May brought the launch of NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s 12-day celebration of design in all its forms. The inaugural annual expo (pronounced “NYC by design”) included more than 200 events – from kids’ art classes to museum talks – held in varied venues across all five boroughs. The City Council, Mayor’s Office, city agencies and a high-profile steering committee collaborated on the expo in order to showcase the economic potential of New York City’s 40,000+ design professionals.
To help attendees manage their time and maximize their experience, the PN Connect team created a critical tool: a robust scheduling site. The mobile version of the site mirrored the look and feel of the desktop site while providing an experience tailored to mobile users. Building a site rather than an app allowed the team to reach anyone with a smartphone and not worry about developing for a specific platform.
Attendees could use the site to search for specific types of events, browse topic categories, bring up a map of venues and activities near their current location, and save their favorites to their device, acknowledging the lack of reliable wireless coverage in areas like the subway or elevators. They could also share events they’d be attending with a pre-populated Tweet button, using the #NYCxD hashtag.
Understanding the diverse technology needs of the attendees and creating the site with that in mind was pivotal in ensuring everyone at NYCxDESIGN had a memorable and worry-free experience, allowing them to to focus on what was important: the content.