During my time at The Flatiron School, I was tasked with designing Vente, a mobile app that helps users discover fun things to do nearby. It uses attractive visuals to showcase events and allows easy search by keywords, names or categories. The app also offers a personalized space for users to manage their interests, connect with friends and participate in groups.
The goal of this project was to design and create a local events mobile app to bridge the gap between users and exciting local happenings, offering a user-friendly platform for discovery and engagement.
In today's fast-paced world, individuals often struggle to stay connected to the vibrant local events happening in their neighborhoods. The lack of a centralized platform that offers comprehensive event listings and easy accessibility hinders the ability to discover and participate in the local cultural scene.
This information gap poses a challenge for event organizers who strive to reach a wider audience and build community engagement.
Bridge the gap between event organizers and attendees by creating a centralized platform for discovering and promoting local events.
This platform would address the challenges associated with the current fragmented local event discovery.
For designing this events platform, I considered the following target audiences.
This primary user is actively looking for things to do in their area and are always moving.
They value convenience and ease of use, wanting to quickly find interesting events happening nearby.
This user is interested in connecting with people who share their interests. They might use Vente to find events related to their hobbies or professional development. They value features that help them connect with other attendees and build a local community.
In the research phase, I dove deep into the competition’s websites and apps. This included analyzing features and target audiences of competitor apps like Eventbrite and Facebook Events, alongside user interviews, surveys, and observations. This research uncovered user needs, competitor strengths/weaknesses, and local event discovery trends, allowing me to understand user pain points and opportunities to stand apart from competitors.
Understand + define our
users & competition
to build the brand and gain a competitive edge
Support various
question types
multiple choice, short answer, open-ended...
What are some of the biggest challenges you face when trying to find local events you're interested in?
Ugh, finding events is a mess! Websites are cluttered and outdated, and social media is flooded with irrelevant stuff. It's hard to find things I actually care about.
What kind of information is most important to you when deciding whether or not to attend an event?
Definitely the date, time, and location! But also a good description of what's happening and maybe some photos or videos to get a feel for the event.
Do you ever use apps or websites to find events? If so, what do you like and dislike about those experiences?
Yeah, I use a few event apps, but they're all kind of clunky. It's hard to filter by interests, and sometimes the info isn't accurate.
Imagine a perfect app for finding local events.
What featureswould it absolutely have?
My dream app would curate events based on my interests, show me what my friends are going to, and let me know if tickets are selling out fast. Easy booking would be awesome too!
Beyond attending events, what are you
looking for in a local events app?
Definitely a way to connect with other people who are going to the same events! Maybe even find groups or chats for shared interests.
Have you ever used an app to connect with other people at events you're interested in attending? Why or why not?
Nope, there aren't really any good options for that. It would be cool to meet people beforehand and maybe plan to hang out at the event.
What are some things an app could do to help you make connections with others who share your interests?
An app could suggest connections based on our profiles and the events we're interested in. Maybe even a built-in chat feature to break the ice before the event.
By engaging in conversations with future potential users, I developed two distinct personas that represent typical user archetypes within the Vente brand. Creating personas was beneficial for me as it provided a deeper understanding of the users' needs, goals, motivations, and pain points.
"Exploring the city and attending local events is not just about staying active and healthy for me, it's about immersing myself in the vibrant energy of the community."
Age
32
Education
College Graduate
Location
San Francisco
Occupation
Project Manager in Tech
"I'm always on the lookout for the pulse of the local scene, searching for hidden gems and captivating stories to share with my community."
Age
27
Education
College Graduate
Location
New York
Occupation
Blogger and Writer
I then created an empathy map to understand and empathize with Vente's primary users. This tool helps me see things from the user's perspective. By analyzing their goals, frustrations, actions, and emotions, I can design a more user-centered platform.
The insights from the personas and empathy map fueled the creation of a user journey map, visualizing their steps within the platform and pinpointing several pain points. This map guides us to design a user-centered experience for the Vente events mobile app.
The platform needs to include
effective search & filtering
based on user interests and location
clear & concise
event descriptions with personalized recommendations.
These three main pain points highlight the need for a mobile platform. Vente should evolve into a more comprehensive event discovery and connection platform.
Disconnect between the event itself and the user's desire to connect with a community.
Currently it is hard to build connections and this leaves users feeling isolated even before attending the event.
There's no way for users to easily stay in touch with people they meet at events. Features like following profiles, private chat groups, or forums centered around specific interests are missing, hindering the potential for lasting connections within the Vente community.
Vente aims to be a one-stop shop for event discovery and connection. Here's a possible information architecture to achieve this:
In order to connect Vente's low-fidelity screens, I used flow mapping. This involved visually mapping out the user journey, identifying touchpoints, transitions, and decision points. By analyzing the flow map, I ensured a seamless and intuitive navigation experience for users.
These high fidelity designs focused on a clean, intuitive interface that brought the IA to life with visually appealing screens and clear calls to action for every user.
After conducting usability testing, several valuable insights emerged:
During testing, users felt an information overload on the Home Screen. Users felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of events displayed on the home screen.
There was unclear navigation for Pre-Event Interaction Features: Users weren't sure how to access features like chat or discussion boards for specific events.
Users expressed difficulty finding their list of saved events. During testing, users pointed out the limited visibility of the Saved Events screen.
These were the main changes made following the usability study:
The calendar functionality was made more prominent within event details, with a clear separate tab bar for users to see future and specific past events.
I took a closer look at the search filter options (like date range and event type). Any filters that caused confusion or redundancy were removed. The remaining filter options were rephrased using clearer and more user-friendly language. This ensures users understand each filter's purpose and can effectively narrow down their search results.
Built a Design System in Sketch for Vente to ensure consistency. Created a style guide with brand elements and a library of reusable UI components as symbols. Leveraged Atomic Design for efficiency and documented everything for clarity. Exported key assets for development, laying the groundwork for a smooth Vente experience.
Vente wouldn't necessarily replace any single app, but rather consolidate functionalities from various existing solutions.
Vente could replace the need for users to juggle multiple event aggregator apps by offering a comprehensive platform with personalized search filters. For event-specific connections, Vente could replace the need for joining event-related social media groups. It provides a dedicated space for pre-event interaction within the context of the specific event itself. While not a complete replacement, Vente's pre-event chat functionalities could reduce reliance on general messaging apps for connecting with event attendees, offering a more focused communication space.
First, we need to conduct more usability testing with a wider range of users to gather further feedback on the interactive prototype.
Second, once the prototype is finalized and user feedback is incorporated, prepare the necessary assets for the development stage.
