Client
Pulse
location
Latvia
This inquiry explored how event discovery could become more personal and social. Working with event attendees and organisers, our team investigated why people often struggled to find events that genuinely interested them and why organisers found it difficult to reach the right audiences despite using multiple promotional channels.
Our research revealed that event discovery was not simply a search problem, but a social one. People were looking for experiences that reflected their interests and gave them confidence to participate, while organisers valued reaching the right audience over simply increasing visibility. This inquiry explored how service design could create more meaningful event experiences by combining personalised discovery with opportunities for social connection.
"The opportunity was not to create another ticketing platform, but to design a service that helped people discover events where they felt they belonged."
What I Learned
My Role
I worked as Business Development and Venture Strategy Lead within a multidisciplinary team. I contributed to customer research, business model development, market validation, partnership development, go-to-market strategy, product strategy, and represented the venture during the Startup House Riga Pre-accelerator Programme.
How My Understanding Evolved
Discovery
We initially believed the challenge was helping people discover more events.
The obvious solution appeared to be improving search and recommendations.
Personalisation
Research showed that the issue was not the number of available events but finding experiences that genuinely matched people's interests, schedules, and preferences.
Discovery became less about access to information and more about relevance.
Connection
We also discovered that deciding to attend an event was influenced by social confidence. People felt more comfortable participating when they could connect with others beforehand and better understand who else would be attending.
The challenge expanded from helping people discover events to helping them feel they belonged.
Community
This shifted our thinking from designing an event discovery platform to designing a community-building platform. Event discovery and social interaction became mutually reinforcing, transforming participation from an individual decision into a shared experience.
Designing the Response
How I Approached It
Rather than viewing event discovery as a recommendation problem, we explored the wider experience of attending events – from discovering opportunities to deciding whether to participate and connecting with others. The inquiry combined customer research, business strategy, service design, and rapid prototyping to explore how digital services could create more meaningful event experiences.
Understand
Stakeholder interviews with event attendees and organisers
Market and competitor analysis
Customer validation
Make Sense
Value proposition development
Opportunity identification
Business model development
Customer segmentation
Design
Co-developed the Pulse platform concept
User journey design
Product strategy
Feature prioritisation
Experiment
Clickable prototype
Usability testing
Feature refinement
Venture validation
Design Response
We designed Pulse, an AI-supported event discovery platform that combined personalised recommendations with pre-event social interaction.
Rather than competing with ticketing platforms, Pulse focused on helping people discover events aligned with their interests, connect with other attendees before the event, and reduce the uncertainty that often prevents participation. For organisers, the platform created opportunities to reach more relevant audiences and foster stronger communities around their events.
Instead of asking "How do people find more events?", the service asked "How might people feel more confident and connected before they even arrive?"
Outputs
Research
Stakeholder interviews | Competitor analysis | Customer validation
Strategy
Business model | Value proposition | Go-to-market strategy
Prototype
Clickable product prototype | User testing findings | Product roadmap
Venture
Startup House Riga Pre-accelerator participation | Investor pitch deck
Impact & Reflection
Impact
Selected into the Startup House Riga Pre-accelerator Programme.
Validated the concept through stakeholder interviews and prototype testing.
Developed a functional prototype and venture strategy for future development.
Although the venture did not continue after the programme because the founding team relocated to different countries, the project demonstrated the viability of the concept and strengthened my experience designing early-stage digital services.
Reflection
This inquiry reinforced my belief that meaningful participation begins long before people arrive at a service. Whether attending an event or using a digital platform, people seek confidence, relevance, and a sense of connection before deciding to engage.
Project
