Redefining the Smart Queue

A fan-first vision that makes waiting painless through proactive prep, guidance, transparency, and a flexible, accessible UI.

Concept Design Research Synthesis Vision Strategy

The Risk of Standing Still

The Smart Queue, Ticketmaster’s flagship virtual queue, powers fair, secure, and scalable onsales for the world’s biggest events. Smart Queue 2.0 in July 2024 aligned the product with the brand, globalised the experience, and improved transparency with updated queue tips. But it was only a facelift. Fans still find queues stressful, sentiment remains fragile, and the rigid framework slows delivery of new features and UX improvements. I recognised the need to address fan pain points and rebuild the system for agility.

A Vision for the Future

I led the creation of a vision piece that told the story and gained buy-in from leadership, unlocking space for innovation. The goal was to define a queue that sets a new industry standard: transparent, proactive, and flexible, designed with fans and future growth in mind. This vision puts the fan first while establishing a stronger foundation for Ticketmaster, guided by one principle: build a scalable experience that empowers fans through guidance, proactive preparation, and transparency.

Company

Ticketmaster (In-house)

Timeline

Jan 2025 – Aug 2025

Role

Lead Product Designer

Focus

Vision setting, research-led design, and innovation strategy

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Pain points uncovered through research consolidation

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Opportunities prioritised into key features and optimisations

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Fans reporting improved clarity and reduced stress in testing

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Leadership, product, and engineering aligned on the vision

Research

Consolidate insights

Identify opportunities

Benchmark competitors

Define

Explore UI patterns

Map features

Sketch flows

Ideate

Define success metrics

Develop concepts

Prototype concepts

Inspire

Frame vision

Pitch to leadership

Align teams

Making the Queue Transparent

Research highlighted a strong need for clarity. 513 fans referenced issues like ticket availability, pricing, and waiting times. Estimated wait time was one of the most requested features in SQ 2.0 testing, with 7 in 10 mobile users wanting an ETA to avoid constantly checking the queue. Contextual queue tips and upfront visibility of prices and availability give fans clear guidance, reduce stress, and improve understanding. Automating these processes also boosts consistency, scales better, and frees internal teams from manual interventions.

Reducing Stress with Proactive Guidance

Fans often arrive at the ticket selection page underprepared, rushed, or confused. Around 20% of tickets for major concerts are held for presales, but fans frequently don’t know what they’re eligible for. Surfacing presale and unlockable ticket types early, flagging expired saved cards, and enabling pre-selection of budget, quantity, and seating preferences lets fans proactively prepare. Early testing showed 9 out of 10 fans found pre-selected ticket preferences relevant and helpful. These interventions reduce drop-off, personalise the journey, and give fans confidence before checkout.

Building for Consistency and Scale

Approximately 90% of fans don’t scroll, meaning key elements like seat maps or FAQs are often missed. A modular, flexible layout aligned with the Global Design System prioritises discoverability, accessibility, and consistent interaction patterns. Only 30% of current components comply with upcoming foundations, so improving alignment closes gaps, ensures maintainability, and supports faster delivery of new features. Accessibility improvements baked in from day one reduce friction for all users, while platform-wide consistency accelerates rollout and creates a seamless, inclusive fan experience.

Turning Vision into Reality

I led this vision piece to challenge existing processes and secure leadership buy-in, creating focus and resources to make the vision real. Four things were essential: clear milestones for aligned progress, a test-and-learn culture to validate and iterate quickly, a focused team shielded from distractions, and designing the full journey to deliver a seamless fan experience. With these foundations, Smart Queue can evolve into a smarter, more seamless system that reduces stress, increases clarity, and guides fans confidently through high-demand onsales, delivering value from first click to sold out.

What I Learnt

Limited scope for fan-facing improvements pushed me to create a vision to drive impact and change. It reinforced how shaping a product vision defines leadership within a product area. Consolidating research and developing blue-sky ideas let me push creative boundaries beyond current constraints. It also fostered cross-team collaboration, shared inspiration, and uncovered design system improvements, connecting visionary thinking to practical execution. The vision is now set, and the next step is bringing it to life.