AI-based Data Firm

AI-based Event Platform

B****, a Singapore - based data company, name withheld due to confidentiality requirements, were creating a design for a hybrid event platform that enables users to participate in events and connect with others.

Results

71%

68%

USERS CLICKED THROUGH RECOMMENDATIONS

ROLE

Product Designer

COLLABORATED WITH

CEO
CTO
CMO
Data Team

TOOLS

Mural
Figma
Adobe Illustrator

GOAL

The goal of this project was craft a seamless login journey and to early test how incorporating personalised recommendations affects user behaviour.

BACKGROUND

Singapore-based data company partnering with an event company wanted to create a hyper-personalised event platform with AI-based recommendations for each user profile, attendee, speaker and organiser.

I was hired as the Product designer to conduct research, design a concept and test.

The software needed to be capable of accomodating hybrid events post the pandemic. It had to cater to different types of corporate employees and businesses and provide all interactions for the event and make the platform seamless for all users while keeping the experience of the event intact.

CHALLENGE

There were different user categories - organizer, attendees and exhibitors and each had to be sketched out. Also, hybrid events were a new concept that became popular during and post pandemic and is continuing since.

We had to integrate personalized recommendations for all the users right from SIGNUP in the hybrid event experience, which in itself was new for users.

PROCESS

EMPATHISE

Speaking with the stakeholders, I realized that they had a lot of varied thoughts and ideas about the platform and needed organizing, so I first planned an extensive design thinking workshop with the stakeholders along with some interviews with event organizers and attendees and exhibitors to get us clarity on user requirements too.

INSIGHTS FROM USER INTERVIEWS

Recruited participants for the interview, organisers from the client database and exhibitors and attendees from a mix of client user base and external users. We spoke to all user profiles and understood their needs and pain points and gathered the following insights.

INSIGHTS FROM ORGANIZERS

INSIGHTS FROM USER INTERVIEWS

We spoke to all user profiles and understood their needs and pain points and gathered the following insights.

INSIGHTS FROM EXHIBITORS AND ATTENDEES

PROCESS

With the stakeholders and the insights from our interviews, we brainstormed and ideated some journey maps for the users based on different user profiles and personas.

BRAINSTORMING

User Journey Map

PROCESS

Using the insights from the design thinking workshop, created detailed journey maps.

USER JOURNEY MAP

PROCESS

We ideated on the feature list and started working on the concept for the sign up flow, trying to address the concerns brought up by users.

LO-FI PROTOTYPING

I took the insights presented and added these image placeholders as recommendations as well as well popular and random connections for serendipity.

I broke down the sign up process in three steps, Profile, Availability and Preferences.

The recommendations get more specific as they fill in information through the sign up process.

Here, users choose their available slots and preference for virtual or hybrid.

A/B Testing Takeaways

• Users preferred a mix of personalised, popular and random recommendations in the app in the ratio 3:3:2.

• During the signup phase, showing more personalised recommendations at each stage made them more likely to finish the signup.

• Sponsored recommendations were the least preferred by most unless they were also personalised.

LEARNINGS

1. Deep-diving into different user profiles gives you a clear idea of the entire product and its many applications.

2. Conducting quick testing can reveal surprising results and help in major product and design decisions.
3. Conducting a design thinking workshop to ideate and create a product when the stakeholders have different thoughts can really help in creating an efficient and competitive product by gathering and aligning different perspectives to a common goal.