Intro

Seatlab NFT was one of those projects where everything had to happen fast. A small startup with a big idea to use NFTs to rethink event ticketing. I joined early and led design from the ground up, shaping the platform that helped the team secure major funding from the NEAR Foundation.

Project Summary

Seatlab NFT set out to change how people experience live events by introducing NFT based ticketing and digital collectibles.

This was an early stage startup with a small team, limited resources, and a tight deadline. I designed the seller dashboard and onboarding experience that proved the concept and helped secure the largest grant from the NEAR Foundation, one of the biggest names in blockchain.

My Role and Setup

I joined as the product designer alongside two product managers and a small group of engineers. There was no design team, no researchers, and no set process, just a clear goal to turn an ambitious idea into a working product within six months.

We worked in short sprints, using Figma and Slack to collaborate day to day. I led the full design process, from shaping requirements and mapping flows to building prototypes and working directly with engineers to get the details right.

Requirements Gathering

When I joined, Seatlab NFT was still at concept stage, a ticketing platform powered by blockchain where artists and organisers could sell NFT tickets and connect with their fans.

The challenge was to deliver an MVP that proved the idea worked in practice, not just theory. I partnered closely with the founders to define what that meant, breaking their vision down into something tangible we could design, test, and build.

Instead of running structured workshops, I held short working sessions with the team to map goals, user types, and success measures. These informal sessions became the foundation for our MVP scope and product roadmap.

Research

There was no research budget or user base yet, so I reached out directly to event organisers and promoters to understand their current process and pain points.

These short conversations were enough to spot a pattern. People liked the idea of NFTs but did not trust or understand blockchain.

That insight became the foundation for the entire product. Make blockchain invisible. The experience needed to feel familiar, simple, and safe.

To keep the team aligned, I pulled these insights into short user snapshots in Figma instead of formal personas. It gave us just enough structure to reference during design discussions without slowing us down.

Concept Design

With the scope and direction clear, I explored flows for creating events, minting tickets, tracking sales, and managing customers, everything an organiser would need to run events start to finish.

Our first concepts surfaced too much blockchain terminology, so I stripped it back. I replaced crypto language with standard ticketing terms and introduced lightweight guidance through contextual tooltips, helping first time users understand what was happening without overwhelming them.

We also debated collectibles. The feature was exciting, but it added unnecessary complexity. I pushed to hold it back for later and focus the MVP entirely on getting organisers to their first live event as quickly and confidently as possible.

This approach kept the product lean and gave us something we could test early with potential users and investors.

Detailed Design and Delivery

Once we were confident in the flow, I built high fidelity prototypes to demonstrate how the full product would work. These became the centrepiece for investor demos and the NEAR Foundation presentation that eventually secured funding.

I handled the entire UI design and created a small shared component library in Figma to keep things consistent. Most handoffs were done live with engineers to solve interaction details quickly and avoid endless back and forth.

The result was a clean, flexible dashboard that hid the complexity of blockchain behind simple, recognisable patterns. Even with limited time and no design system, the product felt cohesive and professional, something that looked credible in front of investors but worked just as well for real users.

Outcome

After a few months of intense work, we launched the MVP prototype and secured the largest grant available from the NEAR Foundation, who recognised Seatlab NFT as one of the most promising blockchain use cases in live events.

The product gave organisers a way to mint and distribute NFT tickets in minutes, dramatically reducing onboarding friction and support queries during testing. It proved the concept and set the foundation for a much larger rollout.

Pitch document

Founder Feedback

“I am forever thankful for the exceptional work from Liam. With an unwavering focus on user experience and an exquisite eye for aesthetics, his designs have consistently surpassed expectations. It has been an absolute pleasure collaborating with him, and I highly recommend his expertise for anyone seeking captivating and user centric design solutions.”

Jack Waterfield
CCO and Co Founder, Seatlab NFT

Reflection

Seatlab NFT was a reminder of how much can be achieved with focus and collaboration, even in a small setup. Working closely with founders, product managers, and engineers meant I was involved in every stage, from shaping the concept to delivering a product that worked.

If I could go back, I would add analytics earlier to track adoption and retention properly. But overall, it was one of those projects that sharpened my ability to make quick, clear design decisions without overcomplicating the process.

It reinforced something I have learned again and again. Great design is not about scale or resources, it is about clarity, communication, and understanding what actually matters to users.