SkimmU: Scaling Online Events and IRL Attendance
SkimmU is a multi-event series held throughout the year to support and address the mental, physical, and emotional challenges that millennial women face. What started as a few in-person events in New York led to several online and in-person week-long events. This operation needed a more robust ticketing and eventing system that could handle increased demand and simultaneously provide a seamless user experience.
Impact: The new system led to high engagement rates: 23% of registrants signed up for one event, 77% for two or more, and 22% for all four events.
My role: Director of Product Design, Architecting the Experience, and Product Management Role
Team: Sr. Product Designer, Sr. Director of Events, Manager of Events, 2 Engineers from Swoogo Agency
Identifying the Existing System's Limitations
The current third-party ticketing solution was inadequate: it was visually inconsistent with TheSkimm's brand, required separate sign-ups for each event, and lacked needed functionality like question submissions, data gathering, and COVID waivers.
Creating a frictionless onboarding experience.
Two distinct user flows were created: one for single event sign-ups and another for multiple events. These flows included functionality for submitting questions, inputting data, and signing up for newsletters, enhancing user interaction and engagement. We prioritized features based on user needs and feasibility within constraints. The focus was on critical functionalities that provided the most value, ensuring a seamless and branded experience.
Creating New Design Components
We designed new ticketing components from scratch using our design system, ensuring alignment with TheSkimm's brand. These included elements for event registration, question submissions, data input, and COVID waivers.
Iterative Testing and Feedback for Refinement
Throughout the design and development process, we conducted iterative testing and gathered feedback to refine the user experience, ensuring the system was intuitive and met user expectations.The new ticketing system allowed unified event registration, enhanced user interaction, and digital COVID waivers. These features significantly improved the registration process and enriched the user experience.
Results: High Engagement and Interest
The new system led to high engagement rates: 23% of registrants signed up for one event, 77% for two or more, and 22% for all four events. The average crossover rate of 70% between events indicated sustained interest.
Detailed Attendance and Engagement Metrics
RSVP to Live Attendance: High engagement with consistent attendance across events.
Video-on-Demand Views: Significant post-event viewership indicated lasting interest.
Live Average Watch Time: Strong live engagement with substantial average watch times.
