UX Case Study: MVP to Scale-up and How Tickets For Good Build Trust Through Better Design

Every successful SaaS company has to start somewhere. For many, that means launching with just the basics: the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), a stripped-down version of their product that lets them test the waters quickly.

These startups running lean on resources commonly use this strategy to prove profitability as soon as possible. Naturally, this approach can be very effective at mobilising projects, but when used improperly the MVP design strategy is the ‘antithesis’ of UX design, and the results often have a substandard experience and an overlooked product appearance.

This may be justifiable for lean business strategies, but further down the line the issues begin to reveal themselves, and the cumulative effects of new features, fixes, and ideas start to resemble peeling wallpaper on shaky foundations.

Scale-ups such as Tickets for Good (TfG) have used this milestone as an opportunity to strengthen their platform and address these commonly overlooked areas.

The opportunity to scale up

As start-ups transition from MVP to scale-up, we’re presented with a unique opportunity to address any design oversights of the initial product and create a more polished, user-centric experience.

What we know about design is that first impressions matter, and in the age of content, our impression windows are growing ever smaller. If a product is to be successful, it needs to be ready for the modern user and it must understand them. An unpolished product may be the sole version of a product that a user ever sees.

By leveraging UX principles and user feedback, we can transform a functional MVP into a polished, user-friendly product ready for rapid growth and market leadership.

Building trust with Tickets for Good

TfG is a platform that offers free and heavily discounted event tickets to those working in the charity sector, the NHS and those on cost of living benefit.

Products which are related to charity or social causes are naturally more subject to scrutiny than typical business. A website with poor design can make the company seem less legitimate.

Trust is therefore imperative to TfG’s success, and one of the simplest ways to build trust is through utilising the Aesthetic-Usability Effect, which can assist in improving the perception of legitimacy.

TfG faced several UX challenges common to many growing platforms:

1. Cluttered content hindering event discovery
2. Friction in the user flow towards checkout
3. Suboptimal event and information presentation
4. Need for improved trust signals and value proposition
5. Inconsistent UI design with poor spacing and confusing hierarchy

We conducted a comprehensive UX audit, focusing on three key areas: the home page (events listing), event pages, and checkout process.
Our solutions were guided by established UX principles and best practices to foster a higher degree of trust in the platform. Through this, we were able to evolve TfG’s platform to appear more professional and legitimate, in turn, driving engagement and conversion rates.

Below are a few key wins from our work:

1. Enhancing design consistency and brand character

Problem
The site lacked visual consistency in both branding and spacing of elements, resulting in an unprofessional feeling and reduced brand affinity.

Solution
We implemented a comprehensive design overhaul, focusing on the principles of consistency and the aesthetic-usability effect by:
● Establishing consistent design patterns and rules across the platform.
● Creating a cohesive visual language, including consistent typography, colour schemes, and UI elements.
● Incorporating more of the brand’s character throughout the site, infusing its personality into visual elements.

● Improved usability — our consistent design patterns reduce cognitive load, allowing users to navigate and interact with the site more efficiently.
● Enhanced professionalism — a polished, consistent design enhances the platform’s credibility and reliability.
● Stronger brand affinity — by bringing more of the brand’s character into the site, we’ve strengthened its personality and increased brand affinity, as users connect emotionally with the platform.
● Improved trust — a professional and consistent design signals trustworthiness to users, potentially increasing their confidence in making purchases.
● Better user retention — a visually appealing and consistent interface can contribute to user satisfaction, encouraging repeat visits and long-term engagement.

2. Removing archaic carousels

Problem
Even the best carousels are a UX nightmare, and TfG’s original homepage hero featured one that relied heavily on asset design that had information baked into images and had poor contrast on the navigation buttons. By removing the carousel, we’ve created an effective entry point to the platform that is more dynamic and manageable, potentially leading to higher user engagement and conversion rates.

Solution
● Implemented a dynamic reusable hero area with clear information hierarchy.
● Included a primary call-to-action (CTA) to guide users towards key actions.
● Added category labels to provide immediate context and improve navigation.
● Designed the hero section to be reusable and easily updatable.

Benefits
● Enhancing accessibility for all users, including those relying on screen readers or keyboard navigation.
● Improving information retention by allowing users to absorb content at their own pace.
● Increasing engagement through clear, always-visible CTAs.
● Simplifying maintenance for the Tickets for Good team.

3. Enhancing discoverability

Problem
The filter section was complicated, badly sized, and disconnected from search results.

Solution
We applied the principles of visibility and feedback:
● Redesigned the filter section to visually connect with search results.
● Implemented clear visual feedback for filter actions using pills.
● Clearly categorised events and introducing category subpages for improved discoverability.

Benefit
Users can now quickly find relevant events for them, improving engagement and potentially increasing ticket sales.

1. Optimising event cards

Problem
Event cards lacked visual appeal and had suboptimal information hierarchy.

Solution
We redesigned event cards to prioritise information and conversion.
● Enlarged event images for better visual appeal.
● Organised information into a clear hierarchy.
● Highlighted the saving and USP of the platform on each event.
● CTA buttons all have actions as labels. For instance, ‘waiting list’ is better than ‘event info’ for sold-out events.

Benefit
Users can now quickly scan and compare events, facilitating faster decision-making.

5. Improving the event page

Problem
Critical information was hard to distinguish on a text-heavy page — its lack of clear hierarchy creates high cognitive load, increasing user drop-off.

Solution
We redesigned the event page with a focus on accessibility and information hierarchy, improved the display of the pricing structure to reduce confusion, each event page has the primary CTA visible at all times.
● Separated text from images for better screen reader compatibility.
● Made the hero more flexible through clear structure and labelling, as well as primary CTA.
● Improved the visual hierarchy to guide users toward the booking action.
● Broke down information into digestible chunks for user scanability.
● Introduced ‘how to redeem tickets’ information to answer common user queries early.
● Cross-sell related events to keep the user engaged.

Benefit
Users can digest event information more easily, potentially broadening the platform’s user base. Information is more consistently displayed with clear headings and hierarchy. Pricing is more transparent and the primary CTA is always available to aid conversions.

6. Simplifying the navigation bar

Problem
The navigation bar was cluttered, with misplaced elements and non-standard design patterns, which can be jarring for users who spend most of their time on other sites with standard design patterns.

Solution
We redesigned the navigation, adhering to the principle of consistency and standards.
● Relocating the cart to follow expected e-commerce patterns that users expect.
● Adding dropdown indicators for better affordance.
● Prioritising essential links and removing low-priority items like social media links.
● Increasing the contrast on the search bar.

Benefit
Reduced user hesitancy by making the navigation bar less distracting and more intuitive, reducing cognitive load and improving overall usability.

7. Streamlining the Checkout Process

Problem
Studies show that in 2024 the average cart abandonment rate is 70.19%, and is largely driven by the number of clicks it takes for the user to complete the checkout process. PYMNTS Checkout Conversion Index suggests that ‘checkout friction’ is a key factor in reducing cart abandonment. TfG’s checkout process had unnecessary steps and a confusing layout with limited user feedback of where they were in the system.

Solution
We simplified the checkout process, adhering to the principles of error prevention and flexibility/efficiency of use:
● Reduced the number of clicks required.
● Clearly indicated the number of steps required to complete a purchase.
● Constantly show where the user is in the process.
● Replaced dropdown menus with checkboxes for yes/no options.
● Improved layout and spacing for a more professional look.
● Ensured clear presentation of crucial information like redemption instructions.

Benefit
A cleaner and smoother checkout process can lead to higher conversion rates and fewer abandoned carts.

Be more than Good

Being relatively unknown to the ticket-vending industry means that you are always on the back foot when it comes to reputation. But this provides designers a chance to make a good impression and cement an experience that doesn’t harm the growth of the company.

Our UX design is invaluable because we are able to:
● Enhance User Trust and Credibility: A well-designed interface signals professionalism and reliability, crucial for retaining existing users and attracting new ones as the company grows.
● Improve User Retention: By addressing pain points identified through audits and user feedback, we can significantly enhance user satisfaction and loyalty.
● Reduce Long-term Costs: Investing in UX during the scale-up phase can prevent costly redesigns and reduce support costs by creating more intuitive interfaces.
● Compete in a Crowded Market: As competition intensifies, superior UX can be a key differentiator, setting the product apart from similar offerings.

While it is true that users perceive aesthetic products as easier to use, UX design is more than a series of artistic choices, but instead relies deeply on the fundamentals of consumer psychology. Through clever use of UX principles, we can guide the user to a more effective use of the product, and in turn, more conversions.

Summary

Whilst MVP strategies can help a start-up company to run lean and efficiently, it can lead to UX issues that get kicked down the path and are felt by users consciously or otherwise.

Not only does focusing on UX design early allow for a more successful product launch, but it also enables designers and developers to discuss the technical needs and limitations of their product.

Our work with Tickets for Good has allowed them to strengthen their position in a difficult market so that users feel good when using their platform. Through simple design tweaks and flow changes, we have been able to:
● Prepare the platform for mainstream scalability.
● Built-in trustworthiness.
● Streamlined user-flow to increase user-retention.
● Reduced cognitive load through the removal of visual clutter.
● Evolved the design to be consistent with personality reflective of the brand.

At the time of writing, these solutions have yet to be deployed.