Building trust into high-value booking experience
Building trust into high-value booking experience
Slove is a startup connecting musicians with venues for live event bookings. The original booking experience was a single, vague step: pay now, figure out the details later. No information on equipment, timing, or responsibilities. Users didn't trust it enough to commit.
Slove is a startup connecting musicians with venues for live event bookings. The original booking experience was a single, vague step: pay now, figure out the details later. No information on equipment, timing, or responsibilities. Users didn't trust it enough to commit.
60%
60%
→
→
100%
100%
TASK SUCCESS
TASK SUCCESS
+15%
+15%
CONVERSION RATE
CONVERSION RATE
-18%
-18%
ABANDONMENT RATE
ABANDONMENT RATE
+25%
+25%
USER CONFIDENCE
USER CONFIDENCE
My role
My role
Lead Product Designer. Owned the full cycle from discovery calls and card sorting through to IA, prototyping, usability testing, and delivery. Shipped in 3 months.
Lead Product Designer. Owned the full cycle from discovery calls and card sorting through to IA, prototyping, usability testing, and delivery. Shipped in 3 months.
Lead designer
User research
Information architecture
Usability testing
Visual design
75%
75%
couldn't find event details
couldn't find event details
Basic event info was buried in the navigation. Users had to hunt for what should have been obvious.
Basic event info was buried in the navigation. Users had to hunt for what should have been obvious.
7 of 12
7 of 12
hesitated to pay
hesitated to pay
Without upfront equipment needs, timing, or responsibilities, paying felt like a leap of faith.
Without upfront equipment needs, timing, or responsibilities, paying felt like a leap of faith.
>
>
Transparency > speed
Transparency > speed
Users consistently preferred a longer, clearer process over a quick one-click payment.
Users consistently preferred a longer, clearer process over a quick one-click payment.
Every UX principle says fewer steps, less friction. The research said the opposite: more clarity, more trust, more conversions.
Every UX principle says fewer steps, less friction. The research said the opposite: more clarity, more trust, more conversions.
Every UX principle says fewer steps, less friction. The research said the opposite: more clarity, more trust, more conversions.
This became the guiding principle. I didn't try to make the booking faster. I made it more transparent.
This became the guiding principle. I didn't try to make the booking faster. I made it more transparent.
ROUND 1: Swipe > scroll navigation
ROUND 1: Swipe > scroll navigation
Swiping felt too much like a dating app. Scroll + dark mode gave a more professional feel.
Swiping felt too much like a dating app. Scroll + dark mode gave a more professional feel.
Upcoming events
Solo Set: Maria L.
Stardust Lounge
Sat 21:00
Music genre
Music type
Live Band: Equinox
Café Angelina
Thu 22:00
Music genre
Music type
Velvet Trio Live
The Velvet Vault
Sun 19:30
Music genre
Music type
Discover
ROUND 2: "Likelihood" -> "Match %"
ROUND 2: "Likelihood" -> "Match %"
Made cards fully clickable, reduced info density, and rewrote confusing booking probability copy.
Made cards fully clickable, reduced info density, and rewrote confusing booking probability copy.
ROUND 3: Added credibility signals to profiles
ROUND 3: Added credibility signals to profiles
Venue profiles felt unreliable. Added proof of played gigs, upcoming events, and social links.
Venue profiles felt unreliable. Added proof of played gigs, upcoming events, and social links.
A DELIBERATE TRADE-OFF
A DELIBERATE TRADE-OFF
Booking time went up. Everything else went up too.
Booking time went up. Everything else went up too.
The new flow takes almost twice as long. But task success, confidence, and conversion all improved because users finally understood what they were agreeing to before hitting "pay."
The new flow takes almost twice as long. But task success, confidence, and conversion all improved because users finally understood what they were agreeing to before hitting "pay."
60%
60%
→