Dekel Factor Designs
Case study · Live music

Open Stage

The jam, in order.

A real-time queue app for open mic and jam nights. Performers discover the right room, prepare their set once, and see exactly when they’re on.

Context
Lead product designer · prototype to product
My focus
Product, UX/UI and the front-end build
Platform
Responsive web app with real-time sync
Scope
Join wizard, set preparation, live queue, community, host lineup

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01 / The challenge

Getting on stageshouldn’t bethis hard.

The real problem was not event discovery alone. It was uncertainty at every handoff between interest and performance.

Details live across social posts, venue pages and word of mouth. Performers can’t tell what’s required or whether they’re confirmed. Lineups change live without giving everyone the same view, and the connections made after a set disappear when the night and the chat end.

My role

What I owned,end to end.

Role
Lead product designer
Platform
Responsive web app · Austin, Texas
Stage
2026 · Prototype to product
What I did
Product strategyUX architectureInteraction designStyle guide
02 / Research & goals

The work beganbackstage.

Rather than testing isolated features, the research followed the rhythm of a real open-mic night, from first discovery to the connection made after a set. Each design decision traces back to a real handoff, role or uncertainty in the room.

A night-in-the-life study · small venues and open-mic operations
3

time horizons: before the venue, during the wait, and after the set.

3

core perspectives: performer, collaborator and host, in one night.

6

critical handoffs: discovery, commitment, preparation, arrival, queue, connection.

01 / BEFOREDiscover and decide.

Where information appears, what creates trust, and what stays unclear before committing.

02 / AT THE VENUEPrepare and wait.

How performers share their set, understand status, and respond to live changes.

03 / AFTERWARDPerform and reconnect.

What turns one performance into confidence, collaboration or another opportunity.

03 / Competitive landscape

A crowded market.A missingworkflow.

Adjacent products solve important slices of the night. None is built around the performer’s complete open-mic experience, from choosing a room to seeing a live place in line and carrying a connection forward.

MeetupEventbriteVampr
Discover live eventsMusician networkPrepare a setLive performer queuePost-set connection
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY

One connected operating layer.

Replace fragmented tools with one shared source of truth for the whole night.

04 / Feature comparison

Fragmented tools.No live queue anywhere.

Five capabilities across the adjacent products. Events and networking are covered in pieces; preparing a set and following a live performer queue are missing everywhere.

Capability comparison of Open Stage Jam, Meetup, Eventbrite and Vampr
CapabilityOpen Stage JamMeetupEventbriteVampr
Discover live eventsOpen Stage Jam✓Meetup✓Eventbrite✓Vampr✕
Musician networkOpen Stage Jam✓Meetup◐Eventbrite✕Vampr✓
Prepare a setOpen Stage Jam✓Meetup✕Eventbrite✕Vampr◐
Live performer queueOpen Stage Jam✓Meetup✕Eventbrite✕Vampr✕
Post-set connectionOpen Stage Jam✓Meetup◐Eventbrite✕Vampr✓
✓ Core◐ Partial✕ Not central

Desk research reflects each product’s current positioning, not an exhaustive feature audit.

05 / Who it’s for

Meet Alex.

Alex

Vocalist · Austin, TX · 2–4 open mics a month

“I’m ready to perform. I just need to know what happens next.”

The emerging performer. Talented enough to perform, but still building the confidence, network and repeatable stage experience needed to grow.

PAIN POINTS
  • Scattered discovery. Details live across venue posts, group chats and word of mouth.
  • Invisible status. After signing up, Alex can’t see confirmation, timing or place in line.
  • Lost momentum. Useful connections made after a set rarely continue beyond the room.
WHAT DRIVES ALEX
  • Motivation. Build confidence and momentum through consistent stage time.
  • Core need. A trusted room, clear expectations and a visible place in line.
  • Today. Finds nights through social posts, venue pages and musician friends.

Design opportunity · replace anxious waiting with preparation, status and connection

06 / Emotional journey

Confidence dropsbefore the first note.

The highest friction happens after a performer commits but before the lineup becomes visible. They have invested time, arrived and prepared, yet still can’t answer: “Am I actually on?”

Confidence rises while Alex discovers and chooses a night, drops sharply after joining, bottoms out while waiting with no visible status, then recovers on stage and peaks when connecting afterward.

  1. 01DiscoverFinds a promising nightCurious
  2. 02DecideChecks venue and fitHopeful
  3. 03JoinCommits without clarityExposed
  4. 04WaitNo visible status or timingAnxious
  5. 05PerformThe room becomes realFocused
  6. 06ConnectThe night creates momentumEnergized
07 / User story

Same musician.Two different nights.

Alex’s goal never changes: find the right room, arrive prepared and earn stage time. What changes is the amount of uncertainty the experience asks them to carry.

Without the app

Fragmented night

  1. 01
    Search across posts

    Venue details, requirements and start times conflict.

  2. 02
    Message to confirm

    No reply means arriving without knowing whether there’s space.

  3. 03
    Repeat the set at check-in

    Songs, collaborators and needs are explained again.

  4. 04
    Watch the host for clues

    Lineup changes live, but status stays invisible.

Energy spent managing uncertainty

With Open Stage Jam

Connected night

  1. 01
    Choose with context

    Venue, atmosphere, time and performer fit live together.

  2. 02
    Join with a clear role

    Identity, lineup type and expectations are explicit.

  3. 03
    Arrive stage-ready

    The set and technical notes are already shared.

  4. 04
    Follow the room live

    Now playing, up next and queue status stay visible.

Energy reserved for the performance

One profile

Identity travels forward

One lineup

Performer and host stay aligned

One community

Connections continue afterward

08 / User flow

Two roles,one live line.

Before the screens had a look, they had a structure. Sign-up sets the role and lands on home. Alex joins the lineup, says what they play and who with, picks a song and confirms; the host approves, runs the queue and calls people up. Every handoff between the lanes syncs live.

ScreenRole splitLive sync

08 / User journey

From the doorto the stage.

Each stop on the line is a screen. Scroll to follow Alex from walking in to taking the stage.

01 / 05Eager

Sign up

Alex signs in with Google, Facebook or as a guest, then sets a lightweight identity and role.

DesignA quick wizard with social login, so joining takes seconds at the door.

02 / 05Unsure

Pick a song

Alex searches songs, picks the set, and adds collaborators and stage needs.

DesignEntered once, shared with the host, so no one repeats the set at check-in.

03 / 05Waiting

Join the queue

The host approves the request, and Alex sees their confirmed place in line.

DesignApproval keeps the host in control without leaving performers guessing.

04 / 05Excited

On deck

Alex’s phone shows now playing, up next, and their place in line.

DesignA clear on-deck moment ends the hovering by the stage.

05 / 05In control

Host view

The host approves, reorders and calls people up from one dashboard.

DesignOne live source of truth, synced to every phone in the room.

09 / Final design

Closer to the product.Closer to the decisions.

Scroll through the flow. Each state carries one design decision.

  1. 01 Sign up

    Join at the door.

    Social login and a three-step profile replace the pen and paper.

  2. 02 Song

    Arrive stage-ready.

    Songs, collaborators and technical notes are shared with the host before the night starts.

  3. 03 Queue

    Make the order visible.

    A live list everyone sees, with the performer’s own place highlighted.

  4. 04 On deck

    Call people up.

    A full-screen on-deck state tells performers when to get ready.

  5. 05 Dashboard

    Give the host one screen.

    Approvals, order and the next call-up, all in real time.

The flow, screen by screen

Five screens. One flow.

Real screens from the product. Scroll or drag sideways to turn through the flow.Scroll or swipe sideways to turn through the flow.

Home: tonight’s featured open mics, search and quick actions
01Discover
Your line-up: solo, house band, chosen performers or leave it to the host
02Your line-up
Your set: search and add songs, with suggestions
03Your set
Live queue: who is on stage now
04Live queue
Community: recent performers and people to connect with
05Connect
The full flow, in motion

From the door to the lineup.

The live Open Stage Jam app, in three clips: joining tonight’s lineup from the + button, the guided tour a first-timer gets, and moving between home, the queue, community and profile.