How might we guide convention attendees through a cohesive user journey through the app in a way that mirrors their in-person experiences?







Background



Screenshots from the current interface of the Anirevo app

Identified Opportunities
Lack of cohesive flow between pages

While Anirevo Guide is successful in sourcing and displaying data pertaining to the convention, the current UI does not properly guide the user between each function/data point in the app. Each page exists in isolation, and lacks visual cues that lay out a ‘path’ for the user.
Low tie-in with Anirevo brand visuals

Despite Anime Revolution having distinct visual branding, the app does not capitalize on this - for instance, the ‘Anirevo blue’ that the organization uses across their other digital touchpoints is hardly seen in Anirevo Guide.
Little visual distinction between event categories

Did you know that Anime Revolution has 12 different panel categories and 6 types of rooms that they could be hosted in? Now you do. Currently, there’s no way of telling this on the Anirevo Guide - despite there being upwards of 160 panels each year. If users are able to sift through these events by categories or room types, they would have a much easier time browsing through the ‘Schedules’ timeline.


Refresh





All roads lead to “My Schedule”Strategy

To address the scattered sense of flow between each feature, I structured the app so that each page would nudge the user to the ‘My schedule‘ tab. 

Not only does ‘My schedule’ have the biggest potential for building excitement towards the event, but during convention weekend, we anticipate attendees to be using this tab most frequently, aside from “map”. 


Hand-drawn illustrations to add a sense of delight for users of the appDesign system & assets
I addressed the current issue of the app being developed in isolation by aligning elements such as fonts and primary colour palette to the existing website. This gives the app a sense of cohesion with other digital parts of the Anirevo brand. However, I took creative liberties with certain parts of the app, such as the body font and illustration system, to prevent the app from feeling antiquated. This design system is currently being fed back into other digital touchpoints of Anime Revolution.




Key Features



Before the event
Pre-plan & Discover Evoking excitement for the next event
The primary usage of this app will be for prospective event attendees to find panels they’d like to visit during the 3-day event. Browsing through the app, users will be able to view the chronological order of all the panels registered to the Anirevo database, and be able to build a personalized schedule containing all the events they are interested in seeing. 


Supplementary information
Finding guests: Who’s attending?
Currently missing from the app is a way to invite prospective attendees to get familiar with Anime Revolution in a way that differs from exploring the panels in a chronological order. The discover tab would allow them to find honoured guests from the animation industry and the panels they will be participating in.

Exploring the venue
Which rooms should I visit?

Another point that has been raised by current users of the app is the fact that the venue is difficult to navigate, especially for fans attending from other areas of North America. The app provides a map feature that prioritizes browsing based on information that users already have: room numbers and event hall keys.