POPTOP – Private Events Marketplace
Product and Brand Design
Poptop is a marketplace platform for private events, designed to connect event planners and customers with top vendors and services for a variety of celebrations and gatherings. The platform serves as a one-stop-shop for customers seeking anything from catering to entertainment, providing a streamlined way to book the best local event services.
Problem:
The standard catalog of services for private parties does not fully unlock the brand's potential and fails to convey the product's core value – the creation of extraordinary parties, especially for users lacking experience and ideas for organizing events at home. Additionally, they struggle to understand which of the offered services would be suitable for their space, company, or occasion.
Key Objectives:
• Redesign the platform into a user-friendly marketplace that encourages users to complete their transactions on Poptop, rather than treating it as a lead generation tool.
• Develop a recognizable and trusted brand that emphasizes the seamless experience of booking and hosting events through Poptop.
• Create a platform that provides value to users not only through access to vendors but through a full event-planning experience that spans from initial discovery to post-event follow-up.
Solution hypothesis:
Rebuilt the main flow to introduce an inspiration flow with party ideas and streamline the service booking process, particularly targeting users lacking experience in organizing such events. The aim is to inspire, provide solutions, and guide users through every stage of the service booking process.
Problem:
The standard catalog of services for private parties does not fully unlock the brand's potential and fails to convey the product's core value – the creation of extraordinary parties, especially for users lacking experience and ideas for organizing events at home. Additionally, they struggle to understand which of the offered services would be suitable for their space, company, or occasion.
Key Objectives:
• Redesign the platform into a user-friendly marketplace that encourages users to complete their transactions on Poptop, rather than treating it as a lead generation tool.
• Develop a recognizable and trusted brand that emphasizes the seamless experience of booking and hosting events through Poptop.
• Create a platform that provides value to users not only through access to vendors but through a full event-planning experience that spans from initial discovery to post-event follow-up.
Solution hypothesis:
Rebuilt the main flow to introduce an inspiration flow with party ideas and streamline the service booking process, particularly targeting users lacking experience in organizing such events. The aim is to inspire, provide solutions, and guide users through every stage of the service booking process.
Client: Poptop
Project: Full Product Design, Brand Development
Role: Product Designer
Tools Used: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite
Project: Full Product Design, Brand Development
Role: Product Designer
Tools Used: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite
The project began with an in-depth analysis of the original platform’s challenges. Users were bypassing the platform after obtaining contact details, and the lack of direct value to them was clear. We needed to understand how to create a compelling reason for users to stay within the Poptop ecosystem for their entire event planning process.
Research activities included:
• User Interviews & Surveys: Conducted with both vendors and customers to understand why they were exiting the platform early and what features or experiences could entice them to stay.
• Competitive Analysis: Analyzed successful marketplaces to identify strategies for improving user retention and increasing the perceived value of completing bookings through the platform.
• Brand Analysis: Explored the emotional connections users had with event planning and how we could build a brand experience that emphasized convenience, trust, and joy throughout the event journey.
Research activities included:
• User Interviews & Surveys: Conducted with both vendors and customers to understand why they were exiting the platform early and what features or experiences could entice them to stay.
• Competitive Analysis: Analyzed successful marketplaces to identify strategies for improving user retention and increasing the perceived value of completing bookings through the platform.
• Brand Analysis: Explored the emotional connections users had with event planning and how we could build a brand experience that emphasized convenience, trust, and joy throughout the event journey.
Meet John, IT Guy:
• Age: 25–35
• Annual Income: $75k–100k
• Occupation: Engineer in IT
• Experience: Lacks experience in organizing private home parties. Often attends events as a guest but has never hosted one himself. Innovator and explorer, though a bit introverted in social settings.
Motivation:
John seeks new experiences and ways to surprise his friends. He strives to create activities that foster real-life connections, enhance communication skills, and encourage meaningful conversations.
Core Needs:
John’s primary need is to order a personal chef service to celebrate his birthday at home with a small group of seven friends. He wants to create a memorable celebration where guests can comfortably interact, enjoy gourmet dining, and experience something new.
Pain Points:
• Managing event budgets
• Selecting trusted suppliers
• Catering to guests with allergies or dietary restrictions
• Ensuring seamless service execution and maintaining a clean and organized space for his event
Personality:
John spends around 80% of his time working either in the office or at home. Though introverted, he enjoys gourmet dining and is eager to engage in smaller, more personal gatherings. John struggles with large parties due to the noise and crowd sizes, making intimate experiences more appealing to him.
• Age: 25–35
• Annual Income: $75k–100k
• Occupation: Engineer in IT
• Experience: Lacks experience in organizing private home parties. Often attends events as a guest but has never hosted one himself. Innovator and explorer, though a bit introverted in social settings.
Motivation:
John seeks new experiences and ways to surprise his friends. He strives to create activities that foster real-life connections, enhance communication skills, and encourage meaningful conversations.
Core Needs:
John’s primary need is to order a personal chef service to celebrate his birthday at home with a small group of seven friends. He wants to create a memorable celebration where guests can comfortably interact, enjoy gourmet dining, and experience something new.
Pain Points:
• Managing event budgets
• Selecting trusted suppliers
• Catering to guests with allergies or dietary restrictions
• Ensuring seamless service execution and maintaining a clean and organized space for his event
Personality:
John spends around 80% of his time working either in the office or at home. Though introverted, he enjoys gourmet dining and is eager to engage in smaller, more personal gatherings. John struggles with large parties due to the noise and crowd sizes, making intimate experiences more appealing to him.
Detailed user stories were developed for both customer and vendor personas to reflect the new value proposition—Poptop was no longer just a directory; it was an experience-driven marketplace that offered value from the moment users landed on the website until the event’s final minute.
This year, John desires something unique for his birthday. Opting for an intimate gathering with seven close friends, he dismisses restaurants as too crowded, fearing that a celebratory dinner might devolve into a regular friend meetup. The ideal solution is hosting the party at his place, but a lack of culinary skills and restaurant delivery pose challenges. John decides to explore birthday celebration ideas online, realizing his lack of experience in this area. He discovers private parties as an intriguing format with various options, ranging from mobile bars and chefs to BBQs, magicians, singers, and even poker games.
As John's curiosity deepens, he looks further into the subject. Stumbling upon the "Birthday Party Ideas" section, he attempts to select an idea suitable for his apartment, the number of friends, and the chosen theme. The Hawaiian party with a chef becomes the perfect choice. Inspired, John decides that all guests should wear Hawaiian shirts, and he plans to adorn the apartment with flowers.
With the idea in mind, John becomes curious about the cost. He delves deeper into how the service works, step by step, generating a list of available Hawaiian cuisine chefs based on his request and location. Reading reviews, comparing prices and services, he realizes the importance of gluten-free options. John identifies two suitable chefs, each offering a similar number of dishes at comparable prices. Wishing for more than just food, he discovers that one chef can provide cocktails for an additional fee. John adds two cocktails per guest to the order. To his delight, he also finds Hawaiian leis as an extra option. He adds eight leis to the order. The budget aligns, and John decides to place the order, making a deposit and eagerly anticipating the upcoming party.
This year, John desires something unique for his birthday. Opting for an intimate gathering with seven close friends, he dismisses restaurants as too crowded, fearing that a celebratory dinner might devolve into a regular friend meetup. The ideal solution is hosting the party at his place, but a lack of culinary skills and restaurant delivery pose challenges. John decides to explore birthday celebration ideas online, realizing his lack of experience in this area. He discovers private parties as an intriguing format with various options, ranging from mobile bars and chefs to BBQs, magicians, singers, and even poker games.
As John's curiosity deepens, he looks further into the subject. Stumbling upon the "Birthday Party Ideas" section, he attempts to select an idea suitable for his apartment, the number of friends, and the chosen theme. The Hawaiian party with a chef becomes the perfect choice. Inspired, John decides that all guests should wear Hawaiian shirts, and he plans to adorn the apartment with flowers.
With the idea in mind, John becomes curious about the cost. He delves deeper into how the service works, step by step, generating a list of available Hawaiian cuisine chefs based on his request and location. Reading reviews, comparing prices and services, he realizes the importance of gluten-free options. John identifies two suitable chefs, each offering a similar number of dishes at comparable prices. Wishing for more than just food, he discovers that one chef can provide cocktails for an additional fee. John adds two cocktails per guest to the order. To his delight, he also finds Hawaiian leis as an extra option. He adds eight leis to the order. The budget aligns, and John decides to place the order, making a deposit and eagerly anticipating the upcoming party.
User Story
User-Centered Research:
The user research phase was pivotal in designing a marketplace that emphasized user experience as the primary value. By focusing on what users valued most—simplicity, reliability, and a smooth booking process—we were able to reshape Poptop’s core offering.
The user research phase was pivotal in designing a marketplace that emphasized user experience as the primary value. By focusing on what users valued most—simplicity, reliability, and a smooth booking process—we were able to reshape Poptop’s core offering.
The wireframes visualized a low-fidelity prototype that allowed us to explore how users would navigate through a seamless booking experience. The key flows, such as search, vendor selection, and checkout, were redesigned with the goal of reducing friction and emphasizing the quality of the user’s experience.
Low-fidelity prototypes
The product design process was heavily influenced by the desire to improve user retention and monetization by providing clear value to both customers and vendors.
Key design elements included:
• Intuitive Onboarding: Both vendors and customers now experience a straightforward onboarding process that makes it easy to create profiles, showcase services, and manage bookings.
• Search and Filtering Features: Advanced search and filtering tools were integrated to help customers easily find relevant vendors based on preferences such as budget, location, and event type.
• Vendor Profiles & Reviews: Vendors were provided with customizable profiles that featured galleries, reviews, and transparent pricing, enabling customers to make informed decisions with confidence.
• Booking and Payment System: The booking process was streamlined to ensure users felt secure and satisfied, incorporating multiple payment options, real-time availability checks, and automated notifications.
• Mobile Optimization: A mobile-first approach was adopted to ensure that all users could enjoy a smooth experience on any device, at any time.
Key design elements included:
• Intuitive Onboarding: Both vendors and customers now experience a straightforward onboarding process that makes it easy to create profiles, showcase services, and manage bookings.
• Search and Filtering Features: Advanced search and filtering tools were integrated to help customers easily find relevant vendors based on preferences such as budget, location, and event type.
• Vendor Profiles & Reviews: Vendors were provided with customizable profiles that featured galleries, reviews, and transparent pricing, enabling customers to make informed decisions with confidence.
• Booking and Payment System: The booking process was streamlined to ensure users felt secure and satisfied, incorporating multiple payment options, real-time availability checks, and automated notifications.
• Mobile Optimization: A mobile-first approach was adopted to ensure that all users could enjoy a smooth experience on any device, at any time.
Main pages of the marketplace
Few key components
After gathering insights from the discovery phase, it became clear that Poptop needed to evolve into a recognizable and trusted brand. The new brand identity was designed to emphasize the end-to-end user experience, from the first interaction on the website to the successful execution of the event.
Brand Transformation:
The brand development process highlighted Poptop’s transition from a functional lead generation platform to an experience-driven marketplace. We focused on positioning Poptop as a reliable partner that simplifies event planning, ensuring users experience joy and ease throughout their journey.
Key branding elements included:
• Logo and Visual Identity: The logo was redesigned to reflect the platform’s new focus on seamless event planning. The color palette, typography, and imagery were crafted to evoke feelings of trust, celebration, and reliability.
• Brand Voice and Messaging: The brand’s messaging was refined to communicate the holistic event experience users would enjoy through Poptop, positioning the platform as a partner in creating unforgettable events.
Brand Transformation:
The brand development process highlighted Poptop’s transition from a functional lead generation platform to an experience-driven marketplace. We focused on positioning Poptop as a reliable partner that simplifies event planning, ensuring users experience joy and ease throughout their journey.
Key branding elements included:
• Logo and Visual Identity: The logo was redesigned to reflect the platform’s new focus on seamless event planning. The color palette, typography, and imagery were crafted to evoke feelings of trust, celebration, and reliability.
• Brand Voice and Messaging: The brand’s messaging was refined to communicate the holistic event experience users would enjoy through Poptop, positioning the platform as a partner in creating unforgettable events.
Brand Identity Guideline
Presentation of some pages of the brand book
The concept behind the redesign was to transform Poptop from a simple lead generation tool into a complete event planning marketplace. This new approach focused on ensuring users experienced value and support from the moment they entered the platform to the last minute of their event.
By emphasizing the user experience and brand trust, we were able to shift the platform’s perception in the market, positioning Poptop as more than just a directory of vendors but as a reliable partner in planning memorable events.
Key Concept Themes:
• Experience-Driven Design: The platform was designed to ensure a seamless user experience that supports customers from event inspiration through to the final stages of booking and post-event follow-up.
• Trust and Reliability: By developing a recognizable brand, Poptop became associated with trust, helping users feel secure in their decisions and interactions on the platform.
• Scalability and Growth: The design was built to accommodate future growth, both in terms of user numbers and feature expansion, positioning Poptop as a leader in the UK event marketplace.
By emphasizing the user experience and brand trust, we were able to shift the platform’s perception in the market, positioning Poptop as more than just a directory of vendors but as a reliable partner in planning memorable events.
Key Concept Themes:
• Experience-Driven Design: The platform was designed to ensure a seamless user experience that supports customers from event inspiration through to the final stages of booking and post-event follow-up.
• Trust and Reliability: By developing a recognizable brand, Poptop became associated with trust, helping users feel secure in their decisions and interactions on the platform.
• Scalability and Growth: The design was built to accommodate future growth, both in terms of user numbers and feature expansion, positioning Poptop as a leader in the UK event marketplace.
The redesign and brand transformation of Poptop were hugely successful, turning the platform into one of the leading marketplaces for private events in the UK. By focusing on the user experience and transforming Poptop into a recognizable and loyal brand, the platform overcame its initial monetization challenges and is now a trusted leader in the industry.