Locale

Locale is a map-based web app empowering people to connect with experiences, opportunities, services, events, and products promoting social responsibility and environmental awareness in their local communities.

Project Overview

About the client

The client, Aman, holds a vision to nurture sustainable decision-making within the Hong Kong community and eventually worldwide through Locale.

About the team

My team was assigned by the client to focus on designing the activity creation process and the verification flow of public and private events.

Problem Space

What’s the problem?

In Hong Kong, while most organizations promote sustainable events on various platforms offering a wide range of activities, quality events often get overshadowed. Unfortunately, there is currently no online ecosystem dedicated to nurturing sustainability within the local community.

How might we effectively showcase and prioritize quality sustainable events while fostering engagement among the sustainability community?

Who are the users?

As pre-defined by the client, the target users of the Locale web app are socially and environmentally conscious citizens. These users can be categorized into three levels: ambassadors, activists, and enthusiasts. They share the following criteria:

Already knowledgeable about sustainability, climate change, or social responsibility
Do not have the time or expertise to identify higher-quality events and experiences to learn more
Wary of events and experts who are not truly knowledgeable or certified
Are passionate about ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) & willing to spread the word for a service that meets their needs.

Fig.1 - target users of Locale web app

How to measure success and impact?

Impact

Below are some metrics for measuring the impact of the project:

Task success rate: measure how many users successfully create an activity on the Locale web app.
Retention: measure how often users create or join an activity on the Locale web app.
Net promoter score (NPS): measure customer satisfaction by evaluating their willingness to recommend the Locale web app to others.

Research on activity creation process

Research & Ideation

We started with secondary research on other event and community platforms, including Timable, Eventbrite, Klook, Cally, and Facebook. We analyzed the flow of activity creation on these platforms and identified the information users usually need to fill in during the activity creation process.

By analyzing these platforms, we discovered that users are required to fill in basic information such as the activity organizer's details, event title, event type categories, tags, location, venue, date, and time when creating an event. No verification is required during activity creation.

Conduct user interviews

After understanding the basic flow of activity creation, we made some assumptions about the users and designed interview questions to gain further insights into the design. We conducted 6 user interviews with individuals experienced in sustainability or in creating and hosting activities online.

To discover the platforms typically utilized by users to create or promote their events, as well as the reasons behind their choice of platforms.
To investigate the verification methods employed by other platforms, assessing their effectiveness and the minimum number of users required for verification.
To determine the utility of implementing a point collection system within the web app, and to gather insights on the desired features users would like to see in the app.

Research objectives

After conducting interviews, we analyzed the research findings using affinity mapping to generate key insights about user needs:

Users primarily utilize online platforms to manage their attendees, aiming to keep track of both attendees and absentees effectively.
Online platforms are favored when a substantial number of attendees is essential, as they provide a broader reach and facilitate event promotion.
The majority of platforms mentioned by interviewees do not necessitate verification during event creation.
There is a strong demand among users for a rating system and comment sections within the app to facilitate event reviews.

Key findings

Fig.2- affinity mapping of interview findings

Fig.2- affinity mapping of interview findings
Click here to view the affinity map

Design user stories

Based on the insights, we created the user stories below.

As a host, I want to receive feedback from participants, so that I can know the reasons why they like or dislike my activity for future improvements.
As a host, I want to create and promote my activities freely on the platform, so that I can reach more potential audiences.
As a sustainability ambassador, I want to redeem paid services or features with a point collection system, so that I can try those paid services or upgrade some paid features without payment.

Sketch out the user journey

Fig.3 - sketching out the user journey

Architect with low-fidelity wireframes

We started with low-fidelity wireframes to create information architecture to make sure the user flow works before moving to the high-fidelity prototype.

Fig.4 - low-fidelity wireframes of Locale

Fig.4 - low-fidelity wireframes

Solution

High-fidelity wireframes

The final prototype was designed in dark mode, known for its sustainability due to its lower energy consumption compared to light mode. This choice resonates with the sustainable values of Locale.

Based on user interviews, we identified the need for users to efficiently manage event details and participants. Therefore, we designed an event management dashboard where users, whether acting as hosts or participants, can oversee all aspects of their events. This includes managing invitations, viewing upcoming and completed events, editing event details, and handling participant management.

Event management dashboard

Fig.5 - event management

Initially, the client requested that users invite five people to verify their event creation, aiming to uphold the quality of events within the community. However, upon researching competitors, we discovered that none of them implemented a verification process during event creation. As an alternative, we proposed integrating a report function, allowing users to flag inappropriate events. Upon receiving a report, the host will be notified and given the opportunity to select five users for event verification, subsequently lifting any suspension.

Report and verification system

Fig.6 - report and verification system

Based on our user interviews, users have expressed a strong demand for a rating system and comment sections within the app to facilitate event reviews, enabling them to identify areas for event improvement. In response, we have designed a gamified experience featuring a point collection system. Users can earn points to upgrade their badges on the app by participating in events, leaving comments and ratings, adding friends, and sharing events on social media. This enhances user engagement with the app and encourages them to provide feedback and ratings to each other, fostering the development of the sustainability community.

Gamified point collection system

Fig.7 - gamified point collection system

Style guide

Fig.8 - style guide (typography)

Fig.9 - style guide (colors)

Outcome

What do users achieve?

The design of the Locale web app incentivizes user engagement, encouraging active participation, feedback, and collaboration within the sustainability community.

With the Locale web app, users, whether as hosts or participants, can efficiently oversee all aspects of their events, from managing invitations to handling participant management. They can maintain event quality by utilizing the report and verification system. Additionally, they can enjoy a gamified point collection system by engaging in the community and improving events with user reviews and ratings.

Reflection

What did I learn?

By undertaking this project, I have come to understand the importance of effective communication with the client to comprehend their requirements and the underlying reasons guiding their decisions. I've learned to strike a balance between user needs and client expectations. Additionally, I've acquired the skill of proposing potential solutions to the client, supported by legitimate reasons drawn from user research and secondary research, all aimed at enhancing the overall experience. I greatly appreciate Aman, the client, for maintaining transparency throughout the process and being receptive to our ideas.

Testimonial from the client

“Liz and her team added great value to designing features that create a more holistic and user-centric experience. She and her team's work keeps the user's needs as the highest priority.”

Aman, Client, Locale

A web app for connecting with sustainable communities.