A resource finding tool for inexperienced hosts looking to share their passions through workshop hosting
Timeline
5 weeks
Tools
Figma, InVision, Pen and Paper
Methodologies
UX Research, Strategy, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Platform
iOS mobile
In this digital age, there is a prominence of online classes and teaching opportunities for experts to monetize their skills and share their passion beyond the norms of classrooms.
rSource provides hosts easy access to the who, where, and how of event planning by connecting them to individuals with available venues, like-minded communities, and how-to guides.
There are limited options in the current educational community marketplace to connect curious learners with local experts, teachers, and event hosts who offer in-person classes and workshops.
Outside of universities or businesses offering targeted classes, there are limited learning and hosting opportunities that cater to a wide range of skills.
Create an educational community marketplace via an event-planning platform to give those with desirable or knowledge the ability to organize their own local events.
In this digital age, there is a prominence of online classes and teaching opportunities for experts to monetize their skills and share their passion beyond the norms of classrooms.
rSource provides hosts easy access to the who, where, and how of event planning by connecting them to individuals with available venues, like-minded communities, and how-to guides.
There are limited options in the current educational community marketplace to connect curious learners with local experts, teachers, and event hosts who offer in-person classes and workshops.
Outside of universities or businesses offering targeted classes, there are limited learning and hosting opportunities that cater to a wide range of skills.
Create an educational community marketplace via an event-planning platform to give those with desirable or knowledge the ability to organize their own local events.
Timeline
5 weeks
Tools
Figma, InVision, Pen and Paper
Methodologies
UX Research, Strategy, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Platform
iOS movile
Our goals were to:
Identify the objectives and components of an in-person learning experience
Understand the resources organizers need to create a learning experience
Explore the depth and breadth of in-person and online communities for people with shared interests
Identify the objectives and components of an in-person learning experience
Understand the resources organizers need to create a learning experience
Explore the depth and breadth of in-person and online communities for people with shared interests
of organizations believe that in-person events are a critical component for success when learning a topic. (Event Marketing, 2019)
of event professionals who don’t use event apps intend to adopt them (Event MB, 2017)
During our domain research we tried to hone in on the types of skills and topics we could potentially cater to, but found ourselves constrained by the traditional definition of “education”.
This definition was associated with a teacher-class relationship, and several questions arose:
During our domain research we tried to hone in on the types of skills and topics we could potentially cater to, but found ourselves constrained by the traditional definition of “education”.
This definition was associated with a teacher-class relationship, and several questions arose:
Would we need a standard or committee to assess teaching qualifications, similar to the vetting system of platforms such as Skillshare?
To define a “class” would we need a structured outline or list of criteria?
These questions were correlated to the level of formality our team associated with the terms “class” and “teacher”. By broadening our context of education from a traditional class to a learning experience, we could now encompass traditional and nontraditional learning environments––like an architectural city walk.
Furthermore, sharing knowledge does not have to be solely the responsibility of a “teacher”––it can be a communal exchange of ideas.
These questions were correlated to the level of formality our team associated with the terms “class” and “teacher”. By broadening our context of education from a traditional class to a learning experience, we could now encompass traditional and nontraditional learning environments––like an architectural city walk.
Furthermore, sharing knowledge does not have to be solely the responsibility of a “teacher”––it can be a communal exchange of ideas.
Given this broadened context, there was no inherent need for formal teaching qualifications––so we took the teacher out of the equation.
Knowledge would be shared, not taught.
A “teacher” implies a level of expertise and authority, and for many potential users, that can be an intimidation factor because they wouldn’t consider themselves qualified.
We want to cater to hosts or facilitators of an experience, but they don’t need to bear the educational responsibility of an instructor or teacher.
Now that we had a clearer picture of what an “education marketplace” could entail, in order to see how that fits into an event planning platform, we spoke to 2 event planning professionals, Indira and John.
What were the fundamental requirements of event planning and were the any pain points?
Now that we had a clearer picture of what an “education marketplace” could entail, in order to see how that fits into an event planning platform, we spoke to 2 event planning professionals, Indira and John.
What were the fundamental requirements of event planning and were there any pain points?
Little to none of the competitors we researched, from Eventbrite to Zerilla, functioned as an all-in-one event planning service––and if they did, very few tasks were handled in-house. Our experts explained that this was because events were handled on a case-by-case basis.
The initial ask of the client was to create a white glove event planning platform, but our research and experts made it clear that this was neither feasible nor effective.
This discovery forced our team to shift our focus from all-in-one event planning to education sharing and community building.
With this new mindset, we first had to validate whether our audience was even interested in sharing their skills with others via in-person events, their motivations behind doing so, and any potential barriers.
*Even if they were not interested in teaching, finding out why could also give our team insight about potential roadblocks
With this new mindset, we first had to validate whether our audience was even interested in sharing their skills with others via in-person events, their motivations behind doing so, and any potential barriers.
Findings
At the end of each test, existing and prospective users all left understanding the extent of Admiral’s products.
The grayed out elements were not obtrusive to their user flow while still conveying that there is an unused product; anything more obvious would become a hindrance to their experience.
Users considered the navigation intuitive and the new structure was positively received.
The tour is a useful feature, but they expressed the desire to revisit information shown in the tour at a later stage.
The quick management & recommendations were positively received as shortcuts, but the customization ability can be more apparent.
Contrary to the client’s belief, the primary objectives behind hosting in-person learning experiences were to have fun, encourage engagement, and foster connections.
Finding venues and attendees were listed as the top two resources that new hosts would need when planning an event, while experienced hosts needed partnerships and connections.
Out of the 57% of users that were part of the community, 76% of these groups solely lived online. Local communities existed but were contained because its growth was organic via word of mouth.
-Jimmy W. , Big Mozz
Based on the key insights we gathered from our research, Greg is a representation of our users to help us align on key goals and pain points moving forward.
He is a passionate baker who wants to dedicate time to broadening his skill set
His apartment is too small to bake in, with less than ideal equipment
He wants to exchange ideas and recipes with other passionate bakers
He has all of these goals, but no clue where to start
These key principles would guide our design decisions moving forward:
Users trust us with their identity, their thoughts and private information. We reciprocate with the utmost honesty and transparency.
Create a space where like minded individuals are able to come together, engage with each other, and build long-lasting relationships.
Engage beginners and attract experts. A design that is accessible for a variety of users through an intuitive and welcoming design.
Be contextually relevant and sensitive to the user’s current need and the environment a user might be in.
With these tenets in mind, our team ideated divergent solutions focused on providing the two essential resources: an audience, in the form of community, and/or access to a venue.
Resource matching through a community-based, demand-driven platform––the teachers come to the students.
Community-driven discussion boards foster trust between hosts and students, along with the function to create events within community groups.
Document your event planning journey, watch others embark on theirs, and learn from their experiences via photos, videos, and comments.
Find local venues and events in your area at any time of the day, and receive live updates from the host.
Resource matching through a community-based, demand-driven platform––the teachers come to the students.
Community-driven discussion boards foster trust between hosts and students, along with the function to create events within community groups.
Document your event planning journey, watch others embark on theirs, and learn from their experiences via photos, videos, and comments.
Find local venues and events in your area at any time of the day, and receive live updates from the host.
After testing these concepts with users like Greg and conducting a SWOT analysis, we mapped out the concepts based on our two primary objectives for this product: exposure to resources and connecting to like-minded individuals.
Our initial concept combined the resource matching concept with the educational elements from the live-feed concept to connect new users, without access to resources, to local communities with that knowledge and access. This occurred via posts, media, and discussions with hosts of similar goals or interests.
After conducting another round of usability testing, we validated the need for the resources we provided––community, venues, and guides on hosting events, but their relationship wasn’t clear.
Our initial concept combined the resource matching concept with the educational elements from the live-feed concept to connect new users, without access to resources, to local communities with that knowledge and access. This occurred via posts, media, and discussions with hosts of similar goals or interests.
After conducting another round of usability testing, we validated the need for the resources we provided––community, venues, and guides on hosting events, but their relationship wasn’t clear.
We modified the proportion of education sharing to resource matching, by placing a heavier focus on the latter. By shifting the primary action from posting to searching, we could eliminate further usability confusions, and the platform won't be dependent on everyday engagement like other social media platforms.
Our primary user flow was centered around connecting a potential host to the resources they need to create a successful event through our customized search engine.
We modified the proportion of education sharing to resource matching, by placing a heavier focus on the latter. By shifting the primary action from posting to searching, we could eliminate further usability confusions, and the platform won't be dependent on everyday engagement like other social media platforms.
Our primary user flow was centered around connecting a potential host to the resources they need to create a successful event through our customized search engine.
Hosts now have the ammunition they need to jumpstart the event planning process because they will have access to:
The Who: Like-minded communities––the gateway to a larger audience, network, and voice for your brand
The Where: Available venues in your local area
The How: How-to guides and tips about how to optimize your resources and host a successful event
Explore
Browse through available venues, communities and how-to guides with filtering options according to your interest and location
Search
Search by location, interest, and resource (venues, communities, or guides)
Connect
Connect with local communities to learn about relevant workshops and the resources used to host them
Given our time restraint, we could not address all of the pain points expressed from our research and testing, so we’ve left the client with recommendations as to how to integrate value and education into the experience:
Given our time restraint, we could not address all of the pain points expressed from our research and testing, so we’ve left the client with recommendations as to how to integrate value and education into the experience:
You can’t make all of your users 100% happy in one fail swoop, because saturating an application with too many ideas dilutes all of them.
Likewise, focusing on one target audience is essential for a clear MVP, we cannot solve for hosts, attendees, and studio owners in one version of a product.
Our team had a habit throughout the process of going down one path with subconscious tunnel vision, so we constantly had to pause, re-evaluate, and make sure we weren’t heading down a tangent path.
