My Contributions
Collaborated closely with the founders to identify and define various user roles and their corresponding workflows, ensuring alignment with the platform's goals and user needs. Designed and developed comprehensive visual assets for the user interface, tailoring them to both the mobile and web versions of the platform, while creating a cohesive and user-friendly experience.
Defining Our Users
We identified three distinct user groups that the product needed to support, each with unique needs and interactions: attendees, vehicle owners, and event organizers.
- Attendees are users who participate in car meet-ups, either as enthusiasts coming to enjoy the event and could also overlap with vehicle owners.
- Vehicle owners are individuals who actively participate in car meet-up events by showcasing their personal vehicles.
- Event coordinators host and oversee car meet-up events, managing logistics such as venue booking, costs, legal requirements, and promotion to ensure a smooth and successful experience for all participants.
Understanding the needs
User research
One of the founders conducted the majority of the research, interviewing attendees, vehicle owners, and event organizers to gather insights into their experiences, needs, and pain points with the current process.
- Attendees noted that they typically had to apply through various sites to join events, as there was no centralized platform for signing up for multiple meet-ups. Additionally, they often had no clear way of knowing if an event was full or if they would have easy access until they arrived at the venue.
- Vehicle owners reported that they had to coordinate with event organizers via email, phone, or in person to confirm space availability, complete sign-ups, and sign legal waivers. This process was often time-consuming, resulting in long waits or tight deadlines, as event organizers had to handle most of the verification manually.
- Event coordinators are responsible for managing communications with both attendees and vehicle owners, often relying on manual methods such as emails, text messages, or phone calls to schedule vehicle owners for events. They face challenges in balancing attendance, ensuring enough attendees show up without overcrowding the event.
Competitive Analysis
We focused on examining interactions across social media platforms, online event management websites, and document signing applications to identify existing standards and best practices within these markets.
News Feed, Groups, Pages, Events, Marketplace, Ads
Massive user base, robust ad tools
Declining appeal for younger users, cluttered interface
Photo & video sharing, filters, Explore tab
High engagement, visual focus
Limited feature set beyond media sharing
Microblogging, hashtags, trending topics, real-time updates
Real-time updates, trending content
User retention issues, spam/trolling
Ephemeral content, Stories, filters, AR lenses
Ephemeral content, youthful appeal
Poor discoverability, limited business tools
Pinning/boards, Buyable Pins, visual discovery
Visual inspiration, niche audience
Limited interactivity, narrow demographic appeal
Defining Our Key Features
After conducting research, we concentrated on identifying and developing the core features of our platform. These features were carefully designed to address the specific needs and pain points uncovered during the research phase, ensuring they provided tangible value to all user groups while aligning with the overall goals of the product.
Event Search & Details
We created an event search feature and detailed event pages to streamline participation for both attendees and vehicle owners. These features provide:
- Event Search: Easy discovery of meet-ups based on location, interests, or vehicle preferences.
- Event Details: Comprehensive event information, including schedules, location, and rules.
- Ticket Purchases: Attendees can buy tickets directly through the platform.
- Vehicle Owner Sign-Ups: Seamless registration for vehicle owners, including spot reservations and documentation.
Virtual Garage
We developed a virtual garage feature tailored for vehicle owners, providing them with a dedicated space to showcase their vehicles and engage with the community. This feature enhances the platform's functionality by offering:
- Vehicle Showcase: Owners can create detailed profiles for their vehicles, including photos, descriptions, specifications, and unique features, allowing them to proudly display their cars to other users.
- Quick RSVP: A streamlined process for vehicle owners to RSVP their cars to upcoming events, simplifying participation and ensuring their spots are secured with minimal effort.
- Community Engagement: Other users can explore these virtual garages, like their favorite vehicles, and follow the ones they admire most, fostering a sense of connection and appreciation within the community.
- Interactive Features: The virtual garage not only serves as a personal portfolio for vehicle owners but also as a hub for interaction, enabling them to receive feedback, build their network, and grow their presence on the platform.
Event Management
We designed an event management feature to simplify the organization and coordination of car meet-ups, making the process more efficient for event organizers while enhancing the experience for attendees and vehicle owners. Key aspects of this feature include:
- Event Creation: Organizers can easily create events with customizable options, such as event descriptions, schedules, location details, and rules or guidelines for participants.
- Attendee and Vehicle Owner Management: Tools to track RSVPs from attendees and vehicle owners, including the ability to approve or decline vehicle submissions and monitor attendance in real time.
- Ticketing and Payments: Built-in ticketing functionality to sell tickets directly through the platform, including options for early bird pricing, discounts, and promotional codes.
- Document Automation: Streamlined management of required documentation, such as liability waivers for vehicle owners, which can be signed and submitted directly within the platform.
- Communication Tools: Integrated messaging for organizers to communicate with attendees and vehicle owners, send updates, and share important event information.
The Outcome
The product was soft launched with just the virtual garage features, focusing on the social media aspect of the app. Unfortunately, this was not received well as it didn't offer enough value to the users over the current social media they were using that showed off their vehicles. Given funding and other opportunities, it was decided to not continue the project. A main takeaway:
- Understanding market need: When developing a product that addresses a problem you’re passionate about, it’s essential to conduct thorough market research to identify which features should be prioritized for the initial release.
