Midnight Project Research

Our target users will be people between the ages of 18 to 35 who enjoy large group environments such as sporting events, nightclubs, and concerts. Our target users will also be persons who are not satisfied with the services or processes they currently use to plan, seek out, or discover new events. 

Chris R.: Male college student in his third year of college
Lauren G.: Female consultant one year after graduating college
Quinn P.: Male college student in his third year of college
Maiya V.: Older female student in graduate school
Matt C.: Male college student in his third year of college
Jonathan C.: Male college student in his fourth year of college
Javier A.: Male college student in his third year of college
Mia G.: Female college student in her third year of college
Abbie G.: Female college student in her fourth year of college
Eve B.: Female college student in her fourth year of college

We decided to use the card-sorting research strategy because we found that we had an abundance of features in our app concept and needed outside parties to decide which features were more important to them than others. The card-sorting method allowed us to see what features are more desirable to potential users so that we could shift our focus onto those, rather than spend time on a certain aspect of the app that no one would actually use. This will help us save a lot of time and money in the long run, as we will have data that proves what users actually want from our app instead of just guessing through trial and error. 

We chose to enact this research tactic to prove that there is a desire for streamlining the process of planning an event. We knew that there were other social planning platforms that exist and we wanted to see whether or not people in our target demographic actually use them. This test was designed so that there was little interaction between the participants and us. We provided a situation and watched what actions they performed. Because we found that people mostly plan events over text or email and have pain points during that process, our hypothesis that there is a need for a social planning app was confirmed. All of our participants had used Facebook events in the past, but no longer use it because they either no longer use Facebook, or guests they would invite no longer use Facebook.

We decided that it was important to research the history of social event-planning platforms to see why people do not use them often. We wanted to see if a concept like ours had failed in the past, and if so, why. We also wanted to learn how small startup social media apps could compete in the industry today. The most interesting concept that arose from this research was the way that the BeReal app was able to amass a large user base in a short amount of time. Their college ambassador program would potentially be the perfect method for our app to gain popularity, as it could help when planning fraternity and sorority events.

For our research, we used three vastly different methods of gauging the wants and needs of our target users. The first method that we used was a card sorting method where outside parties would take the notecards with all of the apps’ possible features and arrange them in a layout that they would find most desirable in app form. The main thing that we learned from this activity was the fact that other than a few main features, the layout varied greatly from user to user. However, this does not mean that there wasn’t any valuable information collected from this method. The common denominator out of all of the layouts was the placement of the live map feature as the starting screen for the app. Almost all of the users agreed that the main page should be the map showing all nearby events and the number of people at said events. We also found that most of the users also agreed upon the groupings of the features. For example, while the placement of the chat feature was different for each user, the idea that the invite page, messages, and event information should be grouped together can be found in all of the layouts. The main takeaway from this method of research is that while the overall layout of the app can vary and still be effective, the features must be logically grouped with other similar or related features.

The next method we used was the fly-on-the-wall method. This research technique was very helpful in a few different ways and is definitely going to affect our final product the most. The most obvious takeaway from this method was the fact that no matter how the outside party attempted to organize a party/event, there was always some confusion about the logistics and details that had to be cleared up via phone or text. This solidified our idea that we should include a feature that automatically creates a group chat with all of the invited people so that any questions/concerns could be addressed within the app. We also found that this research proved that a bio of sorts for the event would be necessary, where any and all details about the event would be presented in a clear and concise format. Another important takeaway that we found was the importance of a feature that made those participating in the event aware of any payment necessary to attend the event. This was something that we had not thought of before, but after recognizing this problem in our research, it is now something that we are looking into adding to our prototype.

Our final research method for this project was the use of historical analysis and looking back at other successful social media/app companies and how they achieved their success. After looking into these massive platforms there was only one real takeaway, the idea that in order for our app to be successful, it must target a smaller, more niche market so that we can provide the best user experience possible in that field.

For this research method, we wrote our ideas for potential features in the app on pieces of paper and let our participants rank which features they favored more than others. Here were our findings: 

Participant 1: Chris R. (College Junior), Participant 2: Quinn P. (College Junior), Participant 3: Matt C. (College Junior), Participant 4: Javier A. (College Junior), Participant 5: Abbie G. (College Senior):

For our “fly on the wall” user research, we asked our participants to pretend they were planning a birthday party for a friend. We then watched our participants act out the steps they would take to plan this event and invite guests. There was a range of methods used to accomplish this, as follows:

Lauren created a group chat on the app GroupMe to ask a group of ten people what days they are available, what food and drinks they want and who will provide them, and who can provide a venue to host the party. She found it challenging to organize the different opinions in the group chat, so she created an online poll that helped her answer these questions more easily. Lauren then texted a few of the guests individually on iMessage to sort out logistical factors, mostly payment. 

Maiya decided to format an email explaining the location, theme, dress code, date, and time for the event. She then sends this email to a list of close friends she often sees at other social gatherings. For individual communication with guests, she called a few people on their cell phones to answer any questions that arose from her initial email. 

Jonathan decided to create an excel spreadsheet listing guests that he wanted to invite to this event. He then created an iMessage group chat providing the guests on the spreadsheet with the information they needed to attend the event.

Mia first made all the logistical decisions regarding the event on her own. She then created an iMessage group chat to notify the guests of the event’s location, date, time, and theme. 

Eve first created a graphic invitation that showed all the important information for the event, while also looking aesthetically pleasing. She then sent this invitation to guests individually over iMessage. 

Social planning software on the internet originated as a method for people to RSVP for significant events such as weddings, holidays, and family reunions. One website that found success in the early 2000s and continues to run to this day is Evite. Evite allows users to create, send, and manage invitations. This company is successful in its niche of formal events but does not offer much functionality beyond sending invitations. Other digital tools for event planning have been developed in the years since Evite launched, most notably Facebook. 

Facebook was founded in 2004 and revolutionized the social media landscape. In 2005 the company launched the events page, creating a seamless social planning experience. This page shows users different events in their area, allowing them to show interest and share the event on their timeline with other users. It is easy for users to create their own event by simply pushing the “Create new event” button, filling out the logistical information guests need to know, and inviting friends to the event. In my personal experience, this is the most intuitive events planning software I have used, but in recent years young people have been moving away from Facebook as a platform entirely. The negative press surrounding the company in regard to data mining has led people to abandon the website, making it difficult for users who want to utilize the events page to invite some of their friends. 

Massive social media platforms like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Facebook control the social media industry and would not be our competitors. Our app would target a smaller niche market segment, much like what BeReal has done recently. BeReal is a French social media app founded in 2020 and already has 21 million users. The app's concept is to show your life as it is, commenting on the fake nature of platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Users post a single picture of whatever they are doing at the time during a two-minute window once every day. Users can only see their friends' pictures after they post their own, benefitting from users’ curiosity. BeReal found success quickly due, in large part, to its paid college ambassador program. Here is an excerpt from the BeReal website explaining exactly how this program works: 

“We’re creating a college presence that embodies our brand and serves as an extension of our full-time team. BeReal college ambassadors host parties, manage a marketing budget, identify key moments on campus for us to get involved, represent BeReal’s mission, and execute creative activations. Our ambassadors get to be part of the next unicorn start-up, receive mentorship from our global team of experienced entrepreneurs, and enjoy great pay!” 

[5] participants, having the following characteristics, evaluated [https://xd.adobe.com/view/2694cde9-2ddd-44d9-bda9-ac5c8fc63112-73c7/] (See prototype in Midnight App tab)

Task 1:  Sign up 
Task 2: Create an account 
Task 3: Create Event/Invite guests
Task 4: Search for events 
Task 5: Find event messages