# IBM (Live Nation App)

> At IBM I worked as a design consultant, embedded directly with clients to solve business and user problems through research, strategy, and design.

- Year: 2017
- Disciplines: Product
- Role: Sole designer
- Designer: Rafael Cespedes (https://rafaelcespedes.com)

At IBM I worked as a design consultant, embedded directly with clients to solve business and user problems through research, strategy, and design.

Live Nation was one of those engagements. I was part of the team that won the initial pitch and went on to lead all design work. The goal was straightforward: build an MVP that worked for fans and for the business. Fans got a personalized experience before, during, and after the show. Live Nation saw a 47% year-over-year increase in mobile app ticket sales. The project became a key reference case for new client pitches.

While at IBM I also completed work for BMW, Chanel, JetBlue, and others. For those case studies, reach out directly.

## Design strategy

The redesign was centered on redefining the live concert experience. Unlike other ticketing platforms, Live Nation owns the venues where performances take place, over 150 across the US. That ownership created a unique opportunity to serve fans not just before the show, but during and after it as well.

To establish the foundation, we conducted stakeholder interviews, a competitive mobile app audit, a live music fan survey, persona alignment, and an as-is customer journey mapping exercise. The takeaway was consistent: fans want a frictionless, personalized experience from beginning to end.

That insight shaped three key design opportunities: a discovery experience surfacing shows relevant to each user, a streamlined ticket purchasing process, and a single source of truth for all concert and venue information.

## Onboarding

The onboarding experience was designed to learn as much about the user as possible, so the app could serve them better from day one. To drive completion, we anchored it around a $20 concert ticket reward, broken into four steps worth $5 each: syncing a music account, syncing Facebook, creating or logging into a Live Nation account, and selecting favorite artists.

The incentive structure proved effective. Users were motivated to complete steps they would have otherwise skipped, and the data gathered from music taste, artist preferences, and account history became the foundation for personalizing the in-app experience that followed.

## Concerts

The Concerts page is the first place the onboarding data goes to work. Rather than defaulting to a generic feed sorted by proximity or popularity, we led with the Recommended tab: a personalized list of upcoming events built around each user's favorite artists. For users who skipped onboarding, an empty state prompts them to add favorites directly from the page, keeping the path to personalization always within reach.

## At Venue

On the day of a show, the app's homepage automatically transitions to the At Venue experience. This is where Live Nation's venue ownership becomes a tangible product advantage. While other ticketing platforms stop at the transaction, Live Nation has direct relationships with the venues, and the app was designed to activate that.

The At Venue page gives users access to everything they need before, during, and after the show: seat upgrades, food and beverage ordering directly to their seat, ride booking, hotel recommendations, parking info, venue rules, and more. No searching, no switching apps. Everything is surfaced in one place, timed to when it's actually useful.

## Images and video

- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/carousel/01_live-nation_logo.webp
- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/carousel/02_live-nation_mockup.webp
- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/carousel/03_offset_comp_247173-1.webp
- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/case-study/01_live-nation_logo.webp
- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/case-study/02_live-nation_onboarding.webp
- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/case-study/03_live-nation_ticketing.webp
- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/case-study/04_live-nation_in-venue_01.webp
- https://rafaelcespedes.com/projects/ibm-live-nation/case-study/05_live-nation_filter.webp

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From the portfolio of Rafael Cespedes. Everything about him in one file: https://rafaelcespedes.com/llms-full.txt · Updated 2026-11-08