AfroTech Connect
Laying the foundation to extend the AfroTech spirit into a dynamic year-round platform
Mobile App Redesign
Empowering Black Professionals to Connect
Overview
AfroTech Connect is a dynamic digital platform designed to capture and extend the vibrant energy of the AfroTech Conference into a year-round community-building experience. From November 13 to 16, 2024, over 37,000 participants gathered in Houston, Texas, for AfroTech, featuring 237 speakers and 168 leading corporations. The app empowers Black professionals to network, collaborate, and access opportunities while staying informed about AfroTech Live Events and related initiatives.
Client - Blavity Inc.
AfroTech Connect app struggled to meet user needs.
Core features like schedules, ticketing, and profiles were unreliable, leading to user frustration during a critical time. Networking options were limited, making it difficult to connect beyond the conference itself. Without real-time event updates, attendees were often left confused or uninformed about last-minute changes. Visually, the app lacked cohesion. There was no design system in place, fonts and spacing were inconsistent, and the dark theme was hard to read in real-world conditions.
The goal was to rebuild AfroTech Connect into a seamless, modern experience that actually supports what users need; not just during the conference, but before and after. That meant building real-time updates into the core, creating space for professional connection, and supporting ongoing community engagement. Design-wise, we needed something that felt intentional, consistent, and scalable, with a full system for fonts, spacing, and patterns.
Research and Discovery
Synthesizing survey results and user interviews to uncover key pain points
I started by synthesizing insights from the 2023 AfroTech attendee survey, gathering on-site feedback, and conducting user interviews to better understand what was frustrating people and what they actually needed from the app. From there, the full team came together to review the data. We ran a series of collaborative workshops to identify patterns, surface opportunities, and map out where the current experience was falling short. It was a shared effort to uncover the root problems and align on what needed to change.
Users consistently pointed out gaps between the app and the website, especially when it came to schedule accuracy and filtering. The lack of a design system led to messy, inconsistent screens that made it hard to navigate. Ticket types were confusing, and people didn’t always know what they were getting access to. Most importantly, users wanted more value before and after the event, including ways to connect with others, message in groups, and link their LinkedIn profiles to make networking easier.
Features: Onboarding and cleanup
An iterative approach to redesign and improvement
Our process focused on refining the app's design while simultaneously introducing new features. Through iterative cycles, we addressed user pain points, tested enhancements, and delivered a cohesive and user-friendly experience. The existing app had variations in fonts, colors, and button styles that led to a fragmented experience. The dark theme made navigation challenging, and the onboarding flow lacked clarity.
Before
Standardized design system for a professional and user-friendly experience
I designed a clean, consistent light theme to improve readability, usability, and overall cohesion. I applied a unified design system for consistent fonts, colors, spacing, and section titles and introduced illustrations aligned with the new color palette and added onboarding modals to simplify account creation and guide new and returning users effectively.
After
Updated Core Features
Redesigned profiles with enhanced personalization and professional networking
I redesigned the profile with a clean, modern layout to improve readability and highlight key user details. Added sections for social media links, user interests, and a more prominent Edit button. I curated an initial list of 50 interests to help users personalize their profiles and connect over shared topics. New profile fields like pronouns, work status, and social links enhance personalization and professional networking.
Enhanced schedule and content discovery
I redesigned the schedule interface for clarity and accessibility, offering a streamlined way for users to navigate sessions. Improved session details layout with prominent information on speakers, locations, and ticket requirements. We added search functionality to enhance discoverability and introduced filters for schedules based on ticket types and stages.
Launch highlights
The updated AfroTech Connect app launched on October 25, 2024. During conference week alone, the app saw over 26,000 installs. Users responded positively. Many called out the improvements to the schedule, profiles, and community features. Real-time updates and easier navigation made it feel faster and more reliable, especially in moments when timing mattered.
Before the conference, average session time hovered around one to two minutes. There wasn’t much reason for people to stay inside the app. But once the conference began, that shifted. Users spent closer to eight to ten minutes per session, exploring the new schedule, checking updates, finding people, and using the new community spaces. Even after the event, average session time stayed higher than the previous year and settled around four to five minutes.