Event Design: User Experience in Analog
A case study in the similarities between the world of special events and UX Design
Chapter 1: What came before UX?
When I graduated from university, I had this concept in my head about being a “Conceptual Designer”- I wasn’t a programmer, but I had ideas about how things should be designed and implemented. At the time, there was no such thing as user experience design, so I explored other ways of creating immersive, interactive experiences. I created New Media installations, and toyed with the idea of Exhibit Design, but my mind was completely blown away when I volunteered for setting up a gala at the Design Exchange in Toronto and was introduced to the concept of Event Design.
Like many older business buildings in downtown Toronto, the Design Exchange is mostly made of stone and glass and metal. That evening, however, it was transformed into a lush, tropical Garden of Eden on the first floor, and a pristine, but cozy slice of Heaven on the second floor, complete with angelic hosts!
Thus began my almost decade long involvement in the special events industry.
I was part of the first cohort of Event Design students at Seneca College, and learned everything from project management, client presentations and budgeting, to creative aspects like floral and lighting design, mood boards, and visual merchandising. At the heart of it, however, was impressing the end users- the guests- with what my one professor liked to call the ‘WOW’ factor. When I graduated and started taking on clients of my own, I kept that in mind every step of the process.
Chapter 2: The JLT House Party and the Empty Canvas
The Junior League of Toronto holds an Interior Design Showhouse every year- that particular year was at Sunnybrook Estates- inviting interior designers to each completely transform one of the rooms in McLean House. They approached me to design the Opening Party space, which would be taking place in a tent nearby.
Tents are blank slates- there is nothing in them to help or hinder the design process, much like starting a website or app. Since this was a showcase of interior design, it wasn’t a stretch to think that most of the guests would be either in that field themselves, or have a very strong interest and appreciation of interior design in general. As a result, I decided to bring deconstructed aspects of interior design into the tent party space.
The Research
As the concept of what I wanted the design to look like formed in my head, I created lists of items that people associate with interior design- tiles, wallpaper, lampshades, apothecary jars, picture frames, furniture, etc. I pored over magazines, visited design shops, and scoured the internet for interesting ideas and trends. Deconstructed art and food had been a trend for a while, so I was able to look at what other event designers had come up with, and apply it to my own ideas.
To present my ideas to the client, I made use of a mood board. Mood Boards are used frequently in Event Design and can contain many of the same types of elements- inspiration images, colour scheme, typography, word associations, etc. that are used in UX. Event design mood boards, however, are typically physical, and contains elements like fabric swatches, floral samples, pieces of decor, etc.
The colour scheme and typography had already been decided when the client created the advertisements, so any decor I chose needed to fit within the existing colour scheme and fonts, much like working with corporate branding on a website.
Chapter 2: The Creation Process
Once the concept was decided upon, it needed built and applied to the space. Most venues require a site inspection to learn all the quirks of the building, such as door dimensions, power outlets, fixtures, attachment points, etc. but since I was working with a tent, all I had to worry about was knowing the dimensions and where the “door” would be placed.
Finding supplies, budgeting for design ideas, and creating those designs is a major part of the design process. While things are usually created virtually for UX/UI, there is still a great deal of time spent in the visual design process, thinking about how to make it look good, function the way it should, and be completed before the deadline.
One of the major pieces of decor that I created for the event was the dresser/flowerbox. I wanted to keep the budget low, but had a particular look in mind. What I ended up doing was buying a used dresser from Goodwill which matched my design idea, stripping it down, cleaning it up, and giving it fresh paint. This process took much longer than expected, but worked so perfectly for the event that it was auctioned off as part of the silent auction!
Some elements weren’t as well executed as that one- the wallpaper strips didn’t curl the way I wanted them to, and some of the picture frames didn’t affix to the bars properly, so there were fewer on each bar, which had less impact design wise. Testing out ideas ahead of time is a smart move in any design scenario, but I learned my lesson.
One thing that is challenging to people new to Event Design is event flow. Event flow is akin to user flow- one needs to plan out where things are going to be located so that the users/guests know where everything is and move through the space in a way that feels intuitive.
That means locations of bars and food stations are typically placed far from the entrances so people don’t stop and create a bottleneck upon entering, lounges are provided for people who need a place to sit down, and tables for those eating and drinking. This is where feedback from guests at previous events, and experiencing events in the past becomes extremely important.
Major changes were made to the floor plan last minute, but good design allows for changes without affecting the integrity of the original plan. In this case, the amount of space we had to work with was cut drastically. We ended up moving the Registration Desk and Bar against the wall, the DJ Booth switched to the right side of the stage, and the food station was placed along the opposite wall by the second food station.
(red dotted line on floor plan denotes where wall was moved)
Chapter 3: Rolling With the Punches
Event Design involves much more physical labour than User Experience, and that was tested on the day, but the lesson applies to User Experience as well- make sure you have a good, reliable team helping you out. Volunteers are great, but people who are skilled at doing their jobs are worth the money invested in them.
I learned adapt to changes that happen last minute, but also when put one’s foot down when it will cause major issues. In this case, I said no to the client wanting to move the stage at the last minute. It is a large, bulky object that would take a great deal of time to move, and there was nothing wrong from a design standpoint in having it in the corner of the tent. Design changes should always have a valid reason behind them.
