SPOTSPREE
There was an Event???
Event Happening 300m away!
Role
UX Designer
Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Figma
Canva
Team
Yuju Hong
UX Designer
Yeji Hwang
UI Designer
Carlos Pulido Researcher
Duration
Nov, 15, 2024 - Nov, 17, 2024
Tufts Producthon 48hr Competition
Overview
Spotspree is a mobile app that unifies campus event discovery—its name combining “spot” (to find) and “spree” (a burst of activity), highlighting the excitement of discovering and joining events.
Our team addressed low engagement with existing event platforms by creating a streamlined, all-in-one experience, enabling students and faculty to find and join events conveniently.
Problem
“How might we allow College Communities Access Nearby Events more Conveniently?”
14%
of Tufts students
use JumboLife
Only
Jumbolife is the official Tufts University event listing site
We found that peers struggle to discover school events, so we surveyed 20 Tufts students and faculty. Most relied on Instagram, chats, and word-of-mouth, but information was scattered and last-minute.
Our research uncovered three key problems
Information Delay
Students often learned about events too late.
Platform Fragmentation
Events were spread across multiple apps and social channels.
Event Detail Confusion
89% of respondents cited unclear or inconsistent details about time, location, or ticketing.
Style Guide
Fonts(English)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Inter
Logo
Components
Sign up
Login
#FF5152
Colors
Primary Color
#F9DEC1
#FFFFFF
1B5FDC
#E1E8FF
Market Evaluation
The market evaluation revealed that existing platforms each excel in different areas but fall short of being comprehensive.
Spotspree
Tufts Ticket
Jumbo Life
Inclusivity &
Accessibility
Informative
Convenience
Engagement
Total Average
Student-focused, with easy maps, but lighter on details.
Gives concise basics, but limited depth.
Simple event discovery, map-based.
Interactive with GPS showing nearby events.
Functional for entry, less about community.
Covers ticket info only, little else.
Easy ticket use, but poor event browsing.
Engagement ends at attendance.
Inclusive for Tufts students, broad event listings.
Detailed with categories and filters.
Central hub, but navigation can be cluttered
Raises awareness, little interaction.
Depends on who you follow, not equally accessible.
Scattered info, often incomplete.
Quick awareness, hard to search events.
High interaction through posts and stories.
Process
Research & Planning
From our survey with students and faculty, we identified three key personas: Together, they represent different years, comfort levels, and roles within the campus community.
Priya Gupta
Role: Freshman in Tufts
Major: Economics
“I’m so excited to be a freshman,
I want to have FUN!”
Priya wants to say yes to everything this year. She’s sociable and curious—bouncing between classes, club fairs, and the gym—yet finding events still depends on the right group chat or a random Instagram story. She often plans last-minute, so she needs clear times/locations and tickets she can trust. She’s looking for an easy, reliable way to discover events, meet new friends across cultures, and make the most of campus life.
Personal Traits
Extrovert
Active
Curious
Creative
Pain Points
She can’t easily find the events, unless she knows
someone
When using Jumbolife, she can’t get a refund when she has to cancel her plan
Interests
Cultural Mixer night
Attending Music Festivals and Concerts
Needs
Expand Social Network
Maximize College Experience
Up-to-date information for events
Charles Bennett
Role: Junior in Tufts
Major: Engineering
“I usually stay in my room but I like
meeting new people on campus.”
Charles is friendly once comfortable, but he avoids loud, crowded events and rarely initiates conversations with strangers. Most of his plans come from roommates or class group chats, so he often hears about things late. He wants a simple way to filter for chill events and meet a few like-minded people.
Personal Traits
Introvert
Open-minded
Shy
Thinker
Pain Points
Finds it challenging to approach people on his own, especially in large settings
Interests
Reading in his spare time
Watching documentaries
Exploring tech-related innovations
Needs
Meet people with similar interests in a relaxed environment
Develop a small but meaningful circle of friends
Grace Zhang
Job: Professor in Tufts
Major: Political Science
“I’m always encouraging students to actively engage
in campus social events!”
Grace is a student-focused professor who advises clubs and regularly organizes talks and panels. She loves connecting students with opportunities beyond class—research nights, conferences, career mixers—and is the person many seek out for practical advice. But event info is scattered across emails, flyers, and social feeds, so some students hear too late or not at all. She wants a single, reliable hub to curate and share events, tag target audiences, and send reminders.
Personal Traits
Extrovert
Enthusiastic
Supportive
Compassionate
Pain Points
Students often hear about opportunities too late—or miss them completely.
Extra effort is required to repeatedly promote events and remind students.
Interests
Attending and speaking at academic conferences
Giving life advice to people
Needs
Encouraging students’ personal and professional growth
Content Structuring
Our design decisions were guided by the belief that users shouldn’t have to “figure out” how to find or join an event. The information architecture, event card layout, and navigation flow all prioritized instant understanding and low cognitive load.
Originally, the design centered on a traditional list view. While this worked for browsing, user interviews revealed that many students decided whether to attend an event based on proximity and travel time, especially if they had tight schedules between classes.
By introducing a map view with GPS integration, users could instantly see events happening around them Color-coded pins indicated event categories (e.g., social, academic, sports). A tap on a pin opened a quick event card with time, location, and RSVP
