Approach

First, I determined goals, opportunities, and constraints for both the user and the organization.  

The organization wants the user to engage (click through the CTA), while the user–initially wanting to use the app to listen to music–ideally wants to know more about the event being advertised (or if not, to make the notification go away).  For the organization, opportunities include ongoing user engagement and loyalty, as well as potentially lucrative affiliate deals with artists or ticket-sellers if the notification campaigns are successful.  For the user, the opportunity to have a joyous–even life-changing–experience seeing their favorite artist provides strong emotional motivation for this interaction.     

Next, I used Torrey Podmajersky’s conversational design exercise, which involves mapping out the user journey from intention to desired result, and role-playing the dialogue between user and application.

Rationale

Headline

“See Phoebe Bridgers Live”

Because notifications are often dismissed immediately by a user, it’s best to limit them to just a few pieces of text, and to front-load the content with high-value information.  I chose to lead with an action verb (see), followed by the highest-value component–the artist’s name, and then “live in Jacksonville” to let the user know why this notification is relevant and timely.  

Description

Veterans Memorial Arena

October 28, 2022, 8 PM

I kept the description–which typically contains “nice to have” information–short and simple, listing the venue name and date and time of the event. I reasoned that the user would want to know the location 9is it close to their home or workplace, do they like the venue, is parking a hassle?) and the date/time (will they be out of town, is it when they’re at work?) to move forward. 

CTA

“Find Tickets”

I didn’t want to use “Get Tickets” because it implies a commitment, and seemed too aggressive since the prompt describes a “casual music fan” who “occasionally” attends live shows.  The user probably needs more information (price, availability) before they're ready to “get” anything.  

I played around with “See Tickets,” “See Available Tickets,” “Ticket Availability,” etc., but ultimately wanted concise text (two words) with a strong action verb.  “Find” is an action verb, but also implies a period of consideration and analysis, which is usually desired when making a purchase like concert tickets–which, in 2022, are often expensive due to resale practices, and are tiered by seat location (maybe the user only wants to see a show in general admission or in a closer seat).

Click Trigger

“Hurry…this event is likely to sell out”

I chose to add a click trigger under the button to helpfully let the user know that tickets are in high demand, and to increase urgency. According to Microcopy by Kenneret Yifrah, user testing has shown that click triggers can significantly increase conversion when used to reassure or motivate users.

Secondary Actions

“Remind Me Later”

“Dismiss”

Below the primary CTA, I knew I wanted to include an option to “Dismiss,” since users (understandably) can be annoyed at the interruption, and not offering a clear path to exit the pop-up could induce negative emotions.

However, during the conversational design exercise I reasoned that an alternative action–to revisit the content later–felt appropriate.  What if the user is busy, but they’re also interested in seeing this artist (whom they’ve expressed preference for while interacting with the app)?  They may want to take the time to look at ticket prices and seat locations later, when they have free time.      

Design Considerations

I included a photo of the artist at the very top of the screen because it communicates relevancy and value, and requires less cognitive effort than reading.  If the artist is important to the user, their subconscious will register the visual information quicker than words–and hopefully prompt them to read on and take action.

Takeaways/Analysis

Because it’s interruptive, a notification comes with inherent friction.  

However, if the notification is conveying positive or welcome information, it can also be a source of joy.  This brief interaction could potentially result in a cherished memory for the user, seeing their favorite artist with friends or loved ones.  Ultimately, this is the emotional and empathetic heart of this brief user experience.