UX Research
Research Objectives
Defining clear research objectives
Identify common problems faced by users using the app.
Identify the design solution(s) that benefits users without having an impact on the business of the event organizers or the app.
User Testing with the current app
I conducted a user testing session with 10 participants to identify pain points
"I would want to go to events with a lot of participants but it is tedious to go to each event and check the attendee count"
"Wish there was a way to see trending events in my area."
"It would be good to have photos of recurring events (otherwise wouldn’t want to trust)."
"Overwhelming to find the event I want as the events list is so lengthy."
"I would feel overwhelmed going to events with a lot of participants, would like to find ones that are more intimate."
"Would like to see the rating of the place/host."
I created a journey map to identify most commonly experienced problems
How do I choose which feature to focus on from the above identified problem areas? - Feature Prioritization
Although several issues were identified from users' experiences with the app, I needed to focus on just one feature for this project. I prioritized features based on the most commonly reported issues among users who tested the app and the time required to address them.
Most common issues observed among participants:
Most users wanted to check participant counts—some preferred small, others large events.
Attendee count?
They would like to see popular events in the area.
Trending Events?
Defined issue: How do I sort through events better to find events I'm more comfortable going to? (based on the preferences listed above)
Ideation
In my brainstorming sessions, I identified two potential challenges to consider during the redesign
Potential challenges to be mindful about:
For event organizers who are new to the app or for events that are recently posted -> new sort or filter features shouldn't create blind spots making these events inaccessible to the users.
The change should not cost the event organizer their business.
I redesigned the app's header making it concise and categorizing events more efficiently.
To prevent "blind spots" and ensure that new or newly posted events are not overlooked due to the new sort feature, I added a "Newly Posted" tab. This tab highlights recent events, giving them dedicated space and allowing users who prefer fewer participants to easily find these events.
Hi-Fidelity Prototypes
Replaced cluttered header with 3 tabs - 'All', 'Trending', & 'Newly Posted'
The old header with an overwhelming number of options has been replaced with 3 tabs for efficient categorization with different purposes as described above.
"Attendee Count" sort:
Since many users base their choice on participant count—some find large numbers overwhelming, others exciting—adding a sort by attendee count helps them find preferred events faster.
This sort feature is available only in the "Trending" and "Newly Posted" tabs, not in the "All" tab, as the impact on larger datasets wasn't studied due to the project's scope, avoiding potential event inaccessibility.
"Attendee Count Range" Filter:
"Attendee count" Filter has been added to all three tabs allowing users to select a range of attendee count they are comfortable with.
My learnings and Next Steps
Through this project, I learned how to prioritize features and tackle specific issues while keeping in mind the needs of different stakeholders. I got better at spotting and managing potential "blind spots" in the design process to ensure a complete user experience. This experience highlighted the value of a holistic approach in UX design, where integrating feedback and anticipating challenges leads to a more user-friendly solution.
Next steps for this product includes:
conduct further usability testing, especially with screen readers.
improve the color contrast of the dark mode feature.
Add alt text to images.