Supporting Virtual Conferences

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped make a lively, large scale event happen – virtually.
 

The annual Hearts & Hands event is a premier conference to celebrate the efforts of healthcare assistants. SafeCare BC was pleased with their prior experience in working with us, and reached out to us to develop an app for them once more.

PROBLEM

To ensure the health and safety of event participants during the COVID-19 pandemic, SafeCare BC decided to take the Hearts & Hands event digital. Though it was different this time round, we made sure to keep in mind: 
 

• Engagement: Although the event was going virtual, it should continue to be a quality and relevant experience for the participants. The event will need to recreate major parts of the event, such as presentations and education sessions.
   
• Timeliness: The project needed to be completed quickly, as the event date was scheduled in a few months.
   
• Accessibility: Participants need to be able to access the event on all device platforms at any given time.

SOLUTION

Going virtual didn’t mean creating a lesser event experience: A virtual event opened up new ways to involve participants during the event. In fact, participants expressed their excitement over the interactive format of the event this year.

To meet the goals of the Hearts & Hands 2020 event, we developed a web-based event app to deliver a content rich and user-friendly experience. On top of the features that supported the main aspects of the event, we designed gamification features that allow participants to earn points as they engage in each activity.

Main features we created inside the app include:

• Multiple event activities: Activities include watching presentations, participating in learning activities, browsing sponsor spotlights, and viewing prizes.
   
• Point system: Participants earn points as they participate in activities to enter into a raffle draw.
   
• Cross-platform compatibility: Anyone can join using their desktop computers, tablets, and mobile phones.

PROCESS
 

Creating a Seamless User Experience

The first phase of development involved creating a user persona to understand the goals of the users in the Hearts & Hands event. As we dived deeper into the user's journey, we explored possible user flows to form a more curated experience.

During the prototyping process, we performed user testing virtually with healthcare assistants and educators to get their feedback, helping us make improvements in accessibility and the overall user experience.

Increasing Engagement Using Gamification

The point system was a central driver of engagement in the event. We designed a point system which awarded participants points for completing different activities, such as watching presentations, interacting with learning content, and completing trivia quizzes.

Given that SafeCare BC was able to secure fabulous raffle prizes, it was especially enticing for participants to earn as many points as possible. This encouraged participants to complete every activity of each day of the multi-day event, and come back the next day for new content. Participants were then notified of newly unlocked content via our integrated instant messaging feature.

RESULTS

The finished product was a beautiful, polished app that led to the successful execution of the Hearts & Hands 2020 event. Over 700 healthcare assistants, industry professionals, and business executives from across British Columbia registered for the event.