Case Study.

Building the World's First
Fan Engagement Platform:
From Idea to Industry Game-Changer

Role:

Principal UX & Service Designer

Project Duration:

8 months

Project Duration:

8 months

Overview

Challenge

Challenge

Create the world's first seamless artist-fan engagement platform

Services

Services

  • User research

  • Competitive analysis

  • Service design

  • Wireframing

  • User interface design

  • Mobile app design

  • Prototyping

  • Design system creation

  • Preparing for investment

  • Developer collaboration

Deliverables

Deliverables

  • Team alignment workshop

  • Fully detailed journey maps

  • User flow diagrams

  • Design system

  • Wireframes

  • User interface designs

  • High-fidelity prototype

Impact

Impact

 Industry-first solution

300% increase in engagement

$2M+ funding raised

Tools

Tools

Jira

Figma & Figjam

Confluence

The Story: When social media algorithms kill authentic connections, someone needs to build a better way

Picture this: A brilliant indie artist with 50,000 devoted fans can't actually connect with them. Instagram's algorithm shadow-bans their posts. TikTok's for-you page is a lottery. Twitter feels like shouting into the void. Meanwhile, their most passionate supporters are desperate for genuine interaction but get lost in the noise of corporate social media.

This broken relationship between artists and fans wasn't just frustrating - it kills creativity and crushes dreams. Talented artists struggle to monetise their work effectively, and fans feel disconnected from the creators they love.

When the CEO approached me with a vision to fix this fundamental problem, I knew we were onto something special. But turning "let's help artists connect with fans" into the world's first comprehensive fan engagement platform? That would require rethinking everything about how digital relationships work.

The Problem: When Algorithms Kill Authentic Connection

Getting Inside the Artist-Fan Relationship

I didn't want to build another social media platform or generic fan tool. I needed to understand what authentic connection actually looks like in the digital age. Thus I conducted in-depth user and market research to uncover the artists' and fans pain points as well as the opportunities to delight and create the optimal experience for everyone.

I didn't want to build another social media platform or generic fan tool. I needed to understand what authentic connection actually looks like in the digital age. Thus I conducted in-depth user and market research to uncover the artists' and fans pain points as well as the opportunities to delight and create the optimal experience for everyone.

Insights

Insights

The Creator Economy
The Creator Economy

Social media platforms limit artists’ ability to reach their own fans, causing “algorithm anxiety” - uncertainty about whether content will be seen.

Social media platforms limit artists’ ability to reach their own fans, causing “algorithm anxiety” - uncertainty about whether content will be seen.

The Artists
The Artists

Need solutions that help them build real relationships with fans, monetise their work in a way that feels right, and preserve their creative freedom, rather than just providing more metrics or generic features.

Need solutions that help them build real relationships with fans, monetise their work in a way that feels right, and preserve their creative freedom, rather than just providing more metrics or generic features.

The Fans
The Fans

Don’t want to be marketed to - they want to be part of the artist's journey.

Don’t want to be marketed to - they want to be part of the artist's journey.

The Process: An iterative and lean design approach

Journey Maps
Journey Maps

I created comprehensive journey maps to visualise the broken artist-fan relationship across existing social media platforms, revealing how algorithmic interference disrupted authentic connections at every touchpoint. These maps exposed the emotional frustration points where artists lost control of their audience and fans missed content from their favourite creators, highlighting the critical moments where platform dependency damaged the relationship. The journey mapping process helped identify the specific intervention points where our platform could restore direct communication and eliminate the middleman platforms that were fragmenting the creator-fan ecosystem.

I created comprehensive journey maps to visualise the broken artist-fan relationship across existing social media platforms, revealing how algorithmic interference disrupted authentic connections at every touchpoint. These maps exposed the emotional frustration points where artists lost control of their audience and fans missed content from their favourite creators, highlighting the critical moments where platform dependency damaged the relationship. The journey mapping process helped identify the specific intervention points where our platform could restore direct communication and eliminate the middleman platforms that were fragmenting the creator-fan ecosystem.

User Flows
User Flows

I designed detailed user flows to map how artists would seamlessly transition from fragmented social media management to unified fan engagement through our platform's intelligent overlay system. These flows demonstrated how fans could discover, engage with, and support artists without disrupting their natural content consumption patterns, ensuring the technology felt invisible rather than intrusive. The user flow documentation was essential for showing stakeholders how the platform would integrate into existing artist workflows whilst providing fans with progressive engagement opportunities that felt organic rather than forced.

I designed detailed user flows to map how artists would seamlessly transition from fragmented social media management to unified fan engagement through our platform's intelligent overlay system. These flows demonstrated how fans could discover, engage with, and support artists without disrupting their natural content consumption patterns, ensuring the technology felt invisible rather than intrusive. The user flow documentation was essential for showing stakeholders how the platform would integrate into existing artist workflows whilst providing fans with progressive engagement opportunities that felt organic rather than forced.

Prototype
Prototype

I developed interactive prototypes of the context-aware overlay system to test how fans would respond to engagement opportunities that appeared at natural break points in content consumption rather than as disruptive pop-ups. These prototypes allowed us to validate the adaptive design system that matched each artist's existing brand aesthetic, ensuring the platform enhanced rather than competed with their visual identity.

These prototypes were delivered under high time pressure, as they were required to enable the team to pitch the new product to investors.

I developed interactive prototypes of the context-aware overlay system to test how fans would respond to engagement opportunities that appeared at natural break points in content consumption rather than as disruptive pop-ups. These prototypes allowed us to validate the adaptive design system that matched each artist's existing brand aesthetic, ensuring the platform enhanced rather than competed with their visual identity.

These prototypes were delivered under high time pressure, as they were required to enable the team to pitch the new product to investors.

Mobile-first Design System
Mobile-first Design System

I introduced a design system that leverages Figma's powerful variables, to allow for easy and consistent customisation. This future-proofed the project, allowing the team to seamlessly integrate with each artist's unique visual identity, without the explicit need for a senior designer. The design system and the specific places set up for customisation ensure that every element - from typography hierarchy to colour transitions - feel native to the artists' existing brand rather than like an external widget

I introduced a design system that leverages Figma's powerful variables, to allow for easy and consistent customisation. This future-proofed the project, allowing the team to seamlessly integrate with each artist's unique visual identity, without the explicit need for a senior designer. The design system and the specific places set up for customisation ensure that every element - from typography hierarchy to colour transitions - feel native to the artists' existing brand rather than like an external widget

The Solution: Invisible Technology, Visible Connection

My Design Philosophy

Enhancement, Not Replacement

Rather than creating another platform that artists had to promote, I designed a system that enhanced their existing content and workflows. The best fan engagement tool would be one that fans barely noticed but artists couldn't live without.

My Design Philosophy

Enhancement, Not Replacement

Rather than creating another platform that artists had to promote, I designed a system that enhanced their existing content and workflows. The best fan engagement tool would be one that fans barely noticed but artists couldn't live without.

My Design Philosophy

Enhancement, Not Replacement

Rather than creating another platform that artists had to promote, I designed a system that enhanced their existing content and workflows. The best fan engagement tool would be one that fans barely noticed but artists couldn't live without.

Engagement Without Interruption
Engagement Without Interruption

I designed a context-aware overlay that enhanced rather than interrupted content.

I designed a context-aware overlay that enhanced rather than interrupted content.

Key Features

Key Features

Key Features

Smart positioning: Automatically avoids interfering with content.

Adaptive design: Matching the aesthetic of each artist's existing brand by utilising a modular design system with clearly defined areas for customisation.

Smart positioning: Automatically avoids interfering with content.

Adaptive design: Matching the aesthetic of each artist's existing brand by utilising a modular design system with clearly defined areas for customisation.

Designing for Different Types of Fans
Designing for Different Types of Fans

Not all fans engage the same way, thus I created progressive engagement levels that meet fans where they are.

Not all fans engage the same way, thus I created progressive engagement levels that meet fans where they are.

Journey Design

Journey Design

Journey Design

Casual visitors: Simple, low-commitment interactions

Regular fans: Personalised content and community features

Superfans: Exclusive access and direct artist interaction

Supporters: Seamless monetisation presented as community participation

Casual visitors: Simple, low-commitment interactions

Regular fans: Personalised content and community features

Superfans: Exclusive access and direct artist interaction

Supporters: Seamless monetisation presented as community participation

The Result: From Concept to Industry Game-Changer

Business Impact

Business Impact

Business Impact

USD 2M+

USD 2M+

Funding Raised

Funding Raised

Media Coverage

Media Coverage

Media Coverage

Jun 11, 2025

Rolling Stone: Official Community Introduces New Platform for Artist-Fan Engagement

Jun 11, 2025

Rolling Stone: Official Community Introduces New Platform for Artist-Fan Engagement

Jun 11, 2025

Rolling Stone: Official Community Introduces New Platform for Artist-Fan Engagement

Jun 23, 2025

Official Community Launches Next-Gen Platform at SXSW London, Signaling a Bold New Era in Artist Empowerment

Jun 23, 2025

Official Community Launches Next-Gen Platform at SXSW London, Signaling a Bold New Era in Artist Empowerment

Jun 23, 2025

Official Community Launches Next-Gen Platform at SXSW London, Signaling a Bold New Era in Artist Empowerment

Engineering Success

Engineering Success

Engineering Success

40% reduction in development time through shared component library
40% reduction in development time through shared component library
Pixel-perfect implementation using detailed design specifications
Pixel-perfect implementation using detailed design specifications

What I Learned

Authenticity Beats Aggressive Growth

Sustainable fan engagement comes from genuine connection, not conversion optimisation.

What Worked: Prioritising artist and fan satisfaction over short-term revenue metrics.

Technical Innovation Serves Human Connection

The most sophisticated technology should feel invisible to users.

What Worked: Success comes from solving human problems using technical solutions, not showcasing technical capabilities.

Brand Authenticity Drives Adoption

Artists can immediately tell whether a platform "gets" the creative industry.

What Worked: Every design decision reflects genuine understanding of artist culture and values.

Collaborative Leadership Accelerates Innovation

Direct partnership with CEO and CTO enabled rapid decision-making and strategic alignment.

What Worked: Regular strategy sessions kept design and technology aligned with business objectives whilst maintaining user focus.

Whether you're working in the creator economy, building community platforms, or designing tools for creative professionals, I specialise in creating technology that enhances human relationships rather than replacing them.

What I bring:

User-centred design that prioritises authentic relationships

Technical innovation strategy to elegantly solves human problems

Cross-functional collaboration that aligns business goals with user needs

I'm currently available for platform design engagements and would love to explore how user-centred thinking can create genuine value for your community.

Ready to Make Your Complex Software Simply Usable?

Get in Touch

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Ready to Make Your Complex Software Simply Usable?

Get in Touch

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Contact me

Ready to Make Your Complex Software Simply Usable?

Get in Touch

arrow_forward

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Contact me