Equaliz*her
Networking, collaborating, and booking with a focus on promoting gender equity in the music industry.
How can a digital product both—highlight the gender imbalance in the music industry and encourage men to open their networks to FLINTA*?
WORKFLOW
Ideation User Research Concept Survey Interviews Styleguide Design System Design Principles Wireframing Prototyping Documentation
SCOPE
Case Study HiFi Prototype Presentation
TOOLS
Figma Figjam Notion Miro Google Forms
TIME
2025 4 Weeks
Why are FLINTA* people still underrepresented in the music industry?
FLINTA*: women, lesbians, intersex, non-binary, trans & agender people +*
The Problem
Underrepresented genders in the music industry face significant systemic barriers that limit their visibility, access to networking opportunities, and career progression. As a result, they are booked less frequently, have fewer opportunities to collaborate with peers, and struggle to grow their careers in a competitive industry.
The Solution
A web app that promotes gender equity by identifying areas where representation is needed – revealing imbalances in artist bookings, networking, collaborations, and group formations, and enhancing access to diverse talents.
Equaliz*her
→ Highlights gender equity at every stage of decision-making and within the network.
→ Provides a social platform for musicians with opportunities for skill-sharing and collaboration.
→ Connects musicians with industry decision-makers through a booking system.
About this Project
The developed web app offers digital tools such as booking management, a talent watchlist, and data-driven insights. These are designed not only to increase the visibility of FLINTA* individuals but also to encourage decision-makers – particularly men – to open up their networks more consciously and actively. This approach holds promoters, labels, and booking agents accountable for structurally integrating diversity.
A key goal is to make gender disparities visible – through visual indicators, statistics, and transparent team structures. Tools like the Open Call aim to directly connect FLINTA* talents with decision-makers and create tangible career opportunities.
The talent watchlist is a collaborative tool specifically for booking teams – unlike regular follow features, it allows bookers to shortlist artists for specific lineup slots, enabling internal voting and faster decision-making.
Project Context
This concept was developed as part of my UX/UI project at Spiced and addresses existing gender inequalities in the music industry. Due to time constraints, the prototype could not be further iterated. Nevertheless, qualitative interviews and a deliberately more open survey with 43 participants provided valuable insights into the needs and challenges of the target group.
The survey focused on qualitative responses – based on the insight that extensive quantitative data on this topic already exists from secondary research. The aim was to uncover new perspectives rather than repeat existing figures.
Screens
Feedback screen
Feedback displayed when opening a group with a highly unbalanced gender ratio, making the user aware of their gender-related networking behavior.”
Line up
The line-up view displays open, filled, and unconfirmed slots, along with the overall gender ratio — organized as a horizontal timeline per stage. Clicking a slot takes you to the artist profile or the artist search, depending on its status.
Artist recommendations
Player showing recommendations based on your search settings, with FLINTA artists visually highlighted as you swipe through the list.
Talent watchlist
A talent watchlist that lets team members vote directly on booking suggestions — helping to make decisions faster and more autonomous.
What challenges do FLINTA* individuals face in the music industry?
Understanding Painpoints, Needs and Oportunities
To understand the barriers, challenges, and perceptions of gender equality in the music industry—especially how artists build networks and what’s needed to improve FLINTA* individuals’ positions—I conducted a survey.
The insights gained helped identify potential solutions for a digital platform that fosters inclusivity and enhances networking opportunities.
Furthermore, four interviews provided deeper insights into the needs of the target user group.
43
Survey
Women: 23
Non-binary: 6
Agender: 1
Men: 13
04
Interviews
Success in the music industry heavily depends on connections.
75% of FLINTA* individuals report that the biggest barrier to professional development is the dominance of men in leadership positions.
Question: What barriers do you personally face in your professional development? Source: Music industry survey, basis 2024: FLINTA* n=173 interviews, men: n=68
Interview Insights
84,4%
stated that their access to the music industry came through personal connections or mentors who introduced them to key people.
"More Skillsharing for FLINTA* especially in the more technical areas producing, technicians, …
More funding for feminist music networks"
"You can't do anything without networking—men are in the majority and connect interpersonally—so you are out of the picture."
"It's also a bit of a cronyism that men then promote other men. I think this is really a historical factor that comes into play here."
"It starts with the bare minimum: that the industry no longer denies that gender bias and disadvantages for FLINTA* are a fact."
86%
believe significant progress is still needed for gender equality in the music industry. Only three respondents see a balance, while two had no opinion—all 5 were men.
“Frustrated and tired about complaining all the time about the same topic.“
“I feel safe, heard, and valued in my personal network.“
“Insecure about whether her emotions are justified.“
“I noticed that I mostly had men in my talent network when I was looking for female DJs.“
“My goal: expanding my professional Network with more female contacts.”
“Men, even those close to me who support me, need to be more politically active and raise awareness among their male colleagues to really make a change.“
“I applied as an artist using the booking forms.“
“The men close to me support me and other female group members.“
“Many bring their professional experience into private projects.“
“In group projects, people quickly find themselves in social role patterns when taking on tasks.”
“Reflection requires a shift in perspective.”
Great data. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But what’s the actual takeaway here?
Barriers
Important factors for a successful career and good access to the music industry are personal contacts, a strong network, mentors, and collaborations but cis-men often prefer to stay within all-male networks—the problem with this is that they mostly hold key decision-making positions.
Perception Gap
The perception of gender equity in this field is assessed differently by men than by their FLINTA* colleagues which often leads to men being unaware of the issue and not necessarily seeing a need for action on their part.
Survey and interview insights reveal a key contrast:
While many FLINTA* participants emphasize the need for men to take a more active role in gender equity, many also feel supported within their personal networks.
This suggests a willingness among men to support FLINTA* in the industry. The challenge lies in extending this support beyond personal circles to drive broader change.
What is needed?
Skill-sharing / knowledge transfer and mentorships
… to foster growth and career opportunities
Representation in key industry roles
… to drive systemic change
Greater visibility on and off stage
… to inspire future generations and strengthen role models
Awareness, responsibility and recognition
… to create a more inclusive and equitable industry
How might we …
1.
… develop a tool that empowers musicians to connect and collaborate more easily, while fostering gender-inclusive and accessible networking experiences?
2.
… foster greater awareness and responsibility for gender equity across all levels of app usage – regardless of the users’ gender identity?
3.
… simplify the process of discovering and booking diverse artists?
User Persona
The user persona is a man?
Equaliz*her is designed for everyone, regardless of gender. Its goal is to connect like-minded individuals, empower career growth, foster collaboration, and encourage knowledge sharing, all while prioritizing gender equity. By creating a fairer, safer space, the app benefits all users. Systemic change is a collective responsibility.
Jona, 36 y
Pronouns: he/him
Role: Eventmanager, Talent Booker, DJ
Personal Traits:
→ reflected
→ hands-on,
→ smart
→ social
→ creative
→ politically engaged
Jona works full-time as an event manager. Privately, he organizes an annual small music festival with a core group of friends and the community that has formed around it. The team’s goal is to achieve gender equality in their bookings, but Jona often finds that his personal network, which is predominantly male, makes this a challenge.
User Journey
What does Jona’s journey look like as he books artists without Equaliz*her?
User Flow
Booking process with Equaliz*her
Wireframes
Booking process with Equaliz*her
Prototype
You shouldn’t choose between doing it fast and doing it right!
Future Prospects
While the current prototype focuses on the booking process for festival line-ups, the concept could be expanded to include orchestra placements or institutional selection processes in the future.
To better understand the practical needs and dynamics of the booking process, the next step would involve further interviews, in-depth surveys, and close collaboration with key stakeholders.