Reserve Seats Before They Disappear
Design a ticket booking flow that keeps seat selection, changing inventory, fees, and time limits understandable.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Popular events create high demand and rapid inventory changes. Buyers need to compare sections and prices while a temporary hold is counting down.
User context
Owen is buying three adjacent seats for a concert. One friend needs step-free access, and the group has agreed on a maximum total budget.
Product problem
Seat maps, accessibility requirements, dynamic availability, and late fees can make checkout stressful and error-prone.
Objective
Create an event ticket flow from performance selection through seat hold, payment, and mobile ticket delivery.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Performance selection with availability and price range
- Accessible seat map with adjacent-seat search
- Timed order review with full fee disclosure
- Ticket delivery and transfer controls
Screens and states
- Event dates
- Seat selection
- Order review
- Payment
- Ticket wallet
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Owen selects a concert date and three tickets
- 02
He filters for step-free access and adjacent seats
- 03
He places a group of seats on a temporary hold
- 04
He reviews fees and completes payment before the hold expires
- 05
He receives tickets and transfers one to a friend
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Make available, selected, held, accessible, and unavailable seats distinguishable without relying on color alone
- Show the hold timer without obscuring critical information
- Reveal the full order total before payment details are requested
- Keep accessibility information connected to the selected seat
- Prevent accidental orphan seats when venue policy applies
- Explain ticket delivery, transfer, and resale restrictions
Constraints
- Inventory changes in real time
- The seat map must work with keyboard and screen-reader navigation
- Fees vary by event and ticket type
- The payment flow may involve additional verification
Reality check
States worth considering
Finish line
What to deliver
- Create five mobile screens including an accessible seat map, timed checkout, and expired-hold recovery.
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.