A real startup project that helps DJs book gigs,
manage payments, and showcase their talent with ease.
Imagine being a DJ looking for work. You message
event organizers, but many never reply. If you do get a gig,
you’re not sure if you’ll be paid on time. Meanwhile,
event organizers struggle to find the right DJs, relying on
word-of-mouth instead of a structured system.
This project is an ongoing startup collaboration
with my developer friends. While we’ve built the core features,
more flows are still in progress.
UX Designer
My Team
Small startup (working with developers)
Duration
Ongoing (Initial 6-week MVP phase)
Tools
Figma, Affinity Mapping, AI tools for research
Scope
Focused on DJs' experience first (event organizers will come later).
challenge
challenge
DJs face four big challenges in their careers:
- Hard to Find Gigs → 75% rely on personal connections, limiting opportunities.
- Late or Missing Payments → 60% have struggled with payment delays.
- Too Many Tools → DJs have to switch between emails, messaging apps, and spreadsheets just to manage bookings.
- Unfair Booking Process → New & female DJs don’t get enough visibility due to industry bias.
The gig booking process was outdated and unfair, so we set out to change that.
To address these challenges, I followed a structured six-week design process, ensuring that research, testing, and iteration guided every decision.
Understanding What DJs Need
Understanding What DJs Need
To design a platform that truly helps DJs, I:
- Interviewed 8+ DJs (from beginners to professionals).
- Compared top platforms like Resident Advisor & GigSalad.
User Challenge
- Hard to Find Gigs
- Late Payments
- Difficult to Manage Gigs
- No Application Tracking
- Unfair Booking Process
What DJs Said
“Finding gigs is all about who you know—not what you know.”
“I spend more time chasing payments than actually DJing.”
“I have to switch between so many apps just to track my bookings and payments.”
“I apply for gigs, but I never know what’s happening.”
“I feel like new DJs don’t even get considered because organizers just hire people they know.”
How might we...
How might we...
How might we create a simple and fair platform that helps DJs find gigs, get paid on time, and grow their careers?
Ideation
Ideation
I explored different ideas using:
- Brainstorming → Listing possible features based on DJ pain points.
- Value Proposition Canvas → Balancing user needs with business goals.
- Effort-Impact Matrix → Prioritizing the most useful features first.
Key Features We Chose to Build First:
- GigGuard Escrow System – Secure, milestone-based payments.
- Smart Gig Matching – AI-powered search based on genre, location, and budget.
- Live Application Tracker – DJs get real-time status updates.
- Unified DJ Dashboard – Combines gig applications, payments, & messaging in one place.
We started with the features that solved the biggest frustrations DJs had.
To make sure the platform was simple to use, I:
- Created a Site Map → Defined key pages & user flows.
- Mapped User Flows → Designed smooth gig application & payment processes.
- Designed Low-Fidelity Wireframes → Tested early versions to ensure easy navigation.
Planning the structure early helped make sure the platform was easy for DJs to use.
Solution
- Smart Filters (Genre, Budget…)
- Secure Payment System
- Unified Dashboard (Gigs, Messaging, Payments).
- Live Application Tracker
How It Helps
- 40% faster gig discovery.
- 60% fewer payment issues.
- 30% easier communication between DJs & organizers.
- 50% fewer abandoned applications.
Right now, we’re focusing on DJs, but we’ll add event organizer features in the next phase.
Wireframes
- Focused on simple navigation for gig search & booking.
- DJs wanted quick filters & easy-to-read listings.
Usability Testing & Iterations
- Iteration #1: Faster Gig Filtering
- Iteration #2: Payment Transparency
Before (User Issue)
- DJs had trouble filtering gigs quickly.
- DJs didn’t know when they’d get paid.
After (UI Solution + Impact)
Solution: Reduced filters from 8 to 4.
Impact: 30% faster gig search speed.
- Solution: Introduced Live Payment Tracker UI.
- Impact: Fewer payment disputes, better user experience.
Design System
To keep everything consistent and easy to develop, I used Untitled UI, which provides:
- Reusable UI components → Speeds up development.
- Consistent typography & spacing → Ensures clean, readable layouts.
- Pre-built accessibility features → Helps meet WCAG compliance.
Using a design system made collaboration with developers much smoother.
- Core DJ features built & tested.
- Early feedback validated payment security & gig discovery.
- Functional prototype designed, focusing on a single “happy path” to demonstrate the core user journey.
- Finishing 2 additional user flows (not yet built).
- Expanding features for event organizers to improve gig management.
- Preparing for broader user testing & iteration before scaling.
This is an active startup project—our next steps will complete missing features and refine the experience further.
- Designing for a new industry → Before this project, I knew nothing about DJs. Through user interviews, I learned that listening to users is the key to designing solutions—even in industries I have no experience in.
- AI as an assistant → AI tools helped transcribe interviews, letting me focus on insights instead of note-taking. I also used AI to organize feedback and cover my weaknesses.
- Empathy drives great design → Understanding DJs’ struggles shaped my approach, proving that deep user insights lead to meaningful solutions.
- Accessibility Enhancements – Improve keyboard navigation, contrast, and WCAG compliance.
- Global Expansion – Adapt the platform for new markets & localization.
- Extended User Features – Introduce tools tailored for event organizers & partygoers.
This is just the beginning—our goal is to build a fair, structured gig marketplace that works for DJs everywhere.
