For students at football schools, home games are part of the dream: donning school colors and showing up with a beer (or two) to cheer for victory. They’re one of the first times that twenty-somethings feel a sense of belonging and pride to be exactly where they are.
But today’s ticketing systems make that hard. Schools sell student seats separately from regular tickets as pricey bundles, with too few to go around. Scarcity fuels peer-to-peer exchanges, and, with that, rampant fraud. One in 8 consumers negotiating a ticket transaction on social media falls victim to a scam; for students trading on platforms with zero fail-safes like Snapchat, GroupMe, and Instagram, that risk is even higher.
So I teamed up with three co-founders to fix this.
But today’s ticketing systems make that hard. Schools sell student seats separately from regular tickets as pricey bundles, with too few to go around. Scarcity fuels peer-to-peer exchanges, and, with that, rampant fraud. One in 8 consumers negotiating a ticket transaction on social media falls victim to a scam; for students trading on platforms with zero fail-safes like Snapchat, GroupMe, and Instagram, that risk is even higher.
So I teamed up with three co-founders to fix this.
Role
Chief Product Officer
Recognition
Voted "Best Visuals"
Chief Product Officer
Recognition
Voted "Best Visuals"
Sponsor
USC Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Skills
Customer Research · Product Development
USC Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Skills
Customer Research · Product Development
Stage 0: Customer Discovery
We interviewed students across major universities like UT Austin and the University of Michigan. Across the board, they faced the same dilemma: miss out on events or risk losing to scams. Their insights helped us break down the problem.
Students also struggled to find groups to attend events with and secure tickets for live events near campus. They wanted a solution that covered external events, too.
We interviewed students across major universities like UT Austin and the University of Michigan. Across the board, they faced the same dilemma: miss out on events or risk losing to scams. Their insights helped us break down the problem.
Students also struggled to find groups to attend events with and secure tickets for live events near campus. They wanted a solution that covered external events, too.
Stage 1: Validating the Idea
We broadened our idea to include live events and added a “forum” feature to help students find peers to attend events with. We turned to industry professionals at ticketing giants, like Ticketmaster and Stubhub, to validate our idea.
Stage 2: Building Communitix
Once we locked down the idea, we brainstormed a name. I developed our brand identity, starting with a mind map to flesh out our purpose, value offering, and future goals. I analyzed competitors’ identities, crafted a palette based on consumer associations with our events, and iterated until we found a design we loved.
We broadened our idea to include live events and added a “forum” feature to help students find peers to attend events with. We turned to industry professionals at ticketing giants, like Ticketmaster and Stubhub, to validate our idea.
Stage 2: Building Communitix
Once we locked down the idea, we brainstormed a name. I developed our brand identity, starting with a mind map to flesh out our purpose, value offering, and future goals. I analyzed competitors’ identities, crafted a palette based on consumer associations with our events, and iterated until we found a design we loved.
Stage 3: Making Communitix Different
After defining Communitix’s identity, I designed the platform with safety, ease of use, and scalability as North Stars. I integrated two-factor authentication, linked to university APIs to build trust, and kept the interface minimal for easy navigation. I patternized key flows like event navigation to ensure the platform’s integrity as we expanded to new schools.
Stage 4: Pitching
My team and I pitched our MVP to a board of investors alongside 9 student pitches, and Communitix was recognized for having the strongest design.
After defining Communitix’s identity, I designed the platform with safety, ease of use, and scalability as North Stars. I integrated two-factor authentication, linked to university APIs to build trust, and kept the interface minimal for easy navigation. I patternized key flows like event navigation to ensure the platform’s integrity as we expanded to new schools.
Stage 4: Pitching
My team and I pitched our MVP to a board of investors alongside 9 student pitches, and Communitix was recognized for having the strongest design.
