Event Creation Reimagined to Double Conversion
A complete redesign of how hosts create invitations on Evite iOS and Android apps
OVERVIEW
People use Evite to create digital invitations for events, thus a core user flow is "Event Creation". Our goal was to reimagine "Event Creation" to greatly improve the experience, resulting in a 2x increase in conversion rate.
MY ROLE
As the sole product designer, I led the design of the project from concept to launch. I performed user research, generated prototypes for user testing, and developed final UIs and assets for development.
Problem
The user conversion rate on the "Event Creation" flow was underperforming on the apps. Users had a higher rate abandoning their invitations. How might we encourage users to complete their invitations?
Discovery
Gathering user feedback and business requirements to understand the existing problems
Analytics Review
Since there were already existing flows in the apps, I started by looking at Google Analytics to evaluate its existing performance.
Insight: this provided a high-level overview of what worked and what needed improvements.
Usability Testing
I ran usability tests to see how users interacted with the existing flow.
Insight: this led to identifying a high number of usability issues. I then quantified major issues that the new design should solve for.
User Interviews
I conducted user interviews to learn more about user behaviors, needs, and goals when creating invitations.
Insight: most users wanted to know what the invitations would look like for guests.
Real Event Data
I looked at events created by real users to see how users customized their invitations in real life.
Insight: this surfaced workarounds users did, particularly to see what the invitations looked like for guests.
Old “Event Creation” Flow
The old “Event Creation” flow was documented here for reference.
Ideation
Brainstorming and testing out solutions quickly
EARLY CONCEPT
I started by mapping out the “Event Creation” task flow and reorganized tasks based on importance to make the flow more efficient.
I then generated hand sketches to brainstorm ideas quickly. These served as a building block to drive discussions with product managers and engineers to obtain conceptual feedbacks.
TESTING DIFFERENT CONCEPTS
After exploring multiple design ideas, the team decided to test out two different concepts. I created low fidelity prototypes on the two designs and ran user testing to get user feedback.
PRO
Content more digestible
Could be more conversational and fun
CON
Users presumed that this flow took longer to complete
Didn’t know what the invitation would look like for guests until tapping “Preview”
USABILITY TESTING
To validate the design direction, we continuously ran usability tests through each phase of the project. During wireframing and prototyping, we ran unmoderated and moderated in-person usability tests. Post development, we conducted a company-wide test to test out new designs and ran beta testing to gauge initial user interactions with the new design. Continuous testing enabled us to incrementally improve the final release of the design.
Goal — Simple and Easy to Create Invitation.
The final UIs were created referencing Evite’s design style guide to ensure a cohesive experience across all platforms and met ADA requirements.
Matching Conceptual Model
Previously, the old design used a distinctly different layout from how guests would view the invitation. This disconnect made hosts wondered how the invitation would look for guests, as learned from user research.
Solutions
Instead of creating a different layout for hosts to input event details, the new design used a similar layout as how guests would see the invitation. Using a similar layout strengthened user confidence and familiarity in how the invitation would look to guests.
Improved Efficiency — Prioritizing User Inputs
Previously, all form fields were hidden under tabs. Required fields were not indicated, thus making the experience error prone.
Solutions
All required from fields are located at the top so that users know what inputs are required vs. optional. With clear prioritization, users can go through the flow efficiently.
Reduced Memory Load — Enhanced Calendar View
Previously users used a native picker wheel to select an event date and time. However, a lot of users referred to their event date as the “first Saturday of next month” instead of the event date. So they had to switch over to their phone calendar to double check the event date. Also, most events were planned at least a month in advance. The picker made it inefficient to select a date weeks away.
Solutions
Provide a calendar view for users to select event date to match their mental model. Users can select the ‘first Saturday of next month” easily.
A Sense of Control — New Preview Feature
Previously, users had questions about where specific event details would display for guests. These questions created unnecessary anxiety and doubt to users.
Solutions
The preview feature allows users to see exactly how guests would receive the invitation. It gives users a sense of control and builds up their confidence before sending the invitations.
Impact and outcome
User experience
Unsolicited feedback related to the “Event Creation” flow has dropped significantly. From user interviews, users described their experience creating invitations as easy and simple.
Business
On iOS, there was an initial increase of 40% in conversion rate. After subsequent releases and A/B testing, conversion rate improved by over 50%.
On Android, there was a 40% increase in user conversion initially. Subsequent releases improved to over 100%.
What I learned
Native vs. custom design
Using native design is always best practice since users are familiar with it. It also saves development time. On the contrary, building a custom element, such as a calendar view, would take longer. But based on user research, users think of their event date as “first Saturday of next month.” Since selecting an event date is an important part of the flow, we decided to build the custom calendar view to match user’s mental model.
Getting stakeholder feedback early
Early on I showed engineers hand sketches and wireframes to understand any technical constraints with the design. Because the apps had a lot of legacy code, it might take a lot of efforts on the engineering team to achieve a certain design. When I was informed of the technical constraints, I discussed with the product manager to weigh the trade-offs. I went back to the drawing board and ideated on other ways to achieve the design intent.