Event Krunch, an Event Manangement App
User Experience Design & Branding
Friends keep us company through the difficulties of our lives and help us grow, but when people move to a new city or town, fear and social anxiety can keep them from making new friends. This app offers a way to helps people meet new friends.
Overview
Background Information
A startup company has launched a product that helps people meet new friends. The goal of the product is to create a social user experience that will help users get out and do activities in person. Friends keep us company through the difficulties of our lives and help us grow, but when people move to a new city or town, fear and social anxiety can keep them from making new friends. How can we help people who have social anxiety step out and make new friends?
The business team has identified a problem in that the number of people who say they are going to an event is significantly higher than the actual number of people who attend. What feature(s) should the company add so that the number of attendees who commit to going is more closely aligned with the number of actual attendees? The company’s location data shows that, on average, 20% of people who say they’re going end up attending events.
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Problem Statement
How might we increase the conversion of accepted invites to event attendees?
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Solutions
The best way to have opportunities is to have mentorship that can give guidance to a financially rewarding career.
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Users may not be getting effective communication about upcoming events (ex. Emails, reminders, etc.)
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Offer an incentive to attend but this incentive would need to be cost-effective for the company.
Design Process
Due to time constraints of 90 hours, a user-centered design process was followed whose steps are shown below.
The Research
A Scientific Journal research was performed to find factual information to assess viable solutions to the problem statement
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All types of reminder systems are effective at improving appointment attendance across a range of health care settings and patient populations.
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Full attendance at appointments is unlikely to be achievable; therefore appointment cancellation and rescheduling should be seen as desirable outcomes
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There is a need to monitor visitors’ satisfaction and enhance marketing effectiveness through understanding visitors’ decision processes
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It is meant to clarify whether or not the motivations for attending an event are homogeneous and whether they vary according to different types of festivals
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People with a social anxiety disorder (SAD) worry that they will be negatively evaluated and that their perceived flaws will result in rejection (Moscovitch, 2009). To minimize opportunities for scrutiny, people with SAD avoid social interactions or tolerate them with considerable distress (Moscovitch et al., 2013)
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Two studies found that those with higher social anxiety reported higher PA (positive affect )when with close companions (e.g., close friends) than less close persons (adults: Hur et al., 2020; adolescents: Morgan et al., 2017)
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When motivated by team identification, group affiliation, and self-esteem enhancement, there is a significant, direct relationship with intent to attend sporting events for both men and women”
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Attendee involvement, satisfaction, and perceived value are important antecedents of their loyalty
Competitive Analysis
An assessment of direct competitors (Meetup, Eventbrite, and Facebook Events) was taken in order to understand the existing business models.
A. Business Goals
Increase the conversion of accepted invites to event attendees.
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B. Important Information from the Product Manager
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Users may not be communicating effectively about upcoming events (ex. Emails, reminders, etc.)
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Possibly users need an incentive to attend but this incentive would need to be cost-effective for the company
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C. Target User
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32 - 55 years old
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User base is an equal split between men and women
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Use phones and desktop applications equally
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Middle class
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Recently relocated to a new city
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D. Information about Your Company’s Brand
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Brand personality — a trusted friend that cares about helping people and making a difference in the world
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Brand attributes
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Caring
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Familiar
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Humorous
E. Action Item
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Ability to create and post events that require no subscription (A subscription is needed to see analytics)
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Communications can be provided through texts, emails, or browser
See analytics of user log-in location, time, frequency, and shared links -
Ability to invite guest
Incentive through a partnership with brands (interest is grabbed when a user signs up for an account) -
Create reminders that connect to phone/email applications
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Create reminder emails that give the impression of incentives
Eventbright
Likes
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Simple designs that are intuitive and easy to navigate
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Details can be expanded and edited at a later time
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Invites can be sent via email or text message
Dislikes
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Communication is difficult when you are not signed up
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No way to see the data of users
Action Item
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See analytics of the user
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See how many users shared the personalized invite links
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See how many times the invite was opened and from what location
MeetUp
Likes
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The industry leader in dictating how meet-ups/events should be
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Very Easy to Navigate
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Designated app for attendee and organizer
Dislikes
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Require paid section for the organizer in order to create an event
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Requires users to have designated account and share personal details
Action Item
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Ability to create and post events that require no subscription
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Communications can be provided through phone and emails
FaceBook Events
Likes
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It is straightforward to create an event without having full details
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It caters to Facebook Users who are in full control
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Messaging system is kept relatively easy to communicate with updates that can be posted
Dislikes
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It is catering to Facebook Users only
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There is no way to upload outside links and auto-populate details
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Communication is restricted to users only
Action Item
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Have the ability to add/invite users that are not part of FB
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Have the ability to see data of use/viewing invites
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Have the ability to have private personalized communication within each event
Personas
This persona was created with the details provided by the brand and its research.
User Flow
The user flow sketched the path that the user would take 1) to book an event, 2) verify information, and 3) join/create a chat group of an upcoming registered event.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
The wireframes were created as a base to help design and flow rather than on intricate details. The wireframes visually represented the structure and layout of the app and were used to identify usability issues in the design.
Guerilla Usability Testing
A round of usability testing was conducted on the wireframes to learn whether participants are able to complete specified tasks successfully and to identify how long it takes to complete a specific suggested task.
Tasks
You want to register for a local event. How will you go about this?
You’ve registered for an event and you want to connect with other people to join the event. How will you go about this?
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The feedback received from the participants was generally positive. The users were able to navigate the screens easily, complete tasks effectively, and found the app intuitive.
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Some usability issues were also identified:
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Users wanted to have the option to have multiple chats. (Based on this, included is a way to create multiple private chats)
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Users wanted to know what incentives are there. (Based on this, added verification requirements and offer incentives for that).
Proto #1 - Issue / Fix #1
All the images/icons are of the same person
Proto #1 - Issue / Fix #2
Some buttons are squared, while others are rounded. Eg. text box
Proto #1 - Issue / Fix #3
I see a chatbox, how do I create a private chat box?
Proto #1 - Issue / Fix #4
It says invite guests, is it people in the group or from outside?
Proto #1 - Issue / Fix #5
What is the quickest way to go home?
Proto #2 - Issue / Fix #1
How do I know what perks I am getting?
Proto #2 - Issue / Fix #2
Why are some boxes flat and others are tear systems?
Proto #2 - Issue / Fix #3
Why am I seeing an option to attend an event even though they already passed?
Proto #2 - Issue / Fix #4
How do I exit everything quickly?
Proto #2 - Issue / Fix #5
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Is the 90 days pressable button?
Conclusion
Goal
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The app achieved its goal of providing users with simplified information
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The app offers users a way to connect with people
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The app retains the feel of fun
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The app offers incentives to fewer no-show
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The app offers a way to be a brand ambassador
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The edges are rounded off to keep the calmness intact
Pain Points
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Although this design of the app is just event windows, it would be helpful to offer multiple event suggestions based on demographics
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There is no way to see who is sponsoring events
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The app could become complicated easily as more functions are added, however with users' constant input,
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The app should have ways to get involved without signing up
Lessons Learned
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Users & app owners must have a symbiotic relationship
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To limit no-show time, a reminder needs to be utilized
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An application that caters to all users will require in-depth research
Final Screens
