Synclt
Timeline
Oct – Nov 2024
8 weeks
Role
UX Research
UI Design
Prototyping
Visual Design
Tools
Figma
Photoshop
Google form
Miro
SyncIt is an events and community app that connects New Yorkers with the city’s most exciting happenings and makes participation seamless.
The Process
Research
Identifying Problem
Desk Research
Competitor Analysis
User Research
Ideation
Design Goal
Defining Solution
User Flow
Wireframing
Final Designs
Brand Strategy
High Fidelity
Final Prototype
Reflection
Takeaways
Next Steps
Test & Synthesis
Feature Testing
Test Synthesis
Design Refinement
1
2
3
4
5
Problem
New York is fast, dense, and relentlessly active
yet so much of it passes us by unnoticed
In such a saturated environment, many people find it difficult to stay informed about good events and experiences in real time, not because they’re not interested, but because discovery is inconvenient and disconnected.
The New Yorkers say...
“As a newcomer, I don’t really know where to find the info, and even when I do, it’s often in slang or posted too last-minute. I mostly miss it.”
— Yuki, 20, international student from Japan
“The info is just too messy, scattered, and time-consuming. I work full-time and barely have time to dig through different sources.”
— Marcus, 32, software engineer in Midtown
“I’ve gone to a couple events that looked great online but turned out not worth going. Now I hesitate to go unless people recommends it.”
— Maya, 27, freelance designer in Bushwick
Pain Points
Constantly Updating and Scattered Information
With events constantly changing and content scattered across platforms, it’s time-consuming and difficult to find relevant opportunities. There’s no centralized, intuitive way to stay informed.
Newcomers Struggle to Navigate an Unfamiliar City
For international residents and newcomers who make up a major part of NYC’s population, language and culture barriers, unfamiliar platforms, and a lack of local context create additional friction.
Uncertainty Around Event Experience and Quality
Many users hesitate to attend new events due to limited or unreliable information. Without trusted reviews or social validation, there’s a risk of wasting time on low-quality or mismatched experiences.
How might we make it easy for New York city dwellers to stay updated on the latest local happenings and participate effortlessly.
Value Proposition
SyncIt is a location-based app that helps New Yorkers easily discover and engage with local events that match their interests. It combines smart sorting, personalized recommendations, and a dynamic map view to surface what's happening nearby. Users can explore authentic community voices and join events through a fast, seamless check-in experience.
Key Feature
Smart sorting and recommendation
Learn and find what is for you fast and easy.
Location-based view of events
View events by their location intuitively.
Community’s experience sharing
Discover events by true experiences and reviews.
Entry preparation and check in
Complete registration and check-in all in one.
Home
Users can easily discover events they care about through trends, short reels, and smart personalized recommendations. They can also explore by location using the map view, or activate the live camera scan to see nearby happenings in real time.
Community
Users can explore real-time activity reels and featured posts in the community to spot the latest trending experiences. They can also view authentic feedback from other participants to help decide whether to join.
Event Info
Users can view all essential event details on this page, including the description, location, and photos. They can also browse related posts and reviews, and ask questions directly to past participants.
Planned
Users can view all their booked events in a clear, calendar-based layout under My Plan. The ticket page provides key event details, such as the location, to support a smooth check-in experience.
Competitor Analysis
Existing products in the market fall short in both functionality and appeal, creating an opportunity for my service to innovate with comprehensive features and engaging visuals to appeal to the customer base.
Overview
Community
Location
Filter
Ticket
Real Time
Strength
Weakness
Direct competitor
Secondary competitor
Eventbrite
Lack community and personalization
Heavily curated, with fewer options for niche interests
Too few events and lack one-stop ticketing
irrelevant information
and increasing ad saturation
Relies heavily on sponsored content, reducing authenticity
Easy event creation and seamless ticket management
Personalized recommendations for local activities
Discover experiences through community sharing
Powerful visual storytelling and global community reach
User-generated content for lifestyle inspiration
A platform or discovering, creating, and managing events
An app for finding local experiences and activities
A community to explore city events and experiences
A social media app for sharing photos, videos, and stories.
A lifestyle platform for discovering and sharing experiences.
Fever
S’more
Xiaohongshu
Event Orientation
entry fee
ticket free
pop up
timeless
our service
Use Orientation
sole
community
location based
non-locational
our service
Key Takeaways
1
Real-Time, Personalized Local Discovery
2
Focused Local Relevance for NYC Residents
3
Streamlined Participation Experience
4
Trust Through Authentic Community Feedback
User Research
To better understand how New York City residents discover and engage with local events, I conducted user interviews and surveys to uncover their behaviors, needs, and key pain points.
Says
Thinks
Does
Feels
User Personas
Aim of creating a user-centered app, two key user personas are focused on: a city dweller and a traveler seeking to easily discover and engage with the latest local events.
Pain Points
Goal
About
26 years old
Freelance Designer
As a NYC dweller, Sophie loves discovering new spots and fun & trendy activities like pop ups in the city without tedious searches.
#PopUpLover #UrbanAdventurer #TrendyExplorer #SocialVibes
"I live for discovering the city’s best-kept secrets."
Stay informed with fresh events in real time
Discover activities in her favorite neighborhood
Get comprehensive information about the events
Meet the entry requirement like get tickets directly in app
Misses out on niche events that have little promotion.
No time to collect scattered info across multiple platforms.
Hard to collectively analysis events’ locations
Worried about if the event is worth attending
🌟
Sophie
Pain Points
Goal
About
32 years old
Travel Journalist
"I want to note down my special memories in New York."
#LocalVibes #ShareTheFun
#NotATourist #StoryTeller
Luca is visiting New York for a week and wants to explore like a local, joining real-time events and avoiding tourist traps."
Avoid touristy spots and get unique city experience
Easily find events of his interest
Navigate the city to find events nearby his residence
Learn the local community’s share of experience and review
Overwhelmed by city size and unfamiliarity.
Hard to find key happenings due to lack of knowledge
Unsure of how the event would go
Face trouble finding the event’s place in person
Luca
User Journey
To understand the challenges users face when discovering and attending local events, I mapped out a typical journey. This process revealed key friction points across all stages, including overwhelming options, unclear information, and difficulty in sharing the experience.
Information Architecture & Wireframes
Based on the users’ insights and key task flows, I structured the app’s information architecture to support intuitive navigation across discovery, deciding, and planning. This was translated into core wireframes to visualize key interactions and user journeys.
User Testing & Synthesis
Through user testing, I gathered critical insights on the current features and new possible opportunities that informed key refinements and enhancements.
Irene
Test With
Becky
Jessie
Zhang
The testers are all international New Yorker dwellers who love exploring the city and often look for new scenes.
Thanks to the testers:
John
“Easily sync up with the latest local funs in New York and participate effortlessly.”
Goal
Understand users’ attitudes, behaviors, frictions, and aspirations using the Synclt service to uncover unmet needs and identify opportunity spaces.
Test Objectives:
Feature Ranking
Co Ideation
Synthesis Learning
Concept Testing
Feature Testing
Introduction & Background
Feature Ranking
Test Synthesis
User Feedback
of testers love the map feature, confirming it as our key focus and unique differentiator.
testers love the community feature which enhances user experience and boosts long-term engagement.
Key Learnings
Improve the map’s interactive experience
📍
Enhance community’s content management
🌟
Refine event information and join in access
🎫
New Solutions
Sustainable Fashion Collective
Oct 17 - Nov 21
Scan real-life scenes and view nearby activities virtually using 3D AR
Develop alternative map visual forms to enhance users’ knowledge of the locations
1
Pined freshable high liked and discussed events as the top section
Feature posts to help users learn about virus and worth going happenings easier
2
Design System
Takeaways
Through this project, I gained valuable insights into the challenges New Yorkers face with overwhelming and fragmented information, inspiring the app’s core features: smart sorting, personalized recommendations, and a map-based interface to enhance accessibility with location. The inclusion of a community feature fosters a sense of connection, encouraging users to share experiences and foster engagement. Prototyping and user feedback underscored the importance of simplicity and intuitive navigation.
Next Step
These steps pave the way to establish a comprehensive and engaging platform tailored to the fast-paced, vibrant lifestyle of New York City residents.
Enhance Core Features
Optimize smart sorting algorithms, personalized recommendations, and the map-based interface to improve user experience and relevance.
Specify registration means
Modification is required for specifying different activities engagement means and management of planed events
Test and Iterate
Conduct extensive usability testing with a diverse group of users to identify and address any remaining pain points.
Scale for Growth
Prepare for scaling the app to include other cities with similar challenges.
Thanks for reading this far!