Project Background
The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, also known as the PAC, is a thriving nonprofit arts and entertainment venue in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin. The PAC is home to Broadway Across America and the Fox Valley Symphony and hosts many additional touring bands and entertainment acts.
Patrons of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center have limited digital resources prior to and during live events to interact with the hosting venue and the overall entertainment experience.
Because of these limited resources, Joe Pollock Design proposed the development of a mobile app to improve the PAC’s digital properties and enhance the patron experience while attending live events at the venue.
The mobile app will extend the PAC’s existing digital services. Patrons will access all the content available on the PAC’s website within the mobile app. The app will help bridge the users’ needs with the hosting venue’s offerings in order to improve the patron’s entertainment experience. The mobile app will accomplish this by providing (but not limited to) the following features.
Proposed Features of the App:
• Search current and upcoming events
• Buy event tickets
• Easy access to mobile tickets purchased
• Find nearby amenities and parking
• Notifications of upcoming events
• Special discount offers
• Concessions menu
• Curated social media content
• Buy event tickets
• Easy access to mobile tickets purchased
• Find nearby amenities and parking
• Notifications of upcoming events
• Special discount offers
• Concessions menu
• Curated social media content
User Base
Since the PAC opened its doors in 2002, the 2100-seat theater has had over 2.6 million visitors for ticketed events; that’s an average of 173,333 ticketed visitors a year from the Fox Cities and the greater area. The following is a breakdown of the PAC's patron demographics.
The user demographic for the PAC is:
• Both male and female
• Between the ages of 35 and 75
• Mostly college-educated
• Annual income over $50,000
• Between the ages of 35 and 75
• Mostly college-educated
• Annual income over $50,000
Competitive Analysis
The Fox Cities PAC has three primary competitors. The Weidner Center in Green Bay. The Marcus Performing Art Center in Milwaukee. The Overture Center for the Arts in Madison. To better understand the competition, I explored each theater’s digital property capabilities and then examined what they offered in mobile app features. Below is the breakdown:
Competing Centers
Competing Centers Apps
Product Functionality
In order to match the needs of the Fox Cities PAC’s user base, the PAC Mobile App will need to implement several important features through collaboration with the product engineer(s).
Key Technical Considerations:
• Integration with ticket services (Ticketmaster)
• Integration with payment systems (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Integration with social networks (Facebook, Instagram)
• Reliable internet connection and offline access
• Geolocation Integration
• Registration and authorization
• Push notifications
• Video content
• Integration with payment systems (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Integration with social networks (Facebook, Instagram)
• Reliable internet connection and offline access
• Geolocation Integration
• Registration and authorization
• Push notifications
• Video content
Interactive Prototype
After completing extensive research and reviewing technical considerations. I designed an interactive prototype to further explore the functionality of the proposed PAC app. I used the following process to develop the prototype.
Prototype Development Process:
Step 1. Pencil and paper screen flow
Step 2. Digital screen flow
Step 3. Pencil and paper wireframes
Step 4. Digital wireframes
Step 5. Linked prototype for interactivity
Step 2. Digital screen flow
Step 3. Pencil and paper wireframes
Step 4. Digital wireframes
Step 5. Linked prototype for interactivity
Step 1. Pencil and Paper Screen Flow
Step 2. Digital Screen Flow
Step 3. Pencil and Paper Wireframes
Step 4. Digital Wire Frames
Step 5. Linked for Interactivity
The Results: Video Demo of Interactivity
Lesson Learned
The lessons learned from this project are creating interactive designs is challenging and rewarding. This was my first interactive prototype, and the beginning of the project was overwhelming, but as I settled in, the process developed from overwhelming to exciting. Although I do not think this project is complete, I am enthusiastic about taking the knowledge I have developed in interactive design and applying it to new endeavors.
