McMaster Designathon 2022
Finalists
Duration: 48 hours
Tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Jitter
Role: UX/UI designer
Background
The UXL Designathon was a 48 hour case competition based around UX/product design to solve a problem. The Designathon took place online with 65+ teams participating in it, with multiple category prizes such as “most user centric,” Which is given to the team that demonstrates the strongest focus on user needs through each stage of the design process
Design Prompt
How might we bridge the gap from online to in-person? Create a solution for corporate in-person events planning.
Our solution
Make corporate event planning a simple process for everyone involved by breaking down each step, using user data to help the planers, using an intuitive- cross-functioning system.
Thought process
When going into the case me and my groupmates tried thinking of the main pain points of the whole event planning process in total, and what problems arise when it’s fully online. We realized that due to many companies being remote it’s hard to schedule in-person events due to location, accessibility, and lack of organization. So we designed an app that would make the whole process easier for both planners and event go-ers.
Research + user interviews:
First, we conducted user research and interviews to understand those impacted a little better. We conducted primary research in the form of a user questionnaire with 16 participants, and a user interview with 1 participant. We then did secondary research on business travel management tools and did competitor analysis on both Airbnb and Expedia. Here are some of the results from the user research:
After collecting the user research and analyzing it we created an empathy map and user persona to better define our users.
Low Fidelity Mockups
The booking process
In order to make sure users have an easy journey creating and booking events we created an easy system for them to follow along. The process goes over budgeting, destination, availability, hotels, flights, etc… When first logging into the app, users have to put in personal information which is stored and later used in the event planning process to help planners better plan the event. The whole process is effective due to 3 factors
Data Collection
To truly optimize our event planning we incorporate user data to make the process that much easier. We also use the data to give insights into the “best” and “most cost-effective” options.
Cross functionality
Connecting each planning process to another source to provide an optimized search. Trivago is connected when finding hotels, Skyscanner is connected when finding flights, and Google is connected to inform users of accessibility options or articles.
Track your process
Event planning has become even easier with our simplified process bar and ability to edit at ease
3 usability testings
3 A/B testings
Majority of survey participents agreed with the system
High Fidelity
After working on the low fidelity and conducting A/B testing we designed our high fidelity mockup.
01. Registration
Login
Personal Data
Airport Locator
The login page
When first registering users must fill in personal information which will be stored for event planners.
Users fill in the airports closest to them
02. Home Page
Home Page
The home page where users can check our current events and information
Current Event Details
Read up on events being planned by your company
Browse Events
Browse events by categories
03. Event Planning process
Create Event
Create a new event or go bak to your previous sessions
Budget
Create a new event or go bak to your previous sessions
Destination
We use data to show planners where everyone is located. Based on the data we give them a "cheapest" and "most personal" option
Availability
Plan when you want your event to happen. With data showing you everyone's availability
Attendance
Based on results so far, see who can and cannot make it
Plane
Organize flights for everyone with integration to Flight Scanner
Hotels
Find a hotel with the integration with trivago
Catering
Find food options for everyone
04. Extras
Accessibility Controls
Dropdown menu where users can toggle accessibility features
Profile
Profile page where you can update information
End Page
After completing the event planning process you can post it, save it, or send all information via email
Key Takeaways
Results
After 48 hours and $20+ spent on coffee, our team ended up reaching the finals. Although we did not win I felt proud in ourselves and the work that we produced!
📍 Lazaridis School of Business and Economics