Project Overview

I designed a networking app to be used at industry events, so users could easily find and connect with people relevant to them.

I conducted one-on-one interviews with people from a variety of historically underrepresented groups as I assumed they would have more negative experiences networking. I found that the greatest amounts of users found frustration in finding commonality, so I created the persona of Ayla who often struggles speaking to new people. To meet Ayla's goal of finding someone's background and position before meeting them, it became clear that user profile screens with all relevant information about a person should be included in my solution. The users could then match with people based on how relevant they are.

Challenges

I designed an augmented reality feature that allowed users to navigate the venue to easily locate each other. However, usability testing revealed that this feature wasn’t as helpful as anticipated, prompting me to make changes despite my initial enthusiasm for the idea. This experience proved the importance of prioritising user feedback over assumptions, demonstrating that innovation must be balanced with practicality and real-world usability.

Outcome

A networking application designed to help event attendees forge meaningful connections while attending events. With Vantage, professionals can easily view each other's interests, saving valuable time and maximising their networking potential.