Newwave Studio — Digital Product & Brand Agency

Fan–Artist Community

A fanclub platform connecting fans with their idols — content, livestream, chat and gifting on mobile, membership and merch on Web/Shopify.

Platform

Mobile App + Web (Shopify)

"Fan–Artist Community" is an alias. The real client — a live fan-engagement platform for artists and idols — has had its brand name, product names, and any identifying details renamed or softened to protect the client. Any on-screen stats shown are the client's own content, not UX outcomes. This is real, delivered work — and the platform is launching soon.

Challenge

Design a fan platform that feels as vibrant and dynamic as the fandom itself — modern, youthful, made for idols and their fans — while solving the real problem underneath: fans finding out in time and idols going live without setup friction. Energy on the surface, reliability at the core.

The core tension

A short-drama app has to feel effortless and immersive to binge, yet carry a subscription paywall that reads as fair rather than pushy — energy on the surface, a clear business model at the core.

The core tension

A short-drama app has to feel effortless and immersive to binge, yet carry a subscription paywall that reads as fair rather than pushy — energy on the surface, a clear business model at the core.

Reaching every fan in time

Fans across different timezones and habits all need to find out promptly. Learning about things late makes them feel like outsiders rather than real participants — a direct risk to engagement and spending.

Reaching every fan in time

Simple scheduling for the idol

Setting and updating a livestream schedule shouldn't require technical help or a big team. Without a lightweight way to schedule and announce, idols risk empty, unpredictable livestreams.

Simple scheduling for the idol

Setting and updating a livestream schedule shouldn't require technical help or a big team. Without a lightweight way to schedule and announce, idols risk empty, unpredictable livestreams.

Solution

The answer to scattered, easy-to-miss updates was one home with a single source of truth: fans are flagged the instant an idol goes live, idols schedule and announce in a few taps, and livestream, gifting, membership and merch all live in one trusted app. The look carries the fandom's energy without clutter — a clean, light-mode canvas with a signature lime-green accent on black & white, warm orange highlights, rounded cards, lime pill CTAs & font for multilingual type — energetic for fans, calm for idols mid-stream.

01. EMPATHY AND DEFINE

Discovery was research-driven: Five fan interviews plus a competitor audit (B with U, Weverse) produced empathy maps that clustered into four themes — timeliness, scheduling, one-place buying, and setup confidence — framing the personas below.

Research goals

Understand what drives fans to support their idol financially — and what holds them back; how much timely, complete updates matter to feeling part of the fandom, and the cost of missing them; which UI patterns make it effortless for fans to track an idol's latest activity in one place; and what look feels bold, modern and energetic enough for idol-fan culture, yet clean and trustworthy.

What discovery drew on

The project started from two inputs: the personas — Mai Tran, who feels behind when updates arrive late, and Sora Kimura, a solo idol at ease on camera but not with scheduling tools — and the client's desired brand identity, a look that's energetic and modern for fandom yet clean and trustworthy.

02. IDEATION & CONCEPT SELECTION

Concept direction: a curated, vibrant, trend-aware palette on a clean light-mode base — a bold lime-green accent (#C0FF65) against near-black for the high contrast that makes CTAs and live moments pop — paired with modern typeface chosen for broad multilingual coverage. The Fan-facing UI leans celebratory and high-energy; the Idol Host View stays calm and legible while the artist performs.

Site map

The product splits along two axes — platform (mobile app · web/Shopify) and role (fan · idol). App · Fan: Home/Feed › Community › Livestream + gifting › Calendar & check-in › Notifications › My Page. App · Idol: Home › Create posts › Livestream schedule & go-live (setup · active · end) › Gifts & Revenue › Profile. Web (Shopify): Home › Search › Subscription & management › Product list & detail › Account.

Key task flows

Watch & gift (Fan): live push (or Community → LIVE) → Live & Send Gift → comment → send gift → buy coins if low. Go live (Idol): schedule via Livestream Schedule → Create & Edit Livestream; then Home → Live Setup (permissions · title · cover) → Live Active (Host Reaction Panel) → Live End summary. Subscribe & shop (Web): Home / Search → Subscription → checkout (→ Manage); Product list → Product detail → buy — all under one account.

03. THE REDESIGN

Fan–Artist Community held together two pulls that usually fight — fandom energy and dependable reliability. The real problem was timely, reliable communication, not features: a bold, high-contrast identity carried the energy; a single source of truth and language/timezone-aware updates carried the trust. The hard part was the handoff between simplicity for the idol and reliability for the fan. Pre-launch, the next step is validating that watch, subscribe and buy route clearly with real users.