PROJECT OVERVIEW
Meetup community members have expressed frustrations, both online and in user interviews, regarding low participant turnout and difficulties in forming real connections within group events. These issues highlight the need for a new feature to address these pain points and enhance the overall Meetup experience.
MY APPROACH
To tackle these problems, I took the following steps:
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Designed and implemented a one-on-one meetup feature: This allows users to create personalized meetups, fostering deeper and more personal connections.
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Redesigned user profiles: Simplified profiles to reduce overwhelming information and encourage users to share more about themselves.
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Encouraged goal-sharing: Added features for users to share their goals for being part of the community, facilitating easier connections with like-minded members.
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Focused on user engagement: Aimed to create a closer Meetup community where members can learn, grow, and hold each other accountable.
PROJECT GOALS
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Foster more personal connections: Encourage deeper, one-on-one interactions between members to build stronger relationships within the Meetup community.
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Encourage Users to Share More About Themselves: Redesign user profiles to prompt members to share their interests, hobbies, and goals, creating a more personalized and engaging experience.
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Increase Participation Turnout at Events: By fostering more personal connections, members will feel more inclined to attend meetups with people they have bonded with and will hold each other accountable to attend events they RSVP to.
THE CHALLENGE
In redesigning user profiles and implementing this new Meetup feature, I anticipated I would encounter several challenges such as:
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User Privacy Concerns:​ Redesigning profiles to include more personal information might raise privacy issues. Users may be hesitant to share more about themselves, fearing misuse of their data.
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Community Dynamics: Changing the way meetups are organized might disrupt existing group dynamics, requiring careful management to ensure a positive transition.
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Maintaining Inclusivity: While personalized meetups can enhance connections, there's a risk of creating cliques or excluding those who prefer group interactions.
MY ROLE
Sole UX/UI Designer
Sole UX Researcher
SKILLS
Product strategy
Branding
Wireframing
Site mapping
User Flows
User testing
Prototyping
RESEARCH METHODS
Market research
Secondary research
Quantitative research
Qualitative research
TIMELINE
6 weeks
TOOLS
Figma
RESEARCH
RESEARCH METHODS
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Secondary Research: Conducted research through online user reviews and forums.​
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Competitor Analysis: Reviewed similar platforms to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.
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Interviews and Surveys: Conducted with potential users to understand their needs, pain points, and preferences.
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User Persona: Created to represent key user group and guide the design process.
SECONDARY RESEARCH AND COMPETITOR ANALYSIS:
I conducted secondary research by reviewing online feedback and forums to understand the demographics, pain points, and opportunities for current Meetup users.
Meetup emerged as the leading platform for connecting people and organizing events based on personal interests. I also examined both direct and indirect competitors, such as Citysocializer, Facebook, Couchsurfing, and various dating apps, to compare features and gather inspiration. By testing and experimenting with these apps, including Meetup, on my phone, I gained insights into how each platform addresses similar challenges.
USER RESEARCH
I initially tried to reach out to Meetup users through direct messaging of the app, but Meetup flagged me as spam after a few attempts, blocking further messages. Posting in Meetup group comments was also ineffective due to a tight character limit, and my survey link received no responses. Attempts to gather participants through Reddit were denied, and a Quora post similarly yielded little engagement.
Recognizing the challenges, I broadened my target audience to include people using any social media platform to search for and attend group events, and I managed to find four participants through LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, consisting of both current and former Meetup users. I conducted one-on-one interviews to gain deeper insights into their experiences, motivations, needs, and pain points.
Participants:
3 men
5 women
Ages 30-35
KEY INSIGHTS
WANT
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More personalization
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Enhanced communication
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Greater turnouts
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Sense of community
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Meaningful engagement
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Long term connections
NEED
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Seamless user experience
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Clarity on event details
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Flexible event scheduling
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Safety features
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Enhanced communication
PAIN
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RSVP accountability
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Lack of integration
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Event overlap
DEFINE
USER PERSONA
Persona Snapshot:
​Valerie is a 30-year-old Sales Executive working for an international company based in San Diego. Her job requires frequent international travel where she gets to explore new cities and cultures. In San Diego, Valerie uses Meetup to attend professional networking events and connect with other professionals in her industry. When traveling abroad for work, she uses Meetup for socializing and getting to know the cities where she’s working. Valerie is a curious person with an interest in history and culture.
IDEATE
USER FLOW
Based on my user research and persona insights, I designed two key user flows:
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Returning Meetup Member: This flow guides an existing member as they browse through the groups they've joined, search for events to attend, or create their own event.
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New Meetup Member: This flow takes a new user through the signup process, including answering personal questions that enhance their profile. After completing their profile, they explore events, choose to attend one, or create their own.
SKETCHES
​With a clearer vision of the information architecture, I adopted a lean approach by rapidly sketching multiple design ideas for quick prototyping and user feedback. I explored different ways of arranging the UI and functional elements in my sketches. I considered two options: having all the necessary information input on a single screen or dividing the input process into a multi-step form. I ultimately chose the multi-step form approach to create a more concise and user-friendly experience.
WIREFRAMES
DESIGN
USER-CENTRIC DESIGN DECISIONS
Introduction of New Feature:
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Pop-up Notification: A pop-up on the home screen introduces users to the new feature upon their return to the app. It provides a brief overview and guides users to the feature by pointing to the corresponding navigation button.
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Highlighted Navigation: The new feature is accessed via a bright pink button in the bottom navigation menu, drawing users' attention.
Multi-Step Form:
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Simplified User Experience: The new feature uses a multi-step form with a progress bar to guide users through setting up their one-on-one meetups. Users input details such as when, where, what, how, and with whom they'd like to meet, maintaining control over their meetups. Users are also encouraged to be inclusive by broadening their invitation criteria.
