PARTY CONNECT HUB (PCH)

A streamlined event-discovery platform connecting organizers and attendees.

Areas
UX research, IA, interaction design, UI, prototyping

Platform
Web + Mobile

Duration
6 weeks

Overview
Party Connect Hub is a platform aimed at simplifying how people find, join, and engage with local events. Our goal was to eliminate the friction users face when browsing crowded event apps, while giving organizers better tools for event profiles, communication, and post-event engagement.

This case study walks through our approach — from framing the problem and mapping the user experience to designing a clean, responsive interface — and reflects on key learnings and next steps.

The Team
3 designers

My Role
Lead UX Designer — Defined project scope and success metrics, facilitated team collaboration, and led all design efforts from research through high-fidelity prototyping.

  • Conducted competitive analysis, identified user pain points, and mapped user flows.

  • Produced information architecture, low-fi wireframes, clickable prototypes, and high-fi designs.

  • Presented findings and design rationale to peers for critique and iteration.

The Challenge

Existing event-discovery apps overwhelm users with irrelevant events, poor filtering, and scattered communication tools. Organizers struggle to engage attendees or follow up after events, resulting in lost opportunities for connection.

Pain Points

  • Event discovery friction: Users waste time scrolling through irrelevant events and confusing filters

  • Low-quality event profiles: Important details like date, location, and cost are buried or inconsistent

  • Lack of communication tools: Organizers rely on external apps or manual messaging to follow up with attendees

Design Goals

  • Simplify Discovery: Intuitive filters and categories surface relevant events faster.

  • Clarify Event Profiles: Key details and RSVP actions above the fold.

  • Enable Engagement: Integrated messaging fosters pre- and post-event interaction.

Success Criteria

  • Reduced number of steps required to RSVP

  • Improved scanability of event details on both desktop and mobile

  • Increased organizer-to-attendee interaction through integrated messaging

Research & Discovery

Competitive Analysis
We reviewed four leading event-discovery platforms — Meetup, Eventbrite, Facebook Events, and Dice — to identify industry patterns and usability gaps.

Key Findings

Strengths:

  • Robust search and filtering systems (Meetup)

  • Personalized event recommendations (Eventbrite)

  • Clean, simple RSVP flows (Dice)

Gaps:

  • Disjointed messaging tools that push users off-platform

  • Overwhelming default event feeds with low relevance

  • Inconsistent event information layouts, leading to confusion

These insights shaped our early requirements: prioritize clean navigation, improve information hierarchy, and integrate messaging within the platform.

Architecture & Requirements

To lay the foundation, we mapped the end-to-end journeys for planners, attendees, and vendors. This revealed the most critical interactions and informed our feature set.

Key Outputs:

  • Core interactions for each user type (event creation, discovery, vendor messaging)

  • Prioritized vendor categories & event types for filtering

  • Success metrics (active users, vendor inquiries, events created)

Ideation & Wireframes
Using FigJam and Figma, we sketched multiple approaches to event discovery, profile layouts, and vendor browsing flows.

  • Sketches: Early iterations explored persistent filtering, tabbed navigation, and RSVP micro-flows.

  • Wireframes: We converged on a card-based layout and produced clickable wireframes to validate hierarchy and flow.

  • Iteration: Peer critiques revealed filter overload; we reduced filter options by 50% and simplified the event profile layout to surface date, time, and RSVP at the top.

Testing & Iteration
We ran quick hallway tests and peer critiques on a clickable Figma wireframe.

What we tested: discovery (search/filters), event profile comprehension/RSVP, messaging entry points.

Findings → changes:

  • Filter overload → reduced to top four + “More filters” drawer

  • Essentials buried → moved date/time/location/price + sticky RSVP above the fold

  • Messaging unclear → persistent “Message organizer” on profile and post-RSVP

  • Wayfinding gaps → breadcrumbs + persistent “Discover / My Events” nav

Key Improvements

Pain Points

  • Endless scrolling through irrelevant events

  • Important details buried on event pages

  • Fragmented organizer–attendee communication

  • Hard to compare vendors

  • New users unsure how to start

Design Solution

  • Card grid + top filter bar (with “More filters” drawer)

  • Essentials (date, time, location, price) + sticky RSVP above the fold

  • In-app messaging from event profile and post-RSVP confirmation

  • Image-first vendor gallery with swipe/keyboard nav + saved shortlist

  • Streamlined sign-up with clear first task (“Create an event” or “Browse nearby”)

Expected Impact

  • Faster relevance; fewer scrolls to first viable event

  • Higher scanability; quicker RSVP decisions

  • Fewer drop-offs to external apps; more on-platform engagement

  • Easier vendor evaluation; more vendor inquiries per event

  • Smoother onboarding; earlier “aha” moment

Sign-Up / Onboarding (GIF)

  • Clear fork: Create an event vs Browse events

  • Progress indicator + single-column forms reduce friction

Create Event Profile (GIF)

  • Essentials first (title, date/time, location, capacity, price)

  • Sticky RSVP preview shows how attendees will see the card

Message an Organizer (GIF)

  • Persistent “Message organizer” from profile and post-RSVP

  • Lightweight modal keeps users in-flow; no external apps

View Vendor Images (GIF)

  • Image-first gallery with quick compare + save to shortlist

  • Vendor contact CTA pinned for easy outreach

Outcomes & Next Steps

Prototype-level outcomes

  • RSVP path shortened (fewer screens and decision points)

  • Higher comprehension of event details on first glance

  • More organizer–attendee messages initiated in-app

What we’ll measure next

  • Time-to-first-RSVP from landing on Discover

  • % of users who message organizers before/after RSVP

  • Vendor inquiries per event and shortlist saves

Next steps

  • Run 8–10 moderated usability tests (desktop + mobile)

  • Iterate on filter relevance and recommendation logic

  • Expand organizer tools (post-event follow-ups, templates)

Reflection

Prioritizing essentials (filters, event basics, and messaging) delivered the biggest perceived usability gains. Keeping communication in-platform reframes PCH as more than a listing service—it’s an engagement tool for organizers and attendees. With usability testing and analytics, we’ll refine the discovery model and validate where the design delivers the most impact.