Lead Designer, design strategy. Creating a national events listings service for the BBC.

2. Sort out the database & site structure Maximise editorial value Improve user experience Objectives: Why are we doing it?

4. Has a vague notion of what they are looking for Typically less frequent Special occasion or less sure of event Lots of research Lots of interaction with others Highly reactive Knows what he/she likes Limited requirement for pre-event research Prior knowledge or experience of the entertainment May go to event even if friends are not interested May be availability issues Our users

5. Who is it for 15 24 early 30s Empty nesters Pre nesters: Cinema, theatre, culture Singles: Drinking, clubbing Caged tigers: ‘Big nights out’, cinema Parents: Family events, cinema, theatre, culture Singles: Drinking, clubbing PRIMARY SECONDARY Empty nester: Family events, cinema, theatre, culture, days out Who are they?

6. 15-24s - Key facts Clubbing 2-3 times a month. 3 live music gigs a year Nearly 50% have DTV at home, but watch fewer hours of TV than other age groups 70% say magazines are their preferred choice for music reviews 33% read newspapers for entertainment not news 95% own mobile phones. 8/10 send text messages 18-21s: 29% working full-time. Socialising all week. 3/4 live with parents 22-24s: 50% working full-time. 40% are married! 30% have kids! Less socialising than 15-21s. Src: Marketing and Communications Life stage / age group

7. Trigger: Mainly looking up clubbing, bars and cinema, and not be interested in anything else. Would like to know is going on specific dates or have specific events in mind. Ultimate Goal: To have full knowledge of every bar and club in her area. Know what is good and what is bad and be able to advise friends on where to go next. BBCi Usage: Listens to radio 1 and has been to this website only, but doesn’t relate this to the BBC or BBCi. Our Goal: To quickly give info on clubs and bars, with few clicks, provide reader reviews, editorial articles and wealth of information on these events. Task: Its Her friend's birthday and she is looking for a new club for a large group of friends could go to. Worried about the dress code and ease of getting back after a late one. Internet Level: Fairly confident user. Uses the internet for various things: college research, email, and seeking info. Will take time to read articles but only if they are specifically of interest to her. Net Usage: Uses it at college when there is a free computer. Also uses at her rented accommodation with her house-mates. She looks for cheap flights and research purposes. Environment: College – Has fast connection, but a computer is not always available during peak times (lunch hour and afternoons). It is noisy, and sometimes she has friends with her or sitting on computer nearby. Home – has a very slow connection. She very rarely just sits at the computer giving it her full attention because it is so slow. Usually while the page is loading she will be doing something else (e.g. writing emails or putting makeup on!). Background: Has a large group of friends and is always looking for something to do on the weekends with her mates, she doesn't like to spend too much time on her own. She likes clubbing but it has to play happy house tunes and she likes it to be quite dressy and trendy. She has joined the cocktail society at the Uni where they basically get plastered on very potent cocktails. EMMA 18 yrs. First year student in American Studies at Birmingham University. Personas

14. What is the dress code? Is it good for groups? I need to confirm this with my partner? Will it remember me when I come back? The comments about parking left by another visitor was really useful! To produce the user journeys above we performed a role playing exercise with 3 members of the Events team in the communal team area. One person played one of the target personas (Dave, Emma or Steve). Their ultimate goal would be the same as the persona, e.g.. Steve wished to give his children a fruitful childhood and memorable happy times. Another person armed with a copy of Time Out played the computer in the manner of a travel agent or someone on the other end of a telephone line. We made the assumption there was a broad exhaustive supply of information. It was the computer's role to feed the correct information to the user. The third person recorded the entire conversation as a typed transcript. Other team members in the office were invited to eavesdrop on the conversation and at any point offer opinions to time events such as user comments and chat around content. Role playing

15. ESSENTIAL Categories intelligent search event name venue name address & telephone number of venue dates event calendar Venue calendar Disable access Cost Region selector trustworthy browse friendly map email page to friend print page description of event times depth & breadth of information national coverage on the web BENEFICIAL related links user feedback link to article competitions editorial recommendations editorial reviews full description sort results by venue/event genre photos x-y map co-ordinates Age suitability selector articles on events methods of payment trailers travel instructions Dress code LUXURY baby change facilities/toilets book tickets icon marking Message board genres/characteristics/themes top 10 searches weather email newsletter send text message BBCi search results Email reminders other users like personal diary what’s on nearby Clipboard for search results Related events (if you like this.. Available on iTV Available on PDA Available on WAP chat around content snack attacks Advice & Tips Critical descriptions Ratings Submit user review Submit own event USP The most Comprehensive & friendly UK listing “ Conversational” “ Trusted Friend” Data

16. Category Venue Event Ratings Basic Knowledge Region area Date Genre Fuller Knowledge Address & Tel No Disabled access Payment method Cost Opening times Map Travel info Nearby Events Pictures Related Events Category (ALL) Reviews Articles Multimedia Related links Weather Search/Browse (filter process) I want to look for an event. What knowledge do I already have? Cookie jar Region Search Add a listing Opening times Dress code Promotions Reviews Chat Region The Event/ The Venue Content timing

17. Select a Region Select a Category View list sorted by event, region, date View list sorted by venue, region, date Venue full details Search Event full details Parent festival Festival details Artist details Search results sorted by region area Content flow

18. 1. Choose something to do. 2. Where do you live? 3. Here are your options. 4. Pick a venue or an event. Wireframes

19. What will it look like Trusted Friendly Inclusive Entertainment Serious Exclusive Detached Sceptical We looked at the magazines and the web sites that our users would use for entertainment inspiration, reviews and listings. We had then created bi-polar maps of the the web world and magazine world to see if there are any visual triggers that will help us communicate a trusted , friendly , inclusive site that is about entertainment . Voice

20. Exciting, entertainment, bold. Looking at Heat, GQ, Q, Vogue and Top of the Pops for inclusiveness, excitement, entertainment and friendliness. Using black, red and white predominately to create a boldness and strength using simple typeface

21. Inclusive, trust, warm and fun. Looking at Guardian, Handbag for trust and Radio 1, Kiss FM and NME for fun and all for inclusiveness. Introducing the colour orange to relate to positivenes and activity. “ It is often common choice for those who market leisure and pleasure” Src: Dr. max Luscher, Colour colours our lives

22. No non sense, fast and to the point. We looked at creating a Yahoo and Google type model. Introducing the colour yellow green , to give it a sense of clean, fresh steady and topical, when combined with yellows and blues. Inspired by: Shigenobu Kobayashi, Colour Image Scale

23. Fast, exciting and fun. We looked the patterns of going out. In a hurry , getting ready , having to get there and always conscious of time . Using Gucci Rush perfume as a starting block to create Red Rush.

24. Trust, friendly and easy to use. We looked the emerging styles of the new Mac OS X and Windows XP interfaces. Using the colour combinations of blue, yellow and fuscia to create an enjoyable environment Inspired by: Shigenobu Kobayashi, Colour Image Scale

27. The preferred site overall is orange fun , appreciated for its warmth, light-hearted and fun tonality. Red Rush was appreciated by those as a clubbing site but did not fit with the wider remit of going out Strip Down (Green) was widely rejected as sterile and bland. Lacking the friendly fun feel necessary for this offering. For the majority many the real site hook was having it all in one place. For others being able to hone in on a local area was of real value.” Src: SPA “

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31. We had two more rapid prototypes introducing the visual language. The final one being more or less faultless. Our main sticking point was the visibility and understanding of how to change the region, and the visibility of the search box. Both of which were solved. Final product