Shaping the future of events

U.S.-based startup company

Qualitative research Quantitative research Flow mapping Wireframing Prototyping (Figma) Usability testing 🎉 Investment received

  • Client

    CONFEE USA

  • Industry

    EVENT MANAGEMENT

  • Service

    UX DESIGN +
    UX RESEARCH

  • Team Setup

    ME +
    UI DESIGNER + PO + DEV TEAM

  • Timeline

    11 months

Context

Boom of online events

Confee was a global conference marketplace, born in response to the dominance of virtual events in the COVID era.

The platform aimed to connect event organizers with attendees, offering a wide range of events—including webinars, workshops, summits, and forums—across various industries and topics.

When I joined the team, the marketplace was already in development. My onboarding came shortly after Confee successfully closed its pre-seed round with U.S. investors, which made it a critical moment to align the product experience with investor expectations and user needs, ensuring we could deliver a focused, functional solution with clear value.

I was hired to address usability issues on the site and refine it into a Minimum Viable Product. However, my role took an unexpected twist.

As a kid, you were so lucky,
cause you got a chicken, Chucky.
Chucky had some handicapp,
having 2 heads on the neck.
Since he had a single body,
you fed just 1 head of Chucky.
This made you a bit unlucky,
cause thus you killed chicken, Chucky.

My contribution

Eliminating product risk

Before designing anything, I reviewed the company’s research and noticed a gap: while the need had been validated on the organizer side, the attendee side hadn’t been properly explored. In a two-sided market like events, focusing on just one side can risk the entire product.

After raising this concern, I was given the chance to investigate further. Through qualitative and quantitative research, we confirmed that the attendee need exists—especially among users with smaller professional networks who struggle to discover relevant events on LinkedIn.

These insights gave the team the confidence to move forward. With both sides now validated, it was time to refine the flows and evolve the product.

User interview research repository (built in Dovetail)

My contribution

Making a shift with the visuals

Since I had taken on the responsibility of conducting user research, I wanted to validate whether the developed version of the product aligned with the brand identity it aimed to represent: fresh and playful, yet professional. This visual tone was intended to serve as a key differentiator from other event platforms, which often appeared overly formal or generic.

To assess this, I conducted first impression tests to capture immediate reactions and evaluate whether the look and feel conveyed the intended personality and stood out in the competitive landscape.

The tests revealed that the first impression of developed product was too serious. Based on that, the team decided to take a shift towards a design that better matches the wished brand identity.

New color palette

My contribution

Managing the risks

When reviewing the site, I found that missing critical flows forced developers to make educated guesses during implementation.

I identified profile ownership as the most urgent to address. Like Eventbrite or Meetup, Confee auto-generated organizer profiles that company employees could claim in order to edit content, respond to messages, and link the profile to their official account. Additionally, profiles could be created by its employees for companies that were not yet in the system.

This required strong risk and security management, especially to prevent unauthorized claiming, which could lead to misinformation or reputation damage.

To mitigate this, I designed a secure verification flow with email checks and admin approval. I mapped out the entire process and its risks, then worked closely with the team to optimize it.

Process map of profile claiming

Outcome

Central hub for events

Despite industry disruptions, Confee successfully supported event organizers in creating engaging, accessible event experiences and provided users with a streamlined, visually distinctive platform for discovery and participation

Though its growth was hindered by the shifting landscape of online events, Confee remained a valuable go-to platform in the U.S. event market throughout its two years of operation.

Confee screens