Eventsful is an event discovery app that allows eventgoers to intuitively discover events of interest within their local communities, by sharing their experiences and connecting with tastemakers
Eventsful
Timeline: Jan 2021 to March 2021
Tools: Figma, Whimsical, Miro
Role: UX Designer from conception to delivery
Backgroud
In the start of 2021, I enrolled in the Interaction Design Foundation's online UX Design Bootcamp to gain some hands-on design practice and sharpen my foundational knowledge. I selected a design challenge to commence my portfolio project and led my project from conception to delivery.
Challenge
In a day and age where we are most connected than ever, event discovery apps have proliferated into the market with the goal of helping people to find local events. However, despite the abundance of resources, finding interesting events is still a challenge for many people. This leads to locals not being able to enjoy the plentiful of activities that are within their reach.
As part of my Bootcamp project, I was hired by a hypothetical startup to design an events discovery app that would allow users to discover cool events in their city. Unlike other apps in the market, they want their events to be populated by a small group of trustworthy tastemakers - people who decide on what is considered trendy. Users will be able to create accounts, indicate their interests, and then be shown relevant events nearby.
Big Question
How might we get people to discover interesting events in their local communities?
Process
01 Research
Competitive
Analysis
I researched 6 existing event discovery apps to understand strengths and weaknesses across the market, and identify how my product could be competitive. My overall analysis revealed that many event discovery apps lack a tastemaker vetting process, leaving event creation open to ordinary users. This led me to hypothesize that the ability for any user to create events is what's leading to event apps that are saturated with colorless events. In addition, it turns out the many event discovery apps lack socialization features, and the ability to review events. All of these could be factors that lead to high burnout on event discovery apps, leaving interesting events undiscovered.
Surveys
After completing my competitive analyses, I wanted to develop a clearer understanding of how users undertake event discovery, as well as their experiences with these platforms. Therefore, I conducted an anonymous online survey to collect quantitative data reflecting the features users valued most in event discovery apps, as well as the frustrations that they had. Here were some of my findings:
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Finding events through family, friends, and neighbors is the most popular way of discovering new events
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More than half of respondents use their event discovery apps few to several times a year
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Respondents feel that the biggest issue with event discovery apps is the overwhelming number of events to choose from, and the inability to find events that interest them
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The majority of users value a simple and easy to use interface
Interviews
After analyzing my survey results, I interviewed three people with different event discovery app experiences, asking the following questions:
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What type of events are your favorite?
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What details do you like to know about the event?
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What features would you like to see in an events-discovery app?
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What issues do you have with your current events discovery app?
The goal of the interview was to discover additional pain points that did not surface through my surveys. I grouped responses based on similarities and generated insights. The most valuable takeaway I got was that eventgoers value the ability to connect with each other, and want to decide on events based on what is trending around them. They also value socialization features that would enable them to share experiences authentically.
Users also expressed that they value the quality and authenticity of events, and want their chosen events to meet their expectations. With the tastemaker feature being a requirement in this app, and the desire for high-quality events from event-goers, it was clear to me that transparency between both event-goers and tastemakers was needed.
User
Personas
I created 2 user personas to reflect the goals of both event-goers and tastemakers. Creating these personas helped me to understand and empathize with key users who would benefit from an event discovery app. We have Chad, an eventgoer, who wants to discover smaller-sized and more authentic music venues, as well as connect with other music lovers. And have Elise, a tastemaker, who wants to connect art enthusiasts to authentic art events.
02 Define
Research
Insights
From analyzing my research, I developed some insights that helped me prioritize key features that would be included in my design. It was clear that eventgoers value the ability to connect with each other as it provided an honest way of learning about event experiences. Additionally, with the tastemaker being a business requirement, I realized I could utilize tastemakers as a solution for eventgoers in finding the right events for themselves. If tastemakers could promote their events easily and be accessible to eventgoers, then that would allow eventgoers to narrow their search for the right events that fit their interests.
Design
Principles
Before moving into ideation, I defined some design principles that would 1) empower event-goers to discover events of interest in their communities and 2) empower tastemakers to publish and promote their events. These principles summarized my learnings and helped guide my design process as I moved into ideation
Principles
01: Reliability
02: Transparency
03: Customizability
04: Virality
03 Ideation
User Flows
After laying out the design principles, I had a better understanding of the key features and flows that would define the app. This helped me establish a logical app structure that would serve as a guide for my designs.
Low Fidelity
Wireframes
After establishing the core structure of the app, I designed lo-fi wireframes that captured the primary features. Using my research insights, design principles, and information architecture as a guide, I was able to design a flow of screens that represented specific use-cases that both eventgoers and tastemakers would undertake to reach their goals.
04 Design
Design
System
Going into high fidelity screens, I created a cohesive visual design system. I chose Roboto for text, as it is recognizable and readable. As for color, I created a palette that signified excitement and anticipation.
After developing the visual language, I moved on to the high-fidelity version of my product using Figma.
High Fidelity
Designs
Eventgoer Onboarding
In order to personalize the user's event discovery process, event-goers will answer a series of onboarding questions to help find events tailored to their interests
Event Discovery
Search and filter for upcoming events based on specific criteria: dates, location, category, price, etc.
Discover events through reputable tastemakers. Users can search individual tastemakers and message them directly.
Discover events through trending tags. This feature will allow eventgoers to discover events based on what is popular.
Connect with tastemakers
To increase connectivity between event-goers and tastemakers, eventgoers can scan the unique QR code of a tastemaker, and will be brought directly to their profile page. Once on their profile, eventgoers can view their events, posts, and reviews, and assess whether they are reputable or not.
Tastemaker Onboarding
Potential tastemakers will answer a series of onboarding questions to assess whether they are qualified to create events
Event Creation & Promotion
Create and post events. Approve suggested hashtags based on key words from event description
View event analytics: Percentage of tickets sold and what groups of people are attending your events
Create tasks to keep track of event-related activities, from event creation to promotional event posts.
Reflection
I learned the importance of digesting constructive feedback. Having a separate set of eyes to look over the designs was very insightful and helped me stay grounded to my problem scope.
My hope is that users will feel excited about finding events in their communities, and that tastemakers are able to use Eventsful to promote their event to both target and wide audiences
Moving
Forward
If I had more time, the next step would be to conduct usability tests on a set of users, from both an eventgoer and tastemaker lens. Getting feedback would allow me to design a better experience for both. Secondly, I would conduct another round of user research looking more into tastemakers and their role in event promotion. This will allow me to design more innovative features for them to spread word of their event to a wider audience. Lastly, I would brainstorm and validate some rewards features that would incentivize eventgoers to join events. I learned that while event promotion is key to attract eventgoers, tastemakers may also be faced with the issue of retaining eventgoers without some form of rewards.