Eventy Go – Finding Event Mobile Application.

Challenge:

The primary challenge for Eventy Go is to distinguish itself in the competitive market of event discovery and ticketing apps. The app must offer unique, compelling features that appeal to a broad range of users. This includes harnessing the power of real-time data, user preferences, and location-based services to provide personalized event recommendations, while ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience.

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Design Process

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01 Research

Research Plan

The research phase aims to understand the event app market and its users, focusing on their needs, preferences, and behaviors. This research is vital for creating a user-focused app that stands out.

Research Goals

• Understanding the Market: Evaluate the current landscape of event discovery apps, including market size, growth trends, and technological advancements.
• Target Audience Identification: Define the primary user segments and understand their event discovery needs and preferences.
• Competitor Analysis: Assess how existing apps address user needs and identify areas for innovation.
• User Behavior Understanding: Discover how users currently find and attend events and what they seek in an event discovery app.
• Trend Discovery: Identify emerging trends in event tech and user preferences.

Assumptions

• Personalized event guidance is highly valued.
• Users appreciate integration of event discovery with social features.
• There is a strong inclination towards apps offering real-time updates and easy ticket purchasing.

Methodologies

• Secondary Research (Market Research, Competitive Analysis)
• Primary Research (User Interviews)

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Secondary Research

Market Research

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Event App Market Dynamics

• Market Growth and Trends: The event app market is witnessing significant growth, fueled by increased mobile usage and the proliferation of social media platforms. Growth is especially pronounced in tech-savvy regions such as North America, Europe, and parts of Asia.
• Impact of Social Media: Social media platforms play a crucial role in promoting events and influencing user preferences, making them a vital channel for event app marketing and engagement, particularly among younger users.

User Demographics

• Age and Gender Distribution: Event apps generally attract a diverse age group, with a notable presence among millennials and Gen Z. Understanding the preferences of these demographics, including gender-specific interests, is essential.
• Income Levels and Spending Patterns: It’s important to understand the spending habits of different income groups, especially when considering the pricing of premium features like VIP event access or exclusive experiences.

Technological Integration in Event Apps

• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Experiences: AR can be used to provide immersive previews of event venues or experiences, enhancing user engagement.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Personalization: Utilizing AI to offer personalized event recommendations based on user interests, past attendance, and social activity.

Event Consumption Behavior

• Online Booking Trends: More consumers are using apps for event discovery and ticket purchases, valuing convenience, and the ability to explore a wide range of events.
• Sustainability and Social Responsibility: An emerging trend in event planning is the focus on sustainability and ethical practices, which can be a unique selling point for the app.

Competitive Landscape

Direct Competitors: Analysis of other event discovery and ticketing apps, focusing on their features, user interface, customer engagement tactics, and pricing models.

Indirect Competitors: Exploration of broader entertainment or lifestyle apps that include event-related features, providing insights into additional functionalities and potential collaborations.

Competitive Research

Direct Competitors: Investigate apps that offer event discovery, ticketing services, and additional features like social sharing or exclusive access to events.

Indirect Competitors: Review of lifestyle and entertainment apps with event-related components, such as social networking platforms or travel apps.

Features and Offerings: Detailed assessment of competitor features, user experience, pricing strategies, and customer reviews, to identify gaps and opportunities for innovation in Eventy Go.

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Provisional Persona Development

User Personas:

1. Event Explorer Ethan
   • Background: A 25-year-old software developer who loves exploring various events in his city.
   • Motivations: Seeks diverse events to attend, from tech meetups to music festivals.
   • Challenges: Overwhelmed by the multitude of events and desires a streamlined way to discover those aligned with his interests.
2. Socialite Sarah
   • Background: A 28-year-old marketing professional who enjoys socializing and attending social events.
   • Motivations: Values events where she can network and connect with others.
   • Challenges: Finds it time-consuming to sift through events to find those suitable for networking.
3. Family-Focused Fiona
   • Background: A 30-year-old parent who looks for family-friendly events to attend with her children.
   • Motivations: Seeks events suitable for all family members, combining entertainment and learning.
   • Challenges: Struggles to find family-oriented events with ease.

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Primary Research

User Interview

Objective: To gain profound insights into the preferences, behaviors, and pain points of potential users for the Eventy Go app.

Interview Guide: Develop open-ended questions focusing on users’ experiences with event discovery apps, preferences in event types, and challenges faced in finding and attending events.

Participant Demographics: Engage with a diverse group of 5 participants, ensuring representation across different ages, interests, and event preferences.

Assumptions to Validate:

• Users are open to using digital platforms for discovering and attending events.
• Preferences for specific types of events vary among users.

Research Synthesis – Empathy Map:

• Insights:
  • Participants actively seek events aligned with their interests.
  • Social recommendations and reviews significantly influence their event choices.
  • Convenience in event discovery and booking is a top priority.
• Needs:
  • Personalized event recommendations based on individual interests.
  • Integration of social features for event sharing and recommendations.
  • User-friendly and efficient event discovery and booking process.

User Persona

Meet Evan, the Event Explorer:

• Background: A 30-year-old travel enthusiast and tech professional residing in a bustling city.
• Motivations: Seeks diverse events, from adventure sports to tech meetups, to enrich his social life.
• Challenges: Feels overwhelmed by the multitude of events and desires a streamlined way to discover and attend those aligned with his varied interests.

Persona Utilization:

Evan guides the app’s design, ensuring features cater to diverse event preferences:

• Influences the exploration features for users like Evan who seek diverse events.
• Drives the integration of social features for event sharing and recommendations.
• Guides the development of a user-friendly and efficient event discovery and booking process.

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02 Strategy

How Might We (HMW) Questions

Based on insights gathered during user interviews and empathy map synthesis, I formulated HMW questions to guide strategic thinking:

1. How might we offer personalized event recommendations to users like Evan?
2. How might we integrate social features to enhance user engagement and event sharing?
3. How might we ensure trust and confidence in event attendance and ticket purchasing through the app?

Brainstorming and Product Goals

Focused brainstorming sessions were conducted to address the HMW questions, leading to the development of key product goals for Eventy Go:

1. Personalized Event Experience:
   • Goal: Offer a personalized event discovery experience tailored to individual user preferences.
   • Key Features: Advanced recommendation algorithms, personalized event categories, and tailored notifications.
2. Social Engagement Hub:
   • Goal: Facilitate social interaction among users by integrating sharing and recommendation features.
   • Key Features: Social event sharing, user-generated content, and collaborative event planning.
3. Trustful Event Experience:
   • Goal: Build trust and confidence in users attending events and purchasing tickets through the app.
   • Key Features: Verified event information, secure ticketing, and transparent event reviews.

Product Roadmap

A comprehensive product roadmap was developed, categorizing features into priority levels:

• Must-Have: Essential features for the core functionality of the app.
• Nice-to-Have: Additional features that enhance user experience.
• Surprising and Delightful: Innovative and unexpected features to exceed user expectations.
• Can-Come-Later: Features that can be introduced in future updates.

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Application Map

An application map was created to visualize the structure of the Eventy Go app:

• User Journey: Outlining the steps users take from event discovery to ticket purchase.
• Feature Placement: Ensuring that essential features are easily accessible.
• Content Hierarchy: Structuring content to provide a clear and intuitive user experience.

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03 Design

Task Flow

To optimize user interaction with Eventy Go, I developed task flows focusing on the app’s essential features. These task flows serve as a foundation for designing user-centric interactions.

Example Task Flow:

1. Task: Discovering Nearby Events.
   • Steps:
     • Open the app and log in.
     • Access the “Nearby Events” section.
     • Browse events based on preferences.
     • View event details and decide to attend.
2. Task: Sharing an Event with Friends.
   • Steps:
     • Attend an event.
     • Capture moments through the app.
     • Share event highlights with friends on the app.
3. Task: Purchasing Event Tickets.
   • Steps:
     • Find a preferred event.
     • Select the event and check ticket availability.
     • Purchase tickets securely through the app.

User Flow

User flows were constructed based on the task flows, simulating realistic scenarios users might encounter:

Example User Flow:

For the task “Discovering Nearby Events”:

• A user opens the app, logs in, and navigates to “Nearby Events.”
• The app suggests events based on preferences.
• The user selects an event, views details, and decides to attend.

Wireframe Sketches

Initial low-fidelity sketches were crafted to outline key screens identified in task and user flows. These sketches provided a rapid visualization of layout ideas, serving as a foundation for detailed wireframes.

Wireframes

Building upon the sketches, detailed wireframes were created for crucial screens, ensuring a coherent and user-friendly design.

These wireframes act as a blueprint for the app’s visual design, focusing on simplicity, intuitiveness, and a seamless user experience.

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04 Prototype & Testing

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

Building upon initial sketches, mid-fidelity wireframes were developed for Eventy Go. These wireframes added precision to the design, focusing on layout, visual hierarchy, and user interaction. The design adheres to both Android’s Material Design guidelines and iOS Human Interface Guidelines for a consistent experience across platforms.

Mid-Fidelity Prototype

The mid-fidelity wireframes were linked using InvisionApp to create an interactive prototype. This prototype is crucial for usability testing, allowing for the evaluation of user flows and the identification of any issues in the app’s information architecture.

Usability Testing Tasks

Usability testing tasks were carefully crafted to evaluate key interactions within Eventy Go:

1. Task: Discovering Nearby Events.
   • Objective: Assess the ease of finding and exploring events based on user preferences.
2. Task: Sharing an Event with Friends.
   • Objective: Evaluate the user’s ability to share event details with friends seamlessly.
3. Task: Purchasing Event Tickets.
   • Objective: Test the ticket purchasing process, focusing on clarity and security.

Usability Testing

Preparation involved defining clear objectives, methodologies, and tasks for usability testing. The testing plan aimed for a high completion rate of tasks and an error-free rate, ensuring a user-friendly experience.

Usability testing sessions, both in-person and remote, were conducted with 5 participants. The observations, errors, and feedback collected during the sessions were instrumental in identifying areas for improvement in the app’s design.

Affinity Map

The data from usability testing was analyzed using an affinity map, categorizing observations into successes, patterns, and frustrations. Identified patterns and insights were crucial for refining the user interface and optimizing user interactions.

Branding

Branding elements for Eventy Go are under development. Mood boards, logo design, style tiles, and UI kits will be crafted to establish a cohesive visual identity.

Final Thoughts + Next Steps

• Final Reflections: The mid-fidelity prototype reflects the initial design goals, focusing on intuitive user interactions for event discovery, sharing, and ticket purchasing.
• Future Enhancements: Future development could explore additional features like personalized event recommendations, community-driven event discovery, and integration with social media for enhanced engagement.
• Next Steps:
  • High-Fidelity Design: Transition from mid-fidelity to high-fidelity design, incorporating branding elements and refining visual aesthetics.
  • Interactive Prototype: Develop a final interactive prototype showcasing the refined design and user experience.
  • Usability Testing: Conduct usability testing with the high-fidelity prototype for further refinement.
  • Design Implementation & Handoff: Organize and communicate design deliverables to the development team for implementation.