THE PROJECT
One of the first tools I was trained to use at Convention Data Services was the Event Admin. Here I was able to update emails, change image content and general event information. It was confusing to use as there was another back-end tool with a similar outdated UI that was handling the database. I quickly realized that these web apps needed a makeover, especially since much of the front-end hadn’t been touched in almost a decade. Clients were increasingly dependent on registration managers to handle edits because the platform was not user friendly. This issue consumed many hours of training and defeated the objective of the tool which was to provide easy access to web components so the client can make quick edits to their registration pages.
Issues:
Outdated UI and front-end framework
Typography and color palette needs a refresh
Dashboard is not mobile friendly
Needs:
Modern UI with improved navigation
Modular framework
Match the color & type to the rest of our products
RESEARCH
I went through several rounds of meetings discussing what needed to be upgraded from a developer perspective. The foundation will be built on PHP as the base, and Bootstrap 4 will be the much needed CSS framework upgrade. Once that was agreed, I had additional meetings with stakeholders regarding what functionality needed to be added, removed or consolidated. There were other iterations of Event Admin out in the wild, including a Web Developer Tools web app that was built to better service client needs in a quick and efficient manner. We agreed that it would be beneficial to add this component to the rebuild, so I came up with an Architecture Guidelines + Legend for the project. This helped us condense the functionalities that were repetitive across the multiple iterations of Event Admin, while helping us re-group and consolidate the outline of the navigation system.
The Architecture Guidelines + Legend is an excellent tool that not only sped up our decision-making process, but also reduced the number of meetings in half. By going back to our previous iterations we were able to learn from our mistakes, while keeping a record of topics that were already discussed and addressing only those that needed an approval across all departments.
END RESULT
We updated the UI elements, rebuilt the code to new standards, and streamlined the navigation system. Many new functionalities were added, such as the Client Dashboard, which displays a general summary of event information, the team that runs the event, and a frequently used settings tab. The Global Uploader widget was merged from the Web Developer Tools to create a central hub of asset uploads. The interface is now accessible on mobile and tablet devices, and the product is now synchronized with the rest of the client facing products. We are at the final stages of testing and look forward to releasing the upgraded platform this fall.
