Planova —
Event Planning
A web platform centralizing event planning for students and campus organizations — replacing scattered group chats, docs, and calendars with one shared, stress-free space. Actively in progress and updated over time.
This project is a work in progress — content will be added as it's completed
What's shown here represents Phase 1: UX research, brand identity, early wireframes, and the landing page. The logged-in dashboard, task management flows, and mobile app are actively being designed and will be added here as they're finished.
The Problem
Planning large-scale group events as a student is consistently overwhelming. Decisions, tasks, and schedules end up scattered across group chats, Google Docs, Notion, and calendars. Important messages get buried. Responsibilities become unclear. Deadlines get missed.
This creates unnecessary stress and last-minute scrambling — not because people don't care, but because there's no single source of truth.
😩 The Pain
Too many tools, too many threads, no shared system. Planning a group event means constantly context-switching, and critical info routinely gets lost in the noise.
💡 The Solution
Planova centralizes tasks, schedules, RSVPs, and communication into one shared hub — every update, deadline, and decision in one place so planning feels manageable.
Understanding the Ecosystem
Before any screens were designed, the full landscape of stakeholders, user needs, and feature scope was mapped out. Three key research artifacts grounded the product direction.
Ecosystem Map
A stakeholder diagram mapping every actor in the event coordination system — organizers, volunteers, vendors, sponsors, and external tool integrations — and the flows of information between them.
- Identifies all platform touchpoints
- Clarifies what data moves between whom
- Reveals where friction currently exists
User Story Map
A three-tier story map — Activities, Steps, and Details — with MVP features clearly separated from out-of-scope items and future enhancements. This kept Phase 1 scope tight and intentional.
- Activities: high-level user goals
- Steps: what users do to reach them
- MVP vs. out-of-scope clearly delineated
- Future Us: AI-generated planning features
User Personas
Two personas anchor all design decisions: The Campus Catalyst — a driven organizer motivated by impact and visibility — and The Practical Participant — a team member who wants clarity, fairness, and to get it done with minimal friction.
- Goals, motivations, and frustrations defined
- Snapshot demographics grounded in real students
- Tension between personas drives feature tradeoffs
Logo & Visual Language
The Logomark
The stylized P mark communicates planning and forward movement. A gradient from deep blue to orange-red gives the mark energy — right for a tool meant to reduce stress, not add to it.
- Deep navy (#0D0D2E) base
- Blue → orange-red gradient on mark
- Baloo Da + Bai Jamjuree type system
- Bold, action-oriented throughout
Lo-Fi Flow Sketches
These early wireframes mapped the onboarding and core screens before any visual decisions were made — establishing structure and user flow, not polish. Shown at reduced size intentionally.
Lo-fi only — hi-fi screens are in progress
High-fidelity versions of the dashboard, task management, and event discovery feed will replace these when Phase 2 is complete.
Login
Onboard 1
Onboard 2
Confirm
Dashboard
Project Log
Landing Page
Web Landing Page
The first high-fidelity deliverable — communicating the core value proposition immediately with three feature cards below the fold: Centralized Dashboard, Smart Syncing, and Intentional Notifications.
- Dark mode built from the ground up
- Orange CTA for maximum contrast and urgency
- Feature cards color-coded per function
- Desktop-first, responsive layout
What Planova Will Do
Four core features define the platform. Some are live in the current design — others are actively being built in Phase 2.
Event Hub
A central space where all key event information lives — tasks, timelines, RSVPs, and updates in one view accessible to every team member.
Task Assignment
Assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress in real time. Everyone sees who owns what without a status meeting required.
Smart Syncing
Connects with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and email to pull deadlines into one unified timeline. Phase 2 development ongoing.
Event Discovery Feed
A social-style feed where attendees browse upcoming events and RSVP. Planned alongside the main dashboard in Phase 2.
What I've Learned So Far
🧠 Designing from Personal Experience
This started from a real frustration I lived as a student event planner. Designing from lived experience made the problem concrete — I already knew what wasn't working, which made research conversations sharper and more focused.
🗺️ Research Before Screens
Building the ecosystem map, personas, and story map before touching Figma was the most valuable part of this process. It surfaced scope creep early, clarified the MVP, and gave every screen a clear user rationale.
🎨 Dark Mode as a Design System
Building in dark mode from the start — not as an afterthought — forced careful attention to contrast, accessibility, and how vibrant accents behave on dark grounds throughout the system.
🚀 What's Next
Phase 2: the logged-in dashboard, task management view, and event discovery feed. A usability testing round with student organizers is planned before finalizing the flows. This page will be updated as it progresses.
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