Venue App Design
Project Overview
Venue is a company that operates an online marketplace for event venues. Venue strives to bring people together to meet, create, and celebrate. They offer a wide variety of unique spaces for any activity at various price points. Venue targets people who lack the time or ability to search, compare, and book event venues.
This case study was completed for Google’s UX Design Course | High-fidelity Prototype
The Problem
Busy individuals lack the time to search, compare, and book event venues due to workload and inaccessibility
My Role
UX designer designing an app for Venue from conception to delivery
The Goal
Design an app for Venue that allows users to easily book event venues digitally
My Responsibilities
Conducted interviews, ideated designs, paper wireframing, low- and high-fidelity prototypes, conducted a usability study, and accounted for accessibility
Understanding the User
User Research | Personas | Problem Statements | User Journey Map
User Research
I conducted foundational research, consisting of interviews, and created empathy maps to empathize with users and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was working adults who don’t have time to search, compare, and book event venues.
This user group confirmed initial assumptions about Venue users, but the research also revealed that time was not the only factor limiting potential bookings. Time, accessibility, and lack of information are the three main pain points.
Pain Points
Time
Working adults are too busy to spend significant time searching and touring event venues during the workday.
Accessibility
Traditional platforms, such as an event venue’s website, fail to provide a virtual tour option for users who are unable to visit the space in person.
Lack of Information
Event venue websites typically require individuals to call during the workday to inquire more information about a space.
Personas & Problem Statements
I then combined my findings from the research in the form of two personas to help me identify behavior patterns and the needs of the larger group of users. Each persona includes a direct quote, goals, frustrations, and a problem statement.
User Journey Map
To further build off the personas, I created a user journey map that combined the needs of both personas. The series of experiences a user has while achieving a specific goal, such as booking a venue, have been recorded in the chart below, along with improvement opportunities for the next step, wireframing.
Starting the Design
Paper Wireframes | Digital Wireframes | Usability Study
Paper Wireframes
Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that each pain point was addressed before starting digital wireframes. I included versions of the Home Screen and the Venue Details Screen. After reviewing each one, I decided to combine a few elements to create a home screen that prioritized quick and easy searching and a venue details screen that prioritized a virtual tour option and clear information architecture.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research. The six screens below showcase the primary user flow, searching and booking a venue.
Usability Studies
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study helped guide the designs from wireframes to low-fidelity prototypes. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed additional refining.
Round 01 Findings:
- Users want an option to choose from event categories on the home page
- Users were confused how the “explore venues nearby” slider worked on the home page
- Users want to a calendar on the Venue Options screen to see dates of availability and to be able to update their date selection
Round 02 Findings:
- Users would benefit from photos rather than icons within the “venue types” section on the home page
- Users were still slightly confused with the arrows / slider functionality in the “explore venues nearby” section on the home page
- The sticky CTA menu on the Venue Listing screen needs to be more prominent
Refining the Design
Mockups | High-fidelity Prototype | Accessibility
Mockups After Usability Study 01
Mockups After Usability Study 02
High-Fidelity Prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype presents cleaner user flows for booking event venues. It also meets user needs of clean information architecture for quick venue searching and providing multiple touring options.
Accessibility Considerations
- Provided access to users who are vision impaired by adding alt text to images for screen readers
- Used photos and icons to help make navigation easier
- Included virtual touring options
Moving Forward
Takeaways | Next Steps
Takeaways
Impact
The app makes users feel like Venue truly thinks about how to meet their needs. One quote from peer feedback:
“This app makes searching for cool venues in different cities so easy. I could have used this in the past when looking for my wedding reception!”
What I Learned
While designing this app, the importance of usability studies and peer feedback have been solidified. They provide great direction and guidance to keep the user’s needs front and center.
Next Steps
- I would conduct another round of usability studies to validate whether the pain points that users experienced have been properly addressed.
- Conduct more user research to determine any additional areas to improve.
