Fan Culture Research

What physical and digital spaces do Kpop fans occupy and how do those interactions impact an individual’s sense of belonging?

To better answer this question and generate recommendations for improving fan experiences, we conducted discovery research on KPop fandoms.

User Interviews

We crafted an interview guide and found three Kpop fans with varying involvement in the fandom to interview.

After conducting user interviews on Zoom, we summarized our findings for each one and found insights and potential opportunity areas within the topics.

Putting it all together: Personas, Archetypes, Opportunity Areas, Next Steps

We created an artifact in the style of a KPop fan magazine to put our research “in situ.” Our visual and graphic design leaned heavily on colorful pastel aesthetics and playful typography. We drew inspiration from the teen magazines of the early-mid 2000s, pulling from a “vintage” aesthetic as well.

This was my first experience conducting formal user interviews and going through the creative process of formulating insights, creating frameworks to tell a story, and creating a zine. Along the way, I found a genuine love for storytelling and connecting with people as an interviewer.