⬥ CASE STUDY⬥
The global networking events app designed for more meaningful professional connection.
Introduction
⬥ THE CONCEPT⬥
Aligne
Aligne is an app used by professionals looking to network with more intention. By syncing existing networking tools, event attendee lists and contact interests and goals, Aligne aims to bring quality to your network by helping you to identify those within your networking sphere best suited for your goals and business and easily connect with them on multiple levels with ease.
⬥ THE DETAILS⬥
What where the parameters?
Duration
10-weeks part time
Role
UX & UI design, marketing, branding
Tools
Figma, Canva, Dribbble, Muzli, Adobe, Upsplash
Type
Solo academic capstone
⬥ THE DESIGN PROCESS⬥
How was it done?
To approach this challenge, I took the double-diamond desig approach:
Discover
•Research
•Assumptions
•Interviews
•Affinity map
Define
•Persona
•Experience map
•User stories
•Information architecture
Develop
•Sketches
•Wireframing
•User testing
•Brand development
•UI library
Deliver
•Research
•Assumptions
•Interviews
•Affinity Map
Discover
⬥ THE PROBLEM STATEMENT⬥
What is the issue we're facing?
Attendees of large events often find the process of engaging with an event to be difficult or overly-complicated. This can result in a less satisfying experience.
This is while 82% of B2B marketers and upper management consider attendee engagement to be a crucial key performance indicator (KPI) for determining impact and return on investment (ROI).
⬥ SECONDARY RESEARCH⬥
What are the numbers telling us?
75%
Marketers consider attendee engagement a crucial KPI for event impact and ROI
82%
Marketers consider attendee engagement a crucial KPI for event impact and ROI
63%
Attendeess under 40 show strong intent to attend more events
71%
Event organizers find it difficult to prove the ROI of an event to stakeholders
68%
Event attendees prefer in-person events to virtual, opting for the ability to make real world, personal connections
What challenges is the industry seeing?
Shifting Attendee Priorities
Event industry news source Event MB asserts a new order of attendee priorities:
Meaningful connections
Entertainment value
Content.
This means that event success depends on less controllable factors.
Difficulty Measuring Success
An event’s ability to capture attendee attention boosts their satisfaction, engagement with brand content year-round, and likelihood of returning.
Measuring attendee sentiment is more challenging than traditional metrics like attendance and revenue.
Increased - and Decreased - Emphasis on Technology
As in-person events attract younger, digitally-native audiences, expectations for advanced technology are rising.
However, many prioritize real connections amid digital overstimulation, creating a need to balance high-tech solutions with more subtle engagement.
⬥ ASSUMPTIONS⬥
What are we assuming about event attendees?
Digital Ability
We assume that attendees of large events or conferences can adapt to new programs, technologies, and potential digital solutions.
Desire to Engage
Attendees genuinely seek engagement, and increasing efforts to foster this won’t alienate them but instead aligns with their expectations.
Undivided Attention
Attendees are focused and not juggling multiple priorities during the event, which would affect their ability and desire to be engaged.
Genuine Engagement
In today’s stimulus-heavy world, we must assume measurable engagement reflects genuine attendee interest, not just going through the motions.
⬥AFFINITY MAPPING⬥
What were attendees saying?
Once the interviews were complete, I broke down the things they were saying into overall goals, motivations, pain points and behaviors so I could better understand their perspectives.
Goals
“My main benefit in attending events is networking. But I also like finding out about new products. But also networking.”
“My priority at an event is networking with peers and potential clients.”
“It's not just about meeting new people - part of why I go to these things is to catch up with my existing network and strengthen those relationships.”
"I go into every conference and networking event hoping to come away with at least 2-3 actually meaningful connections."
Motivations
“The primary focus of an in-person event is networking. That’s the whole value add: who are you meeting that you couldn’t meet at an online event.”
“Networking is crucial to my business as an entrepreneur. You never know who you might meet.”
“I’m enjoying the gamification trend, it keeps people engaged when a networking event can otherwise seem a little mechanical.”
“To me, a successful event has to do with quality: the F&B, any high-profile speakers and, of course, the quality of the attendee mix and who I meet.”
Pain Points
“I tend to avoid event-specific technology where I can - I’ll just have to delete it later, and it clutters up my phone.”
“If there was an app that integrated with LinkedIn or one that I could keep on my phone and use again, I might be interested. It's difficult to keep all these platforms straight.”
“It’s not that there are too many events out there, it’s that there aren’t enough INTERESTING events And not enough meaningful connections.”
“I hate showing up to an event hoping for new connections and instead getting people just trying to sell me things. It tends to feel really impersonal and superficial”
Behaviors
“I always look up the list of attendees prior to the event so that I know in advance who is there.”
“I like to look at the attendee list for common interests: school, mutual connections, company, title...that sort of thing.”
“I always follow up via LinkedIn or email when I'm able. I can’t stand those apps on people’s watches to add to their phone list, it’s so awkward.”
“I can overlook a so-so speaker for a really great crowd of attendees.”
⬥AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY⬥
We know what they said, now what are they saying?
There were several distinct themes to what everyone was saying that I could focus on for a solution.
Streamlining Platforms
Need for integration between already-installed apps, with better ways to coordinate between them
Prioritizing Meaningful Connections
Priority on quality of connections made at events, not the number of connections made
Pre-Event Research
Pre-event routine includes manually reviewing the attendee list to find potential synergies and reconnect with people they already knew
Better Ways of Following Up
Experiencing challenges in organizing and tracking their recent connections during the follow-up process after events
⬥THE CHALLENGE⬥
How might we…
...enhance the attendee experience by improving networking opportunities, session navigation, and overall engagement in a way that can be measured in the future?
Define
⬥PERSONAS⬥
Who are we designing for?
Primary Persona: The Attendee
Marcus Ward
The tech startup CEO and conference guru
Age: 49
Occupation: CEO
Location: London, UK
"My busy schedule keeps me constantly moving between conferences, and I worry I’m missing potential investors by not connecting with the right people."
Bio
Marcus, a seasoned CEO, is leading a startup specializing in cyber security. To secure investors and launch production, he spends much of his time at conferences networking and promoting the brand. However, he’s frustrated by the lack of time to properly follow up with contacts and the clutter of event apps on his phone. If he doesn’t raise enough seed money by year-end, his company's launch will be significantly delayed.
Goals & Motivations
•Wants to see his company take off
•Eager to bring in new seed money to fund his company’s new product
•Wants to do well at his new job and stay in his position
Frustrations
•Phone is a mess from constantly downloading, deleting, and re-downloading event apps
•Trouble organizing post-event follow ups
•Wishes he could connect with contacts better in the moment
Behaviors
•Takes notes in his notebook and on business cards to follow up, but often forgets to check them later
•Checks attendee list of upcoming events to better target potential investors
Secondary Persona: The Event Organizer
Marianne Adams
The event strategist with precision and passion
Age: 37
Occupation: Event Specialist
Location: Cambridge, UK
"I love my attendees and can feel the energy at our events - everyone's having a great time! I just wish I could translate that energy into numbers and keep management happy at the same time."
Bio
Marianne, an experienced event specialist, handles event logistics to ensure smooth operations and successful outcomes for attendees, sponsors, and her management team. Marianne gets frustrated when registration numbers fall short or when attendees don’t engage with feedback surveys, which she relies on to demonstrate ROI. She invests a lot of extra time designing event apps to increase attendee engagement, but doesn't always know how well they are received.
Goals & Motivations
•Wants her attendees to enjoy the event and feel they've achieved their goals
•Wants her attendees to return next year
•Wants her investors to feel like they gained ROI from their sponsorship
Frustrations
•Measuring attendee engagement is challenging, making it hard to demonstrate success to management
•Attendees often don't have time for standard engagement like surveys or activities
Behaviors
•Spends a lot of time designing event apps with extra engagement features and finding new ways of driving her attendees to use it
⬥EXPERIENCE MAP⬥
What is the experience currently like for Marcus?
Along with the new task flow, I also re-designed the home screen according to the user feedback that the layout was too busy and that the metrics weren't necessary for the home screen. I also added the "Upcoming Events" section to both the dashboard and the navigation bar.
Delete
Follow Up
Exchange
Outreach
Research
Select
Download
Register
Stage
Touchpoints
Event site
Apple store, Google play, event QR code
Event site, event app
LinkedIn, Google search, company website
Event app, LinkedIn, email
Business cards
LinkedIn, email, text message, phone call
Mobile home screen
Channels
Doing
Registering, arriving at the event
Downloads event app, familiarizes himself
Reviews attendee list, filters by relevant job title, repeats as needed
Makes list of potential connections, looks up each one on Google and LinkedIn
Messages contact via the app, waits for other person to check app and reply, decides on meeting spot
Trades business cards, jots down meeting notes on the back, puts card aside to follow up later
When he is able, goes back through all collected cards, connects on LinkedIn, send a separate email
App stays on phone, no longer usable
Thinking
"I hope I'll make good contacts here"
"Great, another event app…"
"Where do I go to download this one?"
"Where can I find the attendee list?"
"Is there anyone going that I know?"
"Who on this list is a match for my goals?"
"Is this the correct person?"
"Their experience sounds like it's a match for what I'm looking for."
"I hope they see my message."
"Maybe I should also message them on LinkedIn to make sure they get my message."
"I need to move to the next session, so I'll have to add them later."
"I need to remember to connect with this person ASAP."
"I need to make sure I can find this business card later."
"What channel would be best to connect with them?"
"Did I wait too long?"
"Will this contact remember me or what we talked about?"
"I collected a lot of cards - this will take forever to get through everyone."
"My phone is so cluttered."
"I need to remember to delete this app later."
"I'll just have to download another one at the next conference."
Feeling
Optimistic, determind
Impatient, unsure, frustrated
Curious, optimistic, excited
Overwhelmed, uncertain, intrigued
Anxious, impatient, nervous, excited
Stressed, busy, rushed
Hopeful yet anxious, uncertain, impatient
Frustrated, cluttered, annoyed
Emotional Experience
Opportunities
One streamlined app that works across events, doesn't have to be re-downloaded
Smarter way to filter and match potential connections
Messaging through a centralized event app instead of across multiple channels
Ability to connect across multiple channels at the same time
Digital follow up list, tracking system
Centralized event app that doesn't need to be deleted after each event
Develop
⬥SKETCHES⬥
Beginning the design…
Based on interview feedback highlighting the need for better digital methods of exchanging information post-event, the focus shifted to streamlining information exchange during the event itself.
The preliminary designs featured a digital business card integrated with LinkedIn, enabling easy contact sharing through user-specific QR codes. This allowed instant connections via LinkedIn, email, and social media. A tile layout was chosen to maintain a versatile and organized interface.
Login
Sign Up w/ LinkedIn
Profile
Contact Info
Home
⬥MID-FIDELITY WIREFRAMING⬥
Putting the sketches into grayscale wireframes
The app’s design is clean and professional, with simple login screens offering Gmail or LinkedIn sign-up options to maintain a business-oriented feel. The dashboard shows recent activity, follow-ups, contacts, business cards, and upcoming events. Users can view a contact’s details, such as Amanda Brooks’ info, and see shared interests. The design emphasizes clarity and logic, with intuitive interactions throughout.
Login
Simplified login screen, streamlined and easy to understand.
Sign Up
Asks only for basic contact details to sign up, and has sign up enabled via Google or LinkedIn accounts for easy integration.
Home Dashboard
Metrics dashboard showing user networking activity with list for contacts to follow up with if they are starred by the user. User selects "Exchange" from navigation bar to present/accept cards.
Present Digital Card
Options for the user to either present their own business card or scan someone else's.
Digital Business Card
A QR code allows contacts to connect automatically via various platforms, with additional options to share through email or text.
Contact List
Contact list shows all user's connections with profile picture, name, title, company, and date/location the user met them.
Contact Information
Show's each contact's individual contact information on various channels and whether or not they are connected there. User can scroll to find individual interests.
⬥USER TESTING⬥
What did initial users think?
5 users were interviewed on the initial wireframe to test functionality. Overall, users were able to use the app as intended and liked the idea of the QR code. However, they all commented that the home page was too busy and that metrics were possibly more appropriate for their own screen.
Users also commented that the digital business card lacked connection to the original tagline "network mindfully," and asked if there were any other features that were more unique to the app.
⬥MID-FIDELITY WIREFRAMING PART 2⬥
Adding the additional task flow into wireframe
Based on feedback, instead of revising the existing screens, I added event-specific screens to integrate more information. The new screens focus on allowing attendees to showcase their interests, projects, and reasons for attending, rather than just contact info, enabling more personalized networking suggestions.
Feedback highlighted the importance of researching connections before events, so this feature was emphasized. I also redesigned the home screen to prioritize events and networking opportunities, offering a cleaner, more organized layout over the previous focus on business cards.
Add Event to Account
User taps the "add" button on the home page and is able to tap and select to add a new event they will be attending.
Search Event
User can search the app for events that have been registered, either by event name or locator number provided by the organizer.
Enter Event Key
User integrates their registration information using a secure event key (supposed to be sent to the attendees via their registration confirmation email.
Event Integrated
Event integration screen confirms that the registration has been integrated to the Aligne account and gives the option to add event-specific preferences and interests to align with other attendees..
Event Preferences
User can toggle switches on/off to indicate their reasons for attending the specific event.
Add Interests
User can also search and tap pills on/off to indicate their interests relevant to the particular event.
Event Page
Event page displays all organizer-provided information on the main screen. Users can also horizontally scroll at the top to access their event preferences, agendas, the attendee list, and contacts who match their preferences.
Re-imagining the home dashboard
Along with the new task flow, I also re-designed the home screen according to the user feedback that the layout was too busy and that the metrics weren't necessary for the home screen. I also added the "Upcoming Events" section to both the dashboard and the navigation bar.
Removed metrics
Added "Upcoming Events Section
Deliver
⬥HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE⬥
Bringing the design to life
Conclusions
⬥KEY LEARNINGS⬥
What am I taking away from this project?
Sometimes you need to solve another problem first
Initially, I aimed to create a solution for event organizers, focusing on tools like planners and checklists. However, after hearing from attendees that their biggest frustration was downloading multiple apps for each event, I shifted my focus. Instead of building something solely for organizers, I decided to prioritize solving attendee frustrations.
By addressing attendee needs first, event organizers would benefit indirectly, making it a more holistic solution for both groups. The new approach solved the attendee problem to ultimately help the organizers.
The solution isn't always obvious - expect surprises
Several attendees mentioned LinkedIn and the need for streamlined communication and follow-up, leading me to create a digital business card for efficient technical connections. However, during user testing, feedback indicated that this approach strayed from the original goal of fostering “mindful connections.”
Hearing this from multiple users confirmed the need to develop an additional flow that better aligned with the app’s original goal, which was a pivot I wasn't quite expecting.
Reduce…reduce…and reduce again
The nature of events is that there are a lot of details - the attendees, profiles, contact details, communication methods, etc…there are a lot of moving parts.
Because of that nature, there was a lot of opportunity to get bogged down in details or to get overly complicated in ideations. Throughout the project, one of my biggest learnings was in constantly going back to try and ask myself "is there a way to simplify this?" in order to both improve the user experience and keep the project on track.