media is used for visual recaps, and post-event movies are a very common way to promote the

past festival, thereby raising attention and awareness for the upcoming event in the following

year. Because most festivals are held annually, it makes sense to keep the marketing up in

between events. Throwbacks can produce emotional content and incite desire for the customer.

If this is being used, not only on the website and social media, but also inside the application,

users might be tempted not to uninstall the app. It then becomes easier to convert a user into a

visitor in the next year, because an application binds the customer to a seller.

3.4.7 Feedback

Another important post-festival entity is feedback. This is quite often unwanted negative

criticism posted publicly on social media. According to Hennig-Thurau, people usually don’t

see the need for feedback if they are satisfied with a product or service. Negative feelings, on

the other side, can bring imbalance. This imbalance can be restored through expression by

“venting negative feelings” (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004, p. 44). That’s why most feedback of

this kind is very negative.

Feedback can help improve a product or a service by reducing the factors that customers

criticize, but if the easiest way to give feedback is publicly on social media, it can drastically

damage a company’s image.

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Implementing a feedback function inside the app kills two birds with one stone. On the one

hand it encourages visitors to give valuable feedback that they may want to get off their chests.

On the other hand, it creates a discrete channel where other users can’t see the negative critique.

Additionally, it gives the visitor the feeling of being heard and understood.

3.4.8 Affiliate

Affiliate marketing is also very common in the event industry (von der Heide, 2016). Different

event agencies cooperate to promote events between themselves. A festival application is an

ideal medium to advertise other upcoming festivals in the same musical genre. The user is the

perfect audience, because he or she likes the respective music and was already willing to pay for

a festival.

3.4.9 Lost & Found

At the WorldClubDome, an average of 70 personal belongings are returned by visitors (von der

Heide, 2016). It is assumed that this is an average for most festivals. Coordinating the return of

these items to their owners is a time-consuming process. Usually, the affected attendee calls or

emails the operator and asks for the item. The operator then needs to check through all lost

items, which are sorted by type. The owner’s address is then noted, so that their item can be

returned. This takes considerable time and effort. Also, if the operator fails to identify the item,

the owner will never get their belongings back.

A dedicated section inside the application can provide a platform for affected customers to

coordinate this themselves. The operator then needs to index all items, so users can find and

claim them through the application. In a contact form, the user tells the operator their address,

so the lost item can be sent back to its owner.

3.4.10 Promotion

In the era of web 2.0, referral marketing has become more and more important. Users trust their

own friends more than they trust generic advertisements (Nielsen.com, 2013). This principle can

be used inside the app to engage users, to promote the app between friends on social networks

or via mail and text messages.

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3.4.11 Search

None of the analyzed applications in chapter 3.1 provide a search function. For the target

audience determined in chapter 3.2, it is important to make information easy searchable and

accessible. To realize this, a search function must be implemented.

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4 CONCEPTION

The concept will be based on all preceding accumulated knowledge. In 4.1, the structure of the

application will explain how the different pages are connected together, and how they are

navigated through. User stories in chapter 4.2 will define two possible use cases and chapter 4.3

will then transform them into wireframes. In chapter 4.4, wireframes of pages whose

functionality was previously discussed in detail are created and developed as a final design.

4.1 Structure

4.1.1 Context awareness

Context awareness is the aim to let programs detect the user’s environment and react

accordingly. The scientific vision is to provide information and functions only when and where

they are needed. Mobile devices provide the best opportunities for content aware systems. With

their wide variety of sensors, like GPS or motion, they act as both the sensing device and the

computer (Lovett and O'Neill, 2012, pp. 2–3). Context aware functions are especially useful in

situations where the user may need to be supported for different reasons.

There are two factors that require a very simple and flat structure in a mobile application for

music festivals. Both result from the user analysis in chapter 3.2. For one, festivals usually only

last a few days. This means that visitors use the application for only a few days as well. There

is, in this case, no time to explore the app and become familiar with it. The second point is that

many festival visitors are noticeably intoxicated, which affects both eyesight and physical

coordination.

For both of these facts, an overload of information and functions should be avoided. Therefore,

the application should only provide the information needed at that time, at the actual location.

Using the time and location information, functions can be filtered out of the application, if not

applicable, to reduce its scope or rearrange properties by significance for reasons of clarity and

comprehensibility. This context awareness will make the application clearer and more intuitive

for its users.

Context awareness will primarily be found in three areas of the application: The sidebar, the

user section and notifications. The structure of these three areas will be discussed in more detail

in chapter 4.3.

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Time

Two factors will be considered regarding context awareness. The first is the factor of time. The

application will therefore be separated in three major time-wise states:

1. Before the festival

2. During the festival

3. After the festival

The first state will last from the release of the application through the opening of the music

festival. In this first state, only four main features will be available: a ticketing system, general

information, day planning and promotion (fig. 4.1). This thesis will discuss a ticketing system in

more detail and only touch on the other two topics.

f ig . 4.1 – Diagram: Applicat ion structure before the fest iva l

Features like a map and social feeds can still be accessed; however, they are not to be placed as

prominently as they will be during the festival.

The second state will start on the first day of the event and end on the final day. Five main

features will therefore be available: gigs, information, map, food & drink and social (fig. 4.2).

As those features are almost all available in existing festival applications (2), this thesis will

only elaborate on “food & drink” and “waiting times”.

The managing part within the “ticketing” section will be disabled completely, to avoid ticket

transfers during the festival. Visitors could otherwise use one ticket for multiple people, as they

might want to see artists whose playtimes do not collide. So once the ticket has been validated

on entry and a visitor enters the festival, a return will no longer be possible.

f ig . 4.2 – Diagram: Applicat ion structure during the festiva l

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After the festival will form the last state of context awareness. Here only “feedback”, “recap”,

“affiliate” and “lost & found” will be available (fig. 4.3).

f ig . 4.3 – Diagram: Applicat ion structure after the festival

Location

The second factor being sensed by the context aware system is the user’s location. If the user is

at a stage, the timetable for that particular stage will be more prominent inside the application. If

they are near a food booth, a notification about that menu can be pushed through the app.

To locate the user precisely enough, the app can use not only the GPS sensor, but also beacons

on stages, food stalls or other places, that can provide useful information with functions inside

the application.

4.2 User stories

This chapter defines possible user stories of two main features which this thesis focuses on:

ticketing and ordering food.

Ticketing

Table 4.1 – User story: Buy t ickets

Name Buy tickets

Actor Buyer

Description The user wants to buy one or more tickets

Flow 1. Choose a ticket category

2. Choose the amount of tickets

3. Proceed to checkout

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Table 4.2 – User story: Sel l t ickets

Name Sell tickets

Actor Seller

Description The user wants to sell his tickets

Flow 1. Select the tickets he or she wants to

sell

2. Click on “release” button

3. Confirm the dialogue

Food order

Table 4.3 – User story: Order food

Name Order food

Actor Visitor

Description The user is hungry and wants to buy food

Flow 1. Browse through the supply of the

different food stalls

2. Check waiting times

3. Decide for one item and order it

4. Go through payment process and pay

5. Get notified when ready

6. Walk to food stall

7. Access a numbered food box through

a personal QR code or NFC

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4.3 Wireframes

Wireframes exist to display arrangements of all the elements of an application or website. They

give valuable insight in usability, without distraction by colors, and can also make reference to

interactivity, showing how the elements move or react to user action and how different pages

link to each other.

4.3.1 Menu

Navigation menus are often located in a hidden sidebar, which must be pulled out onto the

canvas. To make this more easily accessible for the target audience, in the festival application it

will be placed on the main screen, visible from the start.

The menu will adapt to the context as described in chapter 4.1.1. Three time-wise states will

determine which features should be available and how they are to be arranged. For example,

during the festival, the “gigs” menu item is on position one. However, if the user is near an

entrance, the ticketing item, which is usually not visible at all during the festival, will take its

place.

f ig . 4.4 – Wireframe: Menu before

f ig . 4.5 – Wireframe: Menu dur ing

f ig . 4.6 – Wireframe: Menu after

A profile photo and the user’s name will be located at the very top of the navigation sidebar for

easy access to the profile area. Below is a section for menu items, where a maximum of five

items will be visible during the festival (fig. 4.5). Before (fig. 4.4) and after the festival (fig.

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4.6), there will only be four items placed there. However, a “more” button below will allow the

user to unhide further menu items if they are applicable in the situation. Instead of adding a

“less” button, the items displayed additionally will again be disabled, once the user hides the

menu by scrolling down (cf. fig. 4.11fig. 4.13).

f ig . 4.7 – Wireframe: Menu before (more)

f ig . 4.8 – Wireframe: Menu dur ing (more)

f ig . 4.9 – Wireframe: Menu after (more)

To support the text-based menu, descriptive icons will support the user in finding what they are

looking for. The individual menu items will also be extra-large and square, rather than

rectangular, to make it easier to press the intended item while intoxicated (cf. 3.2.3). It is

assumed that people will not be intoxicated while using features available before the festival,

such as the ticketing system. However, to provide a consistent design and allow users to learn

the application, the elements will nevertheless be the same size as during the festival.

By displaying the menu on the canvas and the content below, a very flat hierarchy can be

achieved. The structure of the application will never get deeper than two levels (fig. 4.10). All

basic information is displayed on the top level. Only details are located on level two.

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f ig . 4.10 – Depth of appl icat ion structure

Below the menu, the first entry applicable in the actual state of content awareness will be visible

to the user. Scrolling the content up will move the entire section, hiding the menu above (fig.

4.11 - fig. 4.13). Scrolling even more will also hide the profile section, to provide the maximum

space for the content. Scrolling back down will bring the elements back.

f ig . 4.11 – Wireframe: Menu scrol led 1

f ig . 4.12 – Wireframe: Menu scrol led 2

f ig . 4.13 – Wireframe: Menu scrol led 3

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4.3.2 Ticketing

The ticketing section is segmented into three sections, separated by tabs. The first tab will let

the user choose a ticket and the amount he or she wants to buy. With the desired tickets

selected, a very prominent button (cf. 3.2.3) on the lower edge (fig. 4.14 (1)) will lead to a

checkout process.

f ig . 4.14 – Wireframe: buy tickets

As described in chapter 3.4.2, the “Manage” tab will allow the users to get rid of their tickets.

Until they selected a ticket they want to modify, the call to action button will serve as an

instruction (fig. 4.15 (1)). Once they selected a ticket, they can either rename or release it to the

market place.

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f ig . 4.15 – Wireframe: Manage tickets (se lect)

f ig . 4.16 – Wireframe: Manage tickets

f ig . 4.17 – Wireframe: Confirm ticket re lease

The last tab serves as the entry authentication with either a QR code or NFC technology.

f ig . 4.18 – Wireframe: T icket entry

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4.3.3 Food order

Within the “FOOD & DRINK” section, content is separated into “Order” and “My order”, and

here the users can browse through different food stalls, see the average waiting time indicated

through text and graphical elements and order what they decide (cf. 3.4.5).

f ig . 4.19 – Wireframe: Food (overview)

f ig . 4.20 – Wireframe: Food (detai l )

f ig . 4.21 – Wireframe: Food (conf irm order)

Within “My orders” the users can see, when their food is ready and collect it at the respective

food box as described in chapter 3.4.5.

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f ig . 4.22 – Wireframe: Food (My orders)

f ig . 4.23 – Wireframe: Food (c laim order)

4.3.4 My festival

The user analysis stated that a common problem, festival visitors face, is losing their friends (cf.

3.2.2). A “friends” section within one’s profile can indicate the friends’ location with the aim of

GPS and beacons. Within “my gigs” the user finds playtimes his or her favored artists.

f ig . 4.24 – Wireframe: My fest ival (f r iends)

f ig . 4.25 – Wireframe: My fest ival (my gigs)

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4.4 Design

Based on the wireframes, this chapter will finalize the concept by applying color, iconography,

images and detailed graphical elements.

4.4.1 Style guide

Usually in a design process, colors, typography and other essential design elements must be

defined. As this thesis, however, develops a universal design for music festivals of all kind, the

visual style of the concept is only functioning as a placeholder. Colors, fonts and imagery can

be adapted to the corresponding corporate design of the particular festival.

The color palette, however, shall contain three shades of grey, which allows any brand color to

function as the primary color. Using only one main color achieves a simple design. This color

should only have two shades (fig. 4.27) to emphasize certain elements and mark inactive ones.

Because in chapter 2.3, it was revealed that most festival visitors use smartphones running

Android, an 8px grid will be used for graphical components and a 4px grid for type aligning.

Google recommends an 8dp12 or 4dp grid in its Material Design style guide (Google, 2014b).

f ig . 4.27 – Example of baseline gr id (Google, 2014a)

f ig . 4.28 – Example of typography in a baseline gr id (Google, 2014a)

12 Density independent pixels are flexible elements that scale according to the density of a screen’s resolution (Google (2014a))

f ig . 4.26 – Color pa lette

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4.4.2 Typography

Considering the previously acquired knowledge regarding inebriated users (cf. 3.2.3), the

application only uses very little text. The chosen font family, Roboto, was designed by Christian

Robertson especially for smartphone screens. Six different font styles are provided in

consideration of versatility and other various elements. None of the designated font styles are

smaller than 20dp, to support reading by intoxicated users.

f ig . 4.29 – Typography

4.4.3 Iconography

As stated in chapter 3.2.3, using icons together with text as menu items can help especially

intoxicated users to find the right menu item, because icons are much easier to identify than

texts. They have the additional benefit of being universally understandable, regardless of

language (Teubal and Guberman, 2014, p. 75). Festivals are multicultural events and Germany

especially is easily accessible to many foreign people, since it is located so centrally in Europe.

90% of all foreign festival attendees at the World Club Dome come from surrounding countries

such as France or Italy, or from South American countries, where they might not speak German

or English (von der Heide, 2016).

Table 4.4 – Menu iconography

Tickets

Map

Lost & Found

Information

Food & Drink

Affiliate

Promotion

Social

Recap

Gigs

Feedback

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4.4.4 Final design

The final design is the product of all preceding findings, with added color, iconography and a

grid of the wireframes.

Menu

f ig . 4.30 – Design: Menu before

f ig . 4.31 – Design: Menu dur ing

f ig . 4.32 – Design: Menu after

f ig . 4.33 – Des ign: Menu before (more)

f ig . 4.34 – Des ign: Menu dur ing (more)

f ig . 4.35 – Design: Menu after (more)

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Tickets

f ig . 4.36 – Des ign: T icketing (buy)

f ig . 4.37 – Des ign: T icket ing (manage 1)

f ig . 4.38 – Des ign: T icket ing (manage 2)

f ig . 4.39 – Des ign: T icket ing (entry)

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Order food

f ig . 4.40 – Design: Food stal ls (overview)

f ig . 4.41 – Des ign: Food stal ls (detai l )

f ig . 4.42 – Des ign: Food stal ls (conf irm order)

f ig . 4.43 – Design: My order

f ig . 4.44 – Design: C laim order

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My festival

f ig . 4.45 – Design: My fest iva l (f r iends)

f ig . 4.46 – Design: My fest iva l (My g igs)

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5 REVIEW

5.1 Tenor of work

The aim of this thesis was to develop a universal concept and design for a mobile application for

German music festivals.

In chapter 2, the relevance of musical events in general, and in Germany in particular, was

determined to confirm the relevance of the entire thesis. Because these kinds of events represent

a growing market, both nationwide and globally, the significance was confirmed. The role of

smartphones in everyday life was analyzed to determine their usefulness at providing

information and support in this form. Because mobile devices are ubiquitous in Germany, it was

concluded that they do qualify for this field of application.

To collect and evaluate applications of music festivals, three existing event applications were

analyzed in chapter 3.1. This investigation concentrated on application features and design

aspects. Because many of the features are only available before or during a festival, some of

them could not be tested. For these, the analysis considered assumptions of how they would

function under required circumstances.

As none of the analyzed applications included a ticketing system, in chapter 3.1.4, the ticketing

systems of the two German festivals were examined. Both use a third party supplier for event

tickets, which relinquishes operator control and causes a multitude of problems, as determined

in an expert interview.

A survey as part of this thesis provided valuable insights into both demographics and user

behavior, along with information that proved exceptionally relevant for the user analysis in

chapter 3.2. Common problems that users face at festivals, as well as their input on frequently

used features and feature requests, were explored. This survey influenced the development of

this thesis considerably. The login function was relocated to a more practical place, because the

initial prompt was something of a barrier to users who may have been interested, but not yet

committed. Other important findings included the insight that most festival attendees use

smartphones running an Android operating system, that they are very often intoxicated and that

almost all of them bring their smartphones to music festivals.

In the environmental analysis conducted in chapter 3.3, possible external factors at music

festivals were examined. Certain factors like poor connectivity were recognized, but not further

investigated, as they are more considerable for development. Much more applicable to this

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analysis were factors like the short interval of festivals, which concurrently limits the user’s

introductory period with the application.

A feature analysis was then deduced from these findings in chapter 3.4. Functions like

personalized timetables and information, which are already common in festival applications,

were not discussed in detail. Instead, the focus centered around possible new features. A more

advanced ticketing system, which grants users the abilities to return their tickets and to use their

smartphones for entry, was one of them. Another feature that circumvents waiting times at food

stalls, by preordering meals inside the app, was presented.

In chapter 4, all the findings of the thesis so far were used to define a concept matching the

requirements of a music festival. A low structure for the target audience was made possible

through context aware content and a menu on the start screen. And in chapter 4.4, a consistent

grid was applied to achieve a homogeneous design. Icons were also designed to support menu

texts.

5.2 Outlook

This thesis forms a foundation for developing smartphone applications for German music

festivals, taking into consideration their special circumstances. Music events and mobile

technology are both growing enterprises. Event operators have already recognized the

opportunity in mobile applications. Having such an application for music festivals might not be

the only key to attendance success, as visitors do not currently rank it as an important factor in

their decision making process (Eichkorn, 2016). This thesis, however, could show that some of

the main issues affecting such events could be avoided through optimized applications and, so

too can the visitors’ satisfaction be subconsciously improved through this enhanced experience.

Some issues not fully addressed in this thesis could constitute much of another paper. It was

concluded that bad connectivity is an issue for cell phones at festivals. Another potential issue

lies in how users could misuse a “lost & found” section within the application, if they decide to

be dishonest in their claims. Additionally, precise user tracking through beacons, as mentioned

in this thesis, does require that every or even that most visitors have installed the application. As

this cannot be taken for granted anyway, a system proposing chips within a mandatory festival

wristlet could be developed in a further thesis. And smart watches can be considered in the

ticked validation or food order process as they become more and more popular.

Coachella is already providing a virtual reality application, where users can virtually walk

through the festival area. The next step would be augmented reality. In an example like this, a

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pair of AR goggles could be utilized to mark points of interest in the user’s field of vision or to

provide information about artists or playing songs. Even stage shows could be projected through

AR.

5.3 Closing word

The conception of the application and preceding analysis lay the groundwork for a final app for

music festivals. Based on the findings of this thesis, an application suiting the users’

requirements can in fact be developed. Only then could an actual improvement of the visitors’

satisfaction can be tested in a realistic environment, and eventually ascertained.

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VI. ATTACHMENTS

• Publication bibliography

• Experteninterview mit Yolanda von der Heide

• Expert interview with Richard Littauer

Also part of this thesis is a USB stick with the following content

• Bachelor Thesis (PDF)

• Survey “Smartphone-Nutzung auf Musik-Festivals” (PDF)

• Poster presentation (PDF)

• Screenshots of analyzed applications

• Wireframes (XD + PGN)

• Design (XD + PNG)

o Icons (AI + PNG)

o Images (JPG)

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6 References

BigCityBeats GmbH (2015) World Club Dome: Android app (1.3.0) [Computer program].

Available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.bigcitybeats.worldclubdome

(Accessed 15 June 2016).

Bitkom (2015) Smartphone features: usage in Germany 2015 | Survey [Online]. Available

at http://www.statista.com/statistics/436515/smartphone-features-usage-germany/ (Accessed 13

June 2016).

Buhse, W. and Reinhard, U., eds. (2009) DNAdigital - Wenn Anzugträger auf Kapuzenpullis

treffen: Die Kunst, aufeinander zuzugehen, Neckarhausen, whois.

cbinsights (2016) The Race For AI: Google, Twitter, Intel, Apple In A Rush To Grab Artificial

Intelligence Startups [Online]. Available at https://www.cbinsights.com/blog/top-acquirers-ai-

startups-ma-timeline/ (Accessed 13 July 2016).

DeMicheli, M. (2013) Onlinemarketing-Praxis für Webshops: Über 300 Praxistipps für mehr

Umsätze und Verkäufe in Onlineshops vom Suchmaschinenmarketing über Verkaufsförderung

und Newsletter bis zur Produktpräsentation, 2nd edn, Zürich, PRAXIUM.

Eichkorn, J. M. (2016) Smartphone-Nutzung auf Musik-Festivals.

eventim.de (2016) Widerrufsrecht eventim.de [Online] (VI, 1.). Available at http://

www.eventim.de/tickets.html?affiliate=EVE&doc=info/terms.

George A. Miller (1955) ‘The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our

Capacity for Processing Information’.

Goldenvoice Concerts (2016) Coachella 2016 Official (5.2.37) [Computer program]. Available

at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goldenvoice.coachellafest.

Google (2014a) Material Design Style Guide Layout - Units and measurements: Layout – Units

and measurements [Online]. Available at https://material.google.com/layout/units-

measurements.html.

Google (2014b) Material Design Style Guide Layout- Metrics & keylines [Online]. Available

at https://material.google.com/layout/metrics-keylines.html.

Google (2015) Requesting Permissions at Run Time [Online]. Available at https://

developer.android.com/training/permissions/requesting.html.

Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G. and Gremler, D. D. (2004) ‘Electronic word-of-

mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on

the Internet?’, Journal of Interactive Marketing, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 38–52.

Hiller, R. S. (2016) ‘The importance of quality: How music festivals achieved commercial

success’, Journal of Cultural Economics, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 309–334.

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Jörn, F. (2003) Strahlung im Mobilfunk: Elektrosmog - Fakten technisch anschaulich gemacht ;

Lebensrisiken wie z.B. Krebs - Elektrosensibilität - Mobilfunkfrequenzen - Sicherheitsabstände -

Antennen suchen und finden - Elektrosmog selbst messen, Poing, Franzis.

Katz, M. L. and Shapiro, C. (1994) ‘Systems Competition and Network Effects’, Journal of

Economic Perspectives, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 93–115.

Littauer, R. (2015) 10 Things I Learned About UX By Being Drunk [Online]. Available

at https://www.shopify.com/partners/blog/78184134-10-things-i-learned-about-ux-by-being-

drunk.

Littauer, Richard (2016) Unpublished interview conducted by Jens M. Eichkorn, 2016.

Lovett, T. and O'Neill, E. (2012) Mobile Context Awareness, London, Springer London.

Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (2015) The official Rock am Ring App (4.2.1) [Computer

program]. Available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mlk.rockamring.

Nielsen.com (2013) UNDER THE INFLUENCE: CONSUMER TRUST IN ADVERTISING

[Online].

partytickets.de (2011) Vermittlungsvereinbarungen Partytickets.de [Online] (6.1). Available

at https://www.partytickets.de/shops/worldclubdome/shop.php?cat=ticketshop&sec=terms

(Accessed 12 August 2016).

Pew Research Center (2015) Smartphone ownership by age in selected countries 2015 | Statistic

[Online]. Available at http://www.statista.com/statistics/539409/smartphone-ownership-by-age-

in-selected-countries/ (Accessed 13 June 2016).

Pollstar (2015) Musik-Festivals - Top 20 weltweit nach Umsatz 2015 | Statistik [Online].

Available at http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/303823/umfrage/top-20-musikfestivals-

weltweit-nach-umsatz/ (Accessed 13 June 2016).

Shephard, R. J., ed. (2015) An Illustrated History of Health and Fitness, from Pre-History to

our Post-Modern World, Cham, Springer International Publishing.

Statista (2015) E-Government - Bedenken beim Datenschutz 2015 | Umfrage [Online].

Available at http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/167114/umfrage/bedenken-beim-

datenschutz-bei-egovernment-angeboten/ (Accessed 13 June 2016).

Statista (2016) Anzahl der Smartphone-Nutzer in Deutschland in den Jahren 2009 bis 2016

[Online], Germany. Available at http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/198959/umfrage/

anzahl-der-smartphonenutzer-in-deutschland-seit-2010/.

Statista - Digital Market Outlook (2016) Music Events - worldwide | Statista Market Forecast

[Online]. Available at https://www.statista.com/outlook/273/100/music-events/worldwide

(Accessed 13 June 2016).

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Strelow, O. Before the festival [Online]. Available at http://www.fehmarnfestival1970.com/

(Accessed 12 August 2016).

Sucht Schweiz (2014) ‘Alkohol: Alkohol: Kulturgu, Konsumgut und psychiaktive Droge’.

Symantec (2015) Datenschutz - Anteil der Personen mit Bedenken in Europa im

Ländervergleich 2015 | Statistik [Online]. Available at http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/

studie/415956/umfrage/bedenken-beim-datenschutz-in-europa-nach-laendern/ (Accessed 13

June 2016).

Teubal, E. and Guberman, A., eds. (2014) Graphic texts: Literacy enhancing tools in early

childhood, Rotterdam, Sense Publishers.

von der Heide, Yolanda (2016) Unpublished interview conducted by Jens M. Eichkorn, 15

August.

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VII. Experteninterview mit Yolanda von der Heide

Erklärung

Yolanda Von der Heide war von 2009 bis 2015 in den Bereichen Marketing und Event bei der

Veranstaltungsagentur BigCityBeats GmbH tätig. Sie ist mit der Aufnahme und Verwendung

des Interviews vertraut und einer namentlichen Erwähnung einverstanden.

Einleitung

Vielen Dank, dass du dir die Zeit nimmst, mir meine Fragen im Rahmen meiner Bachelor-

Thesis zu beantworten. Durch deine langjährige Mitarbeit bei BigCityBeats und der

Organisation an Großveranstaltungen wie dem WorldClubDome mit bis zu 40.000 Besuchern

am Tag, ist dein Wissen in dem Bereich von Festivals sehr nützlich bei meiner

Forschungsarbeit.

Frage 1: Ich nehme an, dass auf Musikveranstaltungen viel Alkohol fließt. Kannst du eine

Aussage darüber treffen, wie viele Besucher im Durchschnitt deutlich merkbar angetrunken

sind?

Antwort: Die Rate an angetrunkenen Besuchern ist beim WorldClubDome im Vergleich zu

beispielsweise Techno-Festivals relativ hoch. Bei EDM [Anm. d. Red.: EDM = electronic dance

music] wird vornehmlich getrunken anstatt andere Drogen zu konsumieren. So hat jede

Musikrichtung offensichtlich seine eigenen "Drogen" um sich in Stimmung zu bringen. Ich

vermute (im Hinblick auf Ausschank und Getränke-Einnahmen), dass 75% der Besucher mehr

oder weniger Alkohol konsumieren.

Frage 2: Für die Konzeption einer Smartphone-Anwendung ist der Grad der Trunkenheit

besonders zu beachten, da es eine Beeinträchtigung der Seh- und Koordinationsfähigkeit

bedeutet. Hast du einen Erfahrungswert, wie hoch der durchschnittliche Blutalkoholwert bei

angetrunkenen Gästen ist?

Antwort: Wie hoch der durchschnittliche Blutalkoholwert eines Festivalbesucher ist, vermag

ich nicht abzuschätzen, da man nie weiß, was dieser schon vorher konsumiert hat. Im

Durchschnitt gibt jeder Festivalbesucher 30€ für Getränke pro Tag aus. Da kann man es sich ja

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hochrechnen. Hier ist aber zu beachten, dass es viele Besucher gibt, die nichts oder so gut wie

gar nichts ausgeben.

Frage 3: Ein anderer Bereich, den ich in meiner Anwendung beachten möchte, ist die Tatsache,

dass auf Veranstaltungen persönliche Dinge verloren gehen. Bestimmt sind auch auf dem

WorldClubDome Dinge hinterlassen worden. Von welcher Anzahl sprechen wir da in etwa?

Antwort: An der öffentlichen Fundstelle der Arena können liegen gebliebene Gegenstände

wieder abgeholt werden. Erfahrungsgemäß werden dort viele Gegenstände von Festivalbesucher

abgegeben (rund 70 innerhalb von 3 Tagen).

Frage 4: Und wie seid ihr mit diesen Gegenständen umgegangen? Sind die Betroffenen direkt

an euch herangetreten? Und wie läuft die Abwicklung ab?

Antwort: Das Handling läuft über die Arena, die Besucher können sich ihre Gegenstände in den

nächsten Tagen abholen.

Frage 5: Ihr habt sicher trotzdem viele Anfragen bzgl. verlorener Gegenstände bekommen,

oder? Weil die Besucher ja erst einmal euch als Ansprechpartner sehen und nicht die Arena?

Antwort: Ja genau, die Besucher haben sich immer bei uns gemeldet, woraufhin wir Ihnen die

Kontaktdaten und Öffnungszeiten der Arena gegeben haben, damit sie dort vorbeischauen

konnten.

Frage 5: Kann eine solche Anfrage auf Legitimität überprüft werden?

Wir haben liegengebliebene Gegenstände stets an die Personen zurückgeschickt, wenn diese

sich gemeldet haben und nicht anders identifizierbar sind. Die meisten sind sehr dankbar für

ordnungsgemäße Abgabe ihrer Gegenstände.

Frage 6: Da eine solche Veranstaltung ein sehr kurzes Event ist, ist wahrscheinlich auch die

Zeit, welche die Benutzer zum Kennenlernen einer dazugehörigen mobilen Anwendung haben,

sehr gering. Ihr habt selber schon eine solche App angeboten; zu welchem Zeitpunkt wurde

diese von den meisten Installiert? Erst am Tag der Veranstaltung oder schon davor?

Antwort: In der Regel wird eine App mit Erscheinungsdatum heruntergeladen. So kann der

Festivalbesucher sicher stets über alle Neuigkeiten informiert zu werden. So bleibt auch

genügend Zeit sich mit dem beliebten Tool seinen ganz persönlichen festivalplan und Timetable

zu erstellen und diesen mit Freunden abzustimmen. Man geht nicht mehr auf Festivals um sich

einfach mitziehen zu lassen. Der Besuch ist aufs genaueste geplant.

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Frage 7: Um eine Anwendung auf das Zielpublikum anpassen zu können, spielen auch die

sprachlichen Voraussetzungen eine Rolle. Hattet ihr viele Besucher aus dem Ausland? Und

kommen diese Hauptsächlich aus dem englisch- oder anderssprachigen Ausland?

Antwort: Bei den World Club Domes lässt sich sagen, dass in etwa 2-4% von 40000 Besuchern

aus dem Ausland kommen, davon wiederum ca 90% aus dem nicht englischsprachigen Ausland.

Die anführenden Nationen sind sicherlich Italien, Frankreich, Niederlande, Spanien, aber auch

Länder in Südamerika.

Frage 8: Als nächstes geht es um ein etwas anderes Thema – nämlich Marketing. Ist Affiliate

Marketing eine Methode, welche unter Veranstaltern Andwendng findet?

Anfwort: Ja. Wir nutzen zwar keine Plattformen dafür aber man kennt sich ja untereinander

und da wird durchaus regelmäßig Werbeplatz gegen Werbeplatz getauscht. Das geht dann ganz

unkonventionell und ganz direkt von statten.

Frage 9: Mein letzter Punkt befasst sich mit dem Verkauf von Tickets und damit entstehenden Problem. In der Vergangenheit war zu erkennen, dass ihr über eure sozialen Kanäle speziell kurz vor Veranstaltungen vermehrt von fremden Ticketverkäufen warnt. Wieso ist das ein solches Problem?

Antwort: Unsere Tickets basieren auf einem Barcode, welcher einfach kopiert werden kann. Natürlich kommt es vor, dass Käufer ihre Tickets wieder legitimierweise hergeben möchten. Aber es ist dann weder für den Käufer, noch für uns nachvollziehbar, ob dahinter ein ehrlicher Wille steckt. Ein Verkäufer könnte zum Beispiel mit einer Kopie des Tickets immer noch Zugang zum Festival bekommen, wenn er vor seinem Käufer durch den Einlass geht. Damit ist das Ticket entwertet und der eigentliche Käufer gelangt nicht mehr auf das Gelände.

Auf der anderen Seite entstehen auch Schwarzmärkte mit extremen Preisen, die wir nicht kontrollieren können.

Anm. d. Red.: Das Interview wurde unter Beibehaltung des inhaltlichen Sinns auf Rechtschreibfehler korrigiert.

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VIII. Expert interview with Richard Littauer

Statement

Richard Littauer is a user experience expert and runs the website www.theuserisdrunk.com

where he analyized other websites in an intoxicated condition.

E-Mail:

Hi Richard, I came across your website "theUserIsDrunk.com" while working on my bachelor

thesis. I'm an Online Media student in Germany and currently about to finish my bachelor

degree. In my thesis I'm working on a concept for a smartphone application for German music

festivals.

One important aspect to consider is intoxicated users. And since it is very hard to find literature

about effects towards smartphone usage of drunk users, I thought that you could possibly help

me.

Because I'm still a student and this is for my thesis, I can't pay you. However, you will be

mentioned by name within my thesis as this would be an expert interview and so a scientific

research method.

Thanks,

Jens

R. Littauer: Hi Jens, Nice to hear from you! Where are you a student in Germany? I am a

student at Saarland University, actually, in a Master’s program I really ought to finish.

Question 1: Interesting for me would be things like what font size is the limit for users that

drank three beers or 5 shots of vodka, ... you name it.

Answer: Font size is variable, and so is focus and attention. There's no definitive font size.

However, you can probably test this to find what will most likely grab attention better.

Question 2: And what about navigation hierarchy? How deep should it maximal be so it doesn't

get too confusing

Answer: The same goes for navigation depth; this isn't a hard rule, it's a guideline. Design is

an art.

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There's been more than a few articles where I've given advice; I really encourage you to read

them, they will be better than my scattered thoughts here. Look at the press section

ontheuserisdrunk.com. Feel free to quote me for any of my thoughts there as personal

correspondence, too.

Also, there's been a few studies about drunk users, but I forget where. The main issue with

doing research - in public, at a university, as opposed to inside a company - is that it is

incredibly difficult, especially from a funding perspective. I know there have been studies with

people getting drunk for Linguistics research - that was my degree - but I'm not sure about UX.

Editor‘s note: The interview was corrected in terms of spelling, however, the meaning was

retained.