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Refonte non sollicitée de l'application RA Guide – Une étude de cas UX

A UX AND UI CASE STUDY

Responsibilities

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UX Research

UX Design

UI Design​

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Research Methods


1 On 1 Interviews
Competitor Analysis
Heuristic Evaluation
User Testing
Preference Testing

UX Deliverables


Task flows
Sitemap
Wireframes
Prototypes

Conceptual project

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Unsolicited redesign of RA guide mobile ticketing app

PART 1: THE CHALLENGE

 

Understanding the app

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Founded in 2001, Resident Advisor is an online music magazine and community platform focused on electronic music, artists, and events worldwide. The app is your go-to for discovering and booking top DJs and electronic music events nearby.

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Why did I choose to redesign RA?

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When I first used the Resident Advisor (RA) app, I found its navigation unintuitive and difficult to use. Even after familiarizing myself with its unique interface, certain aspects remained frustrating—particularly the inability to swipe back to previous pages. The app’s reliance on a single navigation button further complicates the experience, making it feel restrictive and inconvenient. As I shared my frustrations with friends who frequently use the app, I realized these issues were not unique to me; many of them expressed similar dissatisfaction with the navigation. Curious to see if this was a broader concern, I explored user reviews on both the Apple App Store and Google Play, where I found numerous complaints echoing the same frustrations. This widespread feedback—both online and in person—highlighted a clear opportunity to improve the app’s usability, inspiring me to take on this redesign project.​

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PART 2: THE PROCESS

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Ideate

Empathise

Define

Prototype

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2

3

4

5

Test

Step 1: Empathise

Negative user feedback from the App Store and Google Play reviews

''It's really unintuitive - the menu is a little triangle ... I'd suggest big simple shapes and colours.''

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Will Neale, Oct 28, 2023. Google Play

''RA Guide is okay but doesn't offer much. The search functions are limited and clunky to use...isn't very helpful if you're just browsing for an event with a genre you might like''

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Ruffian Tux, May 21, 2023. Google Play

'...Je donnerais une note de 5/5 mais j'ai des problèmes de navigation dans l'application ! Il ne semble pas y avoir de moyen de revenir à la description de l'événement une fois que vous accédez à l'écran de sélection des billets. Où est le bouton retour ? Glisser vers le haut, le bas, la gauche ou la droite ne fonctionne pas. Les développeurs, est-ce un bug ou juste un mauvais design ? Utilisateur d'iPhone 12 ici.

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Paszteciak1, 30 mai 2022. App Store

''No longer offering Apple Wallet ticket. Must use app to display ticket ... How do you view tickets you've bought?... by clicking on the RA logo at the bottom right of the screen- something no other app does of obvious reasons. Unintuitive and unnecessary.''

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Nklv, Oct 26, 2023. App Store

''...unintuitive UX. who puts a weird symbol in the lower right corner for a sign in button?''

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Alexander Arrico, Oct 25, 2023. Google Play

"This app is pretty good at meeting the most basic use case. But if you want anything outside that then it gets less useful. For example if you want to keep track of events in multiple areas."

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Shiesb, Feb 6, 2024. App store

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Research

User Moderated interview

6 RA Guide users, 18 years +

Affinity mapping

Categories

I like that it shows popular events because then I see things I wouldn't noticed when searching

Always starts with the popular. Popular should be a separate tab next to 'all', 'for you' , 'popular'

I think its good that they show the number of people attending the events

Location

La fonction de défilement pour choisir un emplacement est une approche longue et fastidieuse

Could have a way to see events near you, venues near u shown on a map. 

Search by map option like airbnb

Confusion over changing location, scroll feature unclear

Calendar

the events that I’ve marked as interested, it took me ages to find out they are saved in My RA > Calendar

calendar option to check dates, filter icon doesn't work. cant notice the date next to filter

Une bonne chose est qu'il dispose d'un calendrier pour vous permettre de filtrer le jour où vous souhaitez organiser l'événement. Je suppose que c'est essentiel pour une page d'événements, mais je trouve toujours utile d'avoir un calendrier et de ne pas avoir à saisir cette date.

you cant pick multiple dates from a- b dates if u want the whole weekend

Misunderstanding

When I want to close the menu I automatically think this icon (profile pic)  would close the menu, but no when you press it it takes you to your profile. 

 it's not obvious that the 'red dog' in the corner is how you get to the settings

So when it says ' add your favourite artists' takes you a while to figure out

the first thing I was confused with was there was no search until i realised you have to tap logo bottom right to bring up the menu

hard to navigate, dont know where my tickets are and stressed ive accidently bought the tickets instead of just putting it in basket

I know there’s an x here but at first I just automatically pressed the top button to close it coz I guess my brain is used to the close bottom being in the top corners

Typography

Colours not suitable as clashes too much

The font sizes are too small

The fonts work for the website but not for the app

Too many font sizes

Too many font sizes, different colour font, messy inconsistent

KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE INTERVIEW

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  • Navigation is Confusing & Non-Standard​

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  • Ticketing Flow Is Stressful -lack of clarity and trust in the ticketing experience,

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  • Inconsistent and Unreadable Visual Design- Colour clashes and lack of hierarchy make the interface feel chaotic and inaccessible.

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  • Elaborate categories better

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"Its not obvious that the RA Logo in the bottom right corner is how you navigate"
STRENGTHS
  • Strong visual and brand identity
  • UI Editorial, artsy feel
  • ​Visually engaging, immersive experience
  • ​Global Presence in the DJ event scene
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Make navigation more intuitive
  • More inclusive design 
  • Reduce task flow steps for common tasks
  • ​Lacks personalization and standard UX conventions
  • ​Keep the brand's edgy aesthetic while introducing more standard UI patterns (clearer navigation, labeled icons, better hierarchy).

 
THREATS
  • substantial competition from competitors (Users may shift to more intuitive platforms, especially casual or new users.)
  • RA’s commitment to its editorial/minimalist aesthetic may hinder usability improvements. A cool brand doesn’t always translate to functional UX
WEAKNESS​
  • Unintuitive UX & Navigation- Non-standard interactions confuse new users (e.g. hidden ticket access).
  • Limited and inefficient search and filtering options for genre, location, or date.
  • Poor Accessibility & Usability- Small fonts, low contrast, and icon-only UI elements reduce readability and ease of use. Limited support for accessibility tools (e.g., screen readers, dynamic font sizes).
  • ​No personalized suggestions.
S
W
O
T

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

To understand RA Guide's competition I conducted a competitive analysis from event booking apps like Dice and Skiddle to learn what they were doing right, wrong or not doing.

Dice

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Skiddle

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Emphasizes discovery and seamless ticketing for a wide range of live events, appealing to a younger, mobile-first audience.

Caters to mainstream and festival-goers, with a broad event selection and a strong focus on ticket sales and promotions

POSITIVES: Highly intuitive navigation, standout mobile experience, frictionless ticketing, and strong event recommendations. Social features (invite/share) are clearly differentiated, supporting community-building. Visual design is modern and appealing. Can listen to the music of the event.

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NEGATIVES: Sometimes prioritizes aesthetics over information density; power users may find event details less comprehensive than RA.

POSITIVES: Focus on usability and clear navigation has driven increased ticket sales. Filters and event discovery are broad and accessible, appealing to mainstream users. The web redesign has improved clarity and conversion.

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NEGATIVES: Less editorial content and curation compared to RA; design is functional but less distinctive than DICE.

Step 2: Define

Solutions Based on User Research & Market Research

  • Redesign the navigation to create more intuitive navigation, reducing number of task flows

  • Improve accessibility such as text size, colour, contrast, icons for quick scanning 

  • Add aditional features to keep up with competitors

PRIMARY PERSONA

 
RA Guide
2025

 
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Jade
"Edinborough's nightlife is my canvas I love discovering creative, authentic experiences and connecting with people who share my passion for music and memorable moments."
Age 
Occupation
Location  
Devices
Social media
Personality

 
21
Bartender part-time / Student at University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland
iphone 10, iPad
Instagram, reddit, X
Spontaneous
Goals
  • Find upcoming DJ events and festivals in her city. 
  • Keep on track with her favourite DJs and artists
  • ​Buys tickets online, often last-minute or on the go
  • Aims to explore different genres and artists to enrich her music experience.
  • Purchase tickets easily and quickly
  • Share event details with her friends and coordinate plans.
  • Access event schedules and set reminders for her favorite DJs' performances.
  • Provide comments and reviews for events she attends.​
  • Hopes to receive suggestions based on her favorite genres, artists, and past attendance history, allowing her to discover new experiences that resonate with her interests.
  • ​Purchase tickets seamlessly and with confidence
Frustrations

  • Often struggles to keep track of the events she's interested in attending due to a lack of robust event tracking features. She finds it frustrating when she misses out on ticket sales or lineup announcements because the app doesn't provide timely notifications or reminders about upcoming events.

  • As she works during weekends she wants to find popular events for during the week

  • Found it difficult to get the hang of the app

  • ​Sometimes unaware of key features like following artists/venues or adding events to calendar

APP PAINPOINTS

During the examination of the app's UX flow,  there were three key areas that require attention:

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  1. Confusing Navigation Button: Users experienced uncertainty around the functionality and purpose of the main navigation button, which hindered their ability to move confidently through the app.

  2. Redundant Entry Points: Several elements—including the search bar, the "Discover" button, and the top-screen section displaying "My RA" and the username—all lead to the same screen. 

  3. Poor Visual Hierarchy and Navigation Intuitiveness: The app's tab bar is tucked into a small corner, yet tapping it expands it to take over the entire screen to reveal four main sections and a search bar. This design is unintuitive—users don't immediately realize that this corner is the primary way to navigate. Moreover, once opened, the menu doesn't support swipe gestures to go back (like swiping right), which goes against common mobile navigation patterns and disrupts the user experience.

Style Guide

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#EB5650

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#656565

#151515

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