ConnectMe
Event app for planning & networking
Overview
Context
Informa is a leading international exhibitions organiser. They run large-scale events across healthcare, finance, and technology, bringing together thousands of people. We created ConnectMe to support these events digitally, helping users stay connected and oriented on-site.
Challenge
The app is often used in chaotic environments. Users are distracted, moving quickly between different sessions and priorities. The challenge was to build an experience that helps people manage their time and interactions naturally, giving them the right tools at the right moment without being slowed down or asking for more effort than the situation allows.
Research
We spent time attending conferences, observing real user behaviour, and reviewing similar platforms. This helped us understand how people move, focus, and make decisions during busy days. Clear information, small steps for engagement, and cues at the right moment make the experience more useful. These insights guided us to design tools that fit how people actually behave, rather than how we might imagine they should.
Logging in
Providing quick access on-site
Attendees often open the app for the first time when they arrive on-site. We introduced a one-time PIN login to provide initial access without additional steps. This reduced the effort required to start using the app and allowed attendees to reach core app features more quickly, letting them focus on the event from the start.
Surfacing key actions efficiently
When attendees open the app, the dashboard presents a carousel showing upcoming meetings, pending tasks, and suggested sessions. By bringing essential actions to the forefront and minimising hidden menus, users can complete core tasks faster. Observations indicated that this design reduced the number of taps required and helped attendees prioritise their day, increasing confidence in navigating a busy event.
Setting up profiles
Encouraging profile completion and networking
Our built-in matchmaking tool relies on attendees providing professional data and networking preferences, but lengthy onboarding often discouraged users from completing theirs. We redesigned profiles for progressive completion, showing progress indicators and highlighting shared interests when viewing others. This approach increased profile completion by 40% and improved the relevance of suggested connections.
Browsing the agenda
Simplifying session planning
Attendees often navigate dense agendas while moving through busy venues. We organised agendas into day-by-day cards displaying time, location, session type, and speaker information. Visual cues and a darker mode supported readability in bright or crowded environments. Attendees reported finding sessions more efficiently and feeling more confident managing multiple tracks, which reduced the likelihood of missing key sessions.
Engaging in sessions
Supporting participation without distraction
Users often interact with polls or Q&A while focusing on speakers and surroundings. We streamlined inline polls, upvoting, and moderated Q&A so participation is simple and context-appropriate. Dark mode screens reduce visual noise, keeping content readable during live sessions. These adjustments encouraged higher engagement without interrupting attention on speakers or materials.
Capturing leads
Recording attendee contacts efficiently
Exhibitors often have limited time to gather attendee information. We implemented QR scanning with optional prompts and customisable fields, enabling faster, more accurate data capture. Teams could collect richer information when time allowed without interrupting natural conversations. Lead capture became roughly three times faster and less prone to error, allowing exhibitors to focus on meaningful engagement with visitors.
Impact and reflections
Designing for clarity and meaningful connections
ConnectMe now supports hundreds of events and tens of thousands of attendees, performing reliably in live, high-pressure contexts. Our iterative approach highlighted how small interface decisions shape user confidence. Prioritising clarity, accessibility, and visible system logic strengthened engagement, and future improvements will focus on transparent recommendations and purposeful networking to deepen meaningful connections.