YEAR: 2021-2023

UX CASE STUDY

Join Gaybar

A gay dating app for finding queer community and a possible match. On the other end, inclusive businesses get the views they need.

For many single queer individuals, finding spaces where they feel welcome, safe, and connected to others—whether for friendships, dating, or community engagement—can be challenging.

Scattered event listings, lack of clear LGBTQ+-friendly venues, and limited opportunities for organic interactions make it harder to build meaningful connections. At the same time, businesses that host these spaces struggle to reach the right audience, promote their events effectively, and foster a loyal customer base within the LGBTQ+ community.

The goak of this project is to bridge this gap by creating a user-friendly digital platform that makes it easier for single queer individuals to find and engage with LGBTQ+-friendly events while helping businesses grow and better serve their communities.

The key user groups

Single queer individuals

looking for LGBTQ+-friendly spaces where they can socialize, find community, or explore potential relationships.

Gains: Easy access to LGBTQ+ events and safe spaces.

Pains: Difficulty finding relevant, welcoming events.

Needs: A trusted, centralized platform for event discovery.

Businesses and event organizers

who want to attract LGBTQ+ customers but lack the tools to effectively reach and engage them.

Gains: Increased visibility and stronger engagement with LGBTQ+ customers.

Pains: Limited resources and difficulty reaching the right audience.

Needs: A streamlined tool to promote events and connect with the community.

the Vision

We aim to make it easier for both single queer individuals and LGBTQ+-friendly businesses to connect by:

  • Developing a user-friendly event discovery tool that helps queer individuals easily find relevant and welcoming spaces.

  • Creating a centralized dashboard for businesses to manage events, track engagement, and optimize their outreach efforts.

  • Making communication seamless by ensuring promotional content is easy to find and interact with, helping locals and tourists alike explore LGBTQ+-friendly spaces confidently.

Project structure

This project is part of a bigger picture, and the research will reflect that. Looking at the whole project helps me stay aligned with its main goals. It will help spot broader trends and potential issues early. That way, this individual project fits better within the larger plan and makes a more valuable contribution.

Phase 1 - Discover

Desk Research: Initial research identified social area owners' need for a centralized platform to better connect with the LGBTQ+ community and manage promotions.

Stakeholder Interviews: Interviews highlighted the struggle of engaging the LGBTQ+ community due to fragmented communication and limited marketing resources.

Competitor Analysis: Our analysis revealed a gap in the market for a tool that aids businesses in differentiating as LGBTQ+-friendly and efficiently managing promotions.

Phase 2 - Define

Card Sorting: Through this activity, we identified a trend among businesses of uncertainty about where to promote their area/event. It also brought out their need for more customization options.

Impact Effort Matrix: Despite being a solo designer, the matrix helped prioritize features like an event creator and area overview. They were feasible given unlimited time and would significantly benefit our target group.

Value Proposition Canvas: This tool helped visualize how features like an event creator and area overview would reduce friction and add value for our target group.

Phase 3 - Design

Sketches: Initial sketches were created and shared with the client for review, encouraging an open feedback loop.

Wireframes: Tweaks to the sketches during digitization smoothed the transition into digital programs and improved the initial design.

Lo-fi Prototype: A basic prototype was created to further explore the design and gather initial insights.

Hi-fi Prototype: The final prototype was refined with an updated color palette and design system for Join Gaybar. The absence of a pre-existing business portal allowed for considerable creative freedom in this phase.

Phase 4 - Deliver

Heatmap: The heatmap analysis revealed user interaction patterns, helping identify key areas for navigation and prioritize content based on what caught users' attention first.

Usability Testing: The testing process resulted in findings that led to changes such as reducing the amount of text and elements on each page to avoid overwhelming the user. The design also met the WCAG 2.1 principles for color contrast and text size, achieving a grade AA rating.

Language Testing: Language testing was crucial for an international audience. By ensuring the use of simple yet high-quality language, we tested the design with businesses globally and specifically in Norway to ensure its effectiveness.

Design Evaluation: Overall design evaluations were consistently positive, with each iteration receiving feedback such as "playful," "clean," and "trustworthy." Continuous tweaks and adjustments based on user feedback resulted in a final design that successfully resonated with users and conveyed the desired qualities.

UX Principles & WCAG 2.1

The initial version included essential input fields based on our target group's needs. By researching a few laws and principles provided by Laws of UX, different layouts were explored.

Law of Proximity: Grouping elements near each other creates a sense of association. The current design follows this by maintaining three columns with distinct subgroups.

Goal-Gradient Effect: Providing users with a preview of the finished product while filling in input fields creates a perception of nearing the goal. Displaying the required steps above helps users track their progress.

Jacob's Law: Emphasizing consistency across websites enhances user experience. Drawing inspiration from clean form designs such as those by Apple and Slidebean, design systems and interactions showcased at https://patttterns.net/ were explored.

First Hi-Fi
Second Hi-Fi
Current Hi-Fi

Solution

Event Overview

After registering your social area and event, you can view activities such as check-ins, reviews, app views, and shares. You can set the area/event as public or private in the overview or edit page. To enhance visibility, you can promote the event through ads or push notifications at an additional cost, minimising visible ads for a better user experience.

Create event

A preview appears on the right while creating the event card and updates as you fill in the fields. Event creators can showcase their event before it occurs, allowing visitors to plan their visits.