Event Finder App


Class Project for PYSC350 UX Strategy and Design at Claremont Graduate University
Aug 2023 - Dec 2023
A travel app that lists small-scale events within a 2-mile radius of you to allow you to find a fun, spontaneous new activity with all the details at your fingertips.


Background:


the problem: 
Travelers want to avoid crowded tourist hotspots but still want to experience local culture are looking for things to do off the beaten path. Finding events that allow you to experience your travel destination like a local can be time-consuming, frustrating or dangerous. 

the target:
People who travel often,especially travelers in their twenties who like urban destinations and have a limited budget.
the solution:
A mobile app that provides proximity-based, real-time lists of low-budget, small scale events near your location that provide you a unique experience.


1. Exploratory Interviews





  1. To test the feasibility of my concept, I conducted 3 semi-structured interviews with travelers in their twenties to learn their travel habits.

  2. I was able to tag 5 common themes after one cycle of coding.

  3. I used these responses to generate a data-driven persona of my average user.

2. Competitive Analysis






Based on user responses, I analysed their current solutions for this problem - a mix of social media, maps and event directory apps. I also looked into newly launched travel recommendation apps which I found online, like the Nudge and Camber.


maps and directory apps

+ map-based, widely used and can be updated for events


–
too many irrelevant listings



social media

+ trusted travel influencers and venue pages with frequent updates

–
too many other types of content

travel apps

+ Listings of small-scale events and activities

–
Limited user base and functionality, no map features





3. Concept Evaluation 

I used the prototypes below to conduct 5 interviews to gauge users’ first impressions of the concept.
I asked users to determine:
  1. Are the current features valuable?
  2. What additional features would they most want to see?


A directory page that lists all events in order of proximity, displaying their venues and times.








A corresponding map view of the directory page that gives you location-first information about the events.

Filter options for the search page, with criteria based on user responses.







The listing page for a single event, with links to the organizer’s website and a navigate link that opens the default maps app.


4. Reflection


Based on responses to the qualitative interviews I conducted, there might be a market for a travel-specific app, which is also supported by the development of apps like the Nudge and Camber that are in development to fill this niche. The next step to evaluate this concept would be to test it on a wider user base and gauge interest, perhaps by a landing page experiment.