A mobile application utilizing geolocation technology to enhance ticket sales in Ghana
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
According to a 2013 report by the international youth foundation, Ghana has seen
some increased development in the fields of software, communication and technology.
Aside this, the number of individuals having access to high end phones has also seen an
increase. Even with all this technology people still find it difficult to access tickets for events
that are organized in the country. The ticketing industry in Ghana is still patronizing the
traditional system of issuing tickets which obviously has many flaws. This system involves
printing out paper tickets which are later moved to vantage points across the country for
people to access. The cost involved in this process is not the only problem. The existing
problems are that, tickets vendors sometimes use the concept of protocol to sell tickets. That
is, they tend to reserve tickets for potential customers who may or may not show up. This
action leads to losses in most cases. Queuing and moving long distances for tickets also
tends to discourage several people from buying tickets. This paper proposes an improved
way to solve the problems faced by many who seek to acquire tickets for events. The
ePublisher is mobile application that makes use of Global Positioning Services (GPS) and
QR code development to make the process of accessing tickets easier and faster.
The application was to be designed to change the experience people have when they
are buying tickets for events. Thus, the eight golden rules of interface design coupled with
rapid prototyping, the application interface was generated. The GPS feature of the
application allows users to locate vendors of tickets around them. Markers displayed on the
map symbolizes a vendor and this helps people move to the nearest vendor. In addition,
users get to see the number of tickets available and this would guide their decision making.
In effect, the implementation of the ePublisher would help reduce the unproductive
movement of people to vendors without getting tickets to buy. Queuing and loss of revenue
due to the use of protocol would also be checked. Finally, people interested in attending
events would be able to buy tickets by a click of a button and all this is done in the comfort
of their homes.