What if we could turn fragmented event tools into one flexible, mobile-friendly system that makes it easy for libraries to create, manage, and report events with confidence?
Role
Product Designer
Timeline
2023 — 2025
Outcome
Rolled out to all LocalHop clients, helping secure new contracts and reduce user confusion.
Thanks to
Courtney Bordeaux for research support and user insights. Steve Moore, Shawn Chapiewski, and Brian Davidson for dev collaboration. And last but not least, every librarian who tested early versions and shared candid feedback.
Challenge At Hand
How might we give librarians one clear system to manage events, connect with patrons, and grow library visits?
RESEARCH
Figuring Out What Librarians Needed
Every library run's events in very different ways. Some just wanted a quick way to post to their calendars, while others needed full registration, group check-ins, and detailed reporting. But every librarian we spoke to shared the same pain: managing events in real time was harder than it should be.
Research Goals
My research focused on how libraries actually run events and why managing them felt so hard in real time. By tracking feedback and testing with librarians, I aimed to find the biggest pain points and guide the redesign toward simpler, more collaborative, and mobile-friendly tools.
Pain Points by the Numbers
I pulled together insights from surveys, interviews, and testing to figure out where things were breaking down. The same issues kept showing up— too much friction, not enough clarity, and a clear need for better real-time use, teamwork, and mobile support.
50 Participants / Survey
Usability Testing
User Interviews
79 Participants / Survey
20 Participants / Usability Testing
User Interviews
User Interviews
— Library Staff, User Interview
DEFINE
Defining Personas: How Libraries Run Events
We developed two primary personas from our research to ground our use cases. To build a tool that truly worked for libraries, we knew it had to be an easy to use in real time, flexible enough for both simple and complex events, and supportive of multiple staff working together.
Balancing Users and Business
The redesign balanced real librarian needs with LocalHop’s business goals by making event management simpler, faster, and easier to adopt. While librarians gained clearer workflows, mobile access, and confidence in daily use, LocalHop benefited from reduced support costs, stronger client retention, and a platform better positioned to compete in the event management space.
IDEATION
Blueprints for Better Events
Taking what we learned from our research, we brainstormed ways to make event management simpler and more flexible for libraries. Ideas ranged from lightweight calendar posting to robust registration dashboards, mobile check-ins, and team collaboration features. We ran Crazy 8’s to sketch out flows, drawing inspiration from tools like Eventbrite, Google Calendar, and even airline check-in systems. The intersection of our ideas became a streamlined, mobile-friendly event dashboard that could flex between quick setups and complex reporting needs.
Market Research:
Shaping LocalHop’s Direction
I compared competitors like Eventbrite, Cvent, and Google Events to uncover gaps: too complex, too expensive, and not built for librarians’ real-time needs. This research guided LocalHop’s focus on simplicity, collaboration, and mobile support.
Opportunities
USER FLOWS & WIREFRAMES
Making Event Management Simple
After defining the core features, I mapped out user flows to show how librarians would move through event creation, registration, check-ins, and reporting. The goal was to reduce friction and clicks at every step, consolidating scattered tools into one clean path. Instead of juggling multiple screens, the flow focused on a single dashboard that adapts to both quick "one-shot" events and more complex events with registrations and attendance tracking.
Laying the Groundwork
Taking inspiration from tools like Facebook Events and Google Calendar, I reworked LocalHop’s event creation flow to be simpler, faster, and less overwhelming. By applying progressive disclosure, complex details like registration and capacity settings were tucked away until needed, allowing librarians to focus on getting an event live quickly without distraction.
TESTING
What Worked, What Didn't
I ran multiple rounds of testing to validate the redesign. The second round focused on event creation and the unified dashboard, with in-person sessions at my local library and remote tests across new, returning, and first-time users. Early issues were fixed, but new pain points surfaced around registration clarity and real-time use.
Testing - Round 1
Pain Points
Event creation took too many clicks (avg 28)
Users struggled to locate check-in tools
Patron registration was confusing
Dashboard navigation felt cluttered
Reporting steps weren’t clear
Testing - Round 2
Issues Resolved
Event creation took too many clicks (avg 28)
Users struggled to locate check-in tools
Patron registration was confusing
Dashboard navigation felt cluttered
Reporting actions weren’t clear
New Pain Points
Some users confused by ticket creation
Multi-staff permissions required more clarity
Desire for more customization in event setup
To support the redesign, I built a unified design system for LocalHop and Cynerge’s internal products. Starting with foundations like color, typography, and spacing, I created reusable components that brought consistency, simplified design, and sped up development.
Checkout my case study on the Canopy Design System
View Case Study
Visual Enhancements
The visual updates went beyond aesthetics, reinforcing the new UX with clearer hierarchy and easier scanning. By applying progressive disclosure and Gestalt principles, the design reduced cognitive load and grouped related actions. The result was an interface that felt simpler, faster, and more intuitive for librarians.
FINAL OUTCOME
One streamlined flow takes librarians from creating an event to managing it in seconds, with faster setup, a unified dashboard for every task, and simpler workflows that save time at every step.
📅 Quicker Creation – Create an event without filling out every detail up front. Add or adjust settings later directly from the dashboard.
🎛️ Unified Dashboard – Manage everything from one place. All event settings and tasks stay on the same page, so you never have to jump between screens.
⚡ Faster Workflows – Common tasks like check-ins, registrations, and reporting now take fewer clicks and less time, letting librarians focus on running events instead of managing software.
Task-based Layout
The new task-based layout breaks complex event management into clear, focused actions. Modals like “Edit Event” and “Create Ticket” keep tasks lightweight, so librarians can make updates without leaving their flow.
📝 Focused Editing – Event details can be updated quickly in a dedicated modal without navigating away.
🎟️ Simplified Ticketing – Creating tickets is streamlined into one clear form, cutting down confusion and extra clicks.
🔄 Stay in Flow – All key actions happen in context, reducing page switching and keeping librarians oriented.
Guest Management & Reporting
Attendance is at the heart of library events, from day-to-day management to state funding reports. The new design brought attendance tools into one clear screen, making it easier to check in guests, manage groups, and export accurate data in seconds.
👥 Centralized Attendance – View and manage all attendees from one screen.
📊 One-Click Exports – Instantly generate reports formatted for state requirements.
📝 Simpler Tracking – Group check-ins and edits reduce confusion and errors.
IN THE WORKS
Mobile Experience
Librarians aren’t hauling around laptops for Story Time or knitting groups. They need something that works in the moment. So I focused on making the mobile experience simple and fast— easy check-ins, quick edits, and guest tracking; without all the extra stuff that just gets in the way during a live event.
Event Creation
Event creation on mobile is just as fast as desktop— two taps and you’ve got a draft. All it needs is a title. From there, librarians can fine-tune settings before the event goes live. The mobile flow mirrors desktop, so no matter where they are, they’re working with the same tools, just trimmed down for speed.
Real-Time Event Management
I designed a unified mobile flow that makes key tasks, like scanning tickets, fast and intuitive. By removing the need for extra hardware and keeping tools in one place, librarians can manage live events easily from their phones.
Designed for Both Admins & Patrons
I designed the mobile experience to serve both library staff and their patrons. Admins needed real-time control, while also seeing what end users experience when browsing or registering for events. This dual perspective helped create a more empathetic and unified platform.
Continuity Was the Priority
Every interaction— whether you're editing an event or signing up for one, follows the same patterns. I prioritized consistency across layouts, navigation, and visual styling to reduce confusion and create trust. This unified approach made the platform feel like one seamless system, not two separate tools.
REFLECTION
What I Learned
Measurable Results
Interested in working together?
Shoot me an email!
Copy email