Festival360°
Role
Tools
Duration
Expertise
Me (Researcher/Product Designer) + 3 other design students
Figma
Procreate
Adobe After Effects
August - November 2024 (3 Months)
Research & Testing
UX/UI/Prototyping
Design System
The quest for an accessible approach to maintain festival safety.
What’s the problem?
Despite various prevention methods—police presence, sniffer dogs, and random drug searches—drug consumption remains prevalent at festivals across Australia. Research suggests these methods may increase drug-related harm rather than reduce it (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2024; Grigg et al., 2018).
A major contributing factor is the stigma surrounding drug use, perpetuated by mass media and educational narratives. This stigma discourages festival-goers from seeking professional support, leaving them without the tools and knowledge to make informed safety decisions in high-risk, high-energy environments (National Harm Reduction Coalition, 2021).
Initial Problem Statement:
“The current approach to substance usage in the Australian festival scene has predominantly enforced rigid prevention methods, with harm reduction and safe usage remaining highly political and stigmatised. In turn, this has limited access to vital harm reduction support and resources.”
The Solution
Festival360° is a centralised platform designed to provide a safe and seamless festival experience. By facilitating easy access to both peer support and professional resources, it aims to promote better long-term health outcomes. The platform integrates real-time health and safety tools through two primary channels: a mobile app and on-site kiosks. I contributed to its overall visual and interaction design.
Doing our research
Before diving into user research, I needed to understand the problem space.
To validate these insights, we began collecting primary research to learn more about the perceptions towards how safety is maintained in the Australian festival scene. We found this scene to be heavily nuanced.
Research Aim: To explore the effectiveness of existing drug and alcohol harm-reduction strategies and their impact on the lived experiences of Australian festival-goers at large-scale music events.
As a team including festival-goers and non-festival-goers, we initiated research by conducting literature reviews and competitive analysis. We found out that current prevention methods rely heavily on deterrence through fear rather than providing festival-goers with safe spaces for education and harm reduction.
What did we find?
Who are we designing for?
To better understand user behaviours and demographics, we categorised interviewees based on factors such as gender, education level, health consciousness, experience attending festivals, and willingness to seek support. This data was mapped visually in a comprehensive data sheet, allowing us to identify key patterns.
Through this analysis, we grouped participants based on shared traits, revealing 4 distinct personas:
Low-risk, health-conscious individuals who prioritise safety and proactive health management.
Higher-risk, less health-conscious individuals who are less engaged in proactive health behaviors.
These personas provided a foundational understanding of user needs and behaviors, guiding our design decisions towards more inclusive, user-centered solutions.
Where can we step in?
In analysing and interpreting our research data, we were able to distill complex user behaviours, motivations, and challenges into 4 clear, actionable insights. These insights will form the foundation for our design strategy:
Piecing together our findings, we asked:
How might we provide a trustworthy and accessible product/service for festival-goers so that they are supported in environments prone to drug and alcohol use which may contribute to long-term substance abuse?
52
Questionnaire Responses
… primarily targeted young adults aged 18-25 who frequently attend music festivals in Australia.
16
Semi-structured Interviews
… with stakeholders, including 11 festival-goers, 1 festival event organiser and 4 health professionals.
52
Comments observed
… from platforms such as Reddit, Quora, YouTube, and TikTok to understand public sentiment and experiences, forming our online ethnography.
We then employed empathy mapping to helping us step into their shoes, uncovering key pain points, motivations, and decision-making moments that shaped their festival experience.
We crafted storyboards, like the one featuring Stephanie below, illustrating what she feels, thinks, and does at every stage of her festival journey—before, during, and after the event. Through this process, we identified critical moments where access to clear, supportive information could improve one’s decision-making and overall safety.
Ideation
I now knew where where existing strategies fell short, but the real challenge was determining how we could bridge this gap.
After reframing the problem, we faced the challenge of developing a concept that leverages self-reliance and peer support to promote drug prevention within festival environments. To aid this process, we first used reverse thinking followed by Crazy 8’s to facilitate rapid concept generation.
Here's some process work from a ~pretty~ intensive crazy-thinking session.
Between 3 team members we were able to successfully generate 24 ideas. With consideration for time constraints of our project, we began sketching out and storyboarding some of the prioritised ideas to provide more context and establish common ground for the team.
Here’s some of the concept sketches I contributed:
After developing our 3 top ideas to make them more appropriate for the task at hand, we evaluated them using a 12-point Pugh matrix. We used a list of criteria pulled from our actionable insights and interpretation of the design brief. We scored our ideas against the criteria using a decision matrix, and chose: “Festival360”
After developing our 3 top ideas to make them more appropriate for the task at hand, we evaluated them using a 12-point Pugh matrix. We used a list of criteria pulled from our actionable insights and interpretation of the design brief. We scored our ideas against the criteria using a decision matrix, and the winner was:
🏆 “Festival360”
Solution: Festival360
Festival360° offers new mobile application and interactive Kiosk that digitises festival events to elevate the event experience for attendees while unlocking communication avenues for event organisers.
Lets break it down.
1. Sign up and create your Festival360° alias.
Begin by downloading the Festival360° app, and setting up an account. Festival360° priorities privacy by collecting only essential information, such as an email or phone number, during onboarding. Users can personalise their avatars, manage their upcoming events, and maintain control over their personal data, ensuring both security and convenience. Additional safety features include water reminders as well as reminders to set up the government issued medical card.
2. Set up your Festival360° digital wallet keypass.
The Festival360 Digital Wallet Keypass enables seamless integration with kiosks, allowing users to check in effortlessly with a simple tap. This streamlines the process, enhancing convenience and ensuring quick access to essential features.
3. Find reliable information to stay informed and prepared.
Browse or look for relevant and reliable substance safety information using Festival360°’s insights feature. This feature offers a tool for users to select multiple substances (not limited to, but including prescription medications) and generate reports on the risks and side effects of combining them, mirroring the functionality of existing polysubstance contraindications charts. Additionally, users can download information in-app to support information access even in low-cellular service environments.
4. Connect your festival group and stay up to date.
Simply create a new group with your festival friends or join an existing one. Festival360’s group feature enables users to manage their festival friend’s all in one place. The system enables users to send real-time status updates, including automated alerts when friends lose reception or have low battery, ensuring continuous connection and peace of mind. Seamlessly integrated with the map, users can check in on each other directly from the group, fostering peer support throughout the festival.
5. Find your friends and access emergency features.
Once you have arrived at the festival, use Festival360°’s map feature to access real-time location tracking, and alerts for long periods of inactivity or when they have relocated to a medical tent. It highlights key event specific amenities and services like water stations and medical tents aligning with the festival map to ease navigation. An “SOS” feature is also implemented for quick emergency alerts to notify friends.
6. Search for anything festival. Line ups, Set times, Food, Drink + More.
Festival360's Resources (Search for) feature streamlines festival planning by consolidating all essential resources in one place, including line-ups, set times, food vendors, and first aid services, with real-time updates from event organisers. Acting as a central hub, it ensures attendees stay informed, prepared, and safe throughout the event.
7. Lost or phone flat? Ping your friends from a Festival360° Kiosk.
Festival360’s portable kiosks seamlessly complement the mobile app, ensuring users can access essential tools even when they are unable to access their mobile device. Attendees can log in via the kiosk interface or tap their Digital Wallet Keypass to retrieve group updates, maps, and directions to key amenities. Users can notify friends of their location, providing a clear meeting point at the Kiosk. Equipped with water filtration taps on either side, the kiosks further encourage hydration, enhancing both safety and convenience throughout the festival.
Prototyping
I followed an iterative process of designing and refining before reaching the final product.
Iteration 1: Establishing Usability
After creating initial low-fidelity wireframes, we conducted Cognitive Walkthroughs (CW) to evaluate the interface’s learnability. Using a data severity table, we categorised usability issues and identified critical problems:
Whilst we made 25+ iterations to our initial wireframes, here are a couple of the key ones:
Lack of task completion feedback → Introduced confirmation screens for user confidence.
Privacy concerns in sign-up flow → Limited data collection to essential details (email, phone, avatar, alias).
Ambiguity in group invitations → Added group previews & inviter identification to enhance trust.
The team followed an iterative prototyping process in order to test and adapt the concept in small, incremental changes, truely following the “Design, Make, Break, Repeat” process many, many times. During this process, we sought a lot of feedback. Our team followed a sequential testing plan, performing multiple rounds of usability testing on the app, and user testing with users on the physical Kiosk prototype. We also regularly participated in design critiques with our tutor.
Iteration 2: Enhancing Intuitiveness
After transforming our wireframes into initial mockup’s with our Hi-Fidelity Design System, we ran 10 usability sessions using:
Pre/Post-Testing Questionnaires
Think-Aloud Protocol
System Usability Scale (SUS) Benchmarking
Whilst we made 30+ iterations to our initial mockups based off our user’s feedback, here are a couple of the key ones:
Error prevention for usernames/passwords → Introduced real-time validation & error messaging.
Streamlined sign-up process → Added a “Generate” button for randomized usernames/avatars.
Improved group feature onboarding → Implemented an intro popup explaining its functionality.
Enhanced map usability → Differentiated people vs. amenities and integrated group-related features.
Better kiosk check-in experience → Introduced preset messages (e.g., “I’m at Kiosk 3”).
Iteration 3: Final Refinements
After iterating our Mockup’s based on our user’s feedback, it was time for one last round of heuristic testing with design experts to make sure both our Light and Dark modes met the standards of the UX world. Again, using a data severity table to synthesise and analyse our data.
Whilst the majority of these findings were of a low-medium severity rating, here are some of our last-minute refinements:
Improved UI hierarchy in groups → Highlighted user avatars when updates were posted.
Clarified button labels → Changed “Scan Below” to “Scan My Keypass Below”.
Smoother filtering animations → Adjusted tag behavior for seamless interaction.
Consistent visual design → Unified kiosk and app UI elements for cohesive branding.
Brand and Visual Identity
The Festival360° brand identity was designed to resonate with Gen Z festival-goers, capturing the vibrancy, energy, and immersive nature of the festival experience while maintaining a sense of safety, trust, and accessibility.
Design System
Our design system established a cohesive, scalable, and visually consistent framework, ensuring that Festival360° maintains a professional, intuitive, and engaging experience across all touchpoints. By standardising typography, colour schemes, UI components, and avatars, we created a seamless and recognisable identity that enhances usability while aligning with the vibrant, dynamic nature of festival culture.
Next Steps
Future Considerations
Although Festival360° was developed as a university project, we approached it with a real-world mindset, ensuring that every aspect—from hardware and software requirements to setup instructions and implementation feasibility—was carefully considered.
To support real-world execution, we provided detailed documentation covering:
Hardware & software specifications to guide development.
Setup instructions for seamless deployment at festivals.
Potential limitations and mitigation strategies to ensure system reliability.
Implementation Roadmap
To successfully launch Festival360°, a phased rollout would ensure a gradual, user-centered integration into festival environments:
By considering these factors, Festival360° is designed to be a realistic, scalable, and impactful solution, capable of transforming festival safety and engagement through thoughtful digital integration.
Key Learnings
Reflections
Looking back on this project, I’ve come to appreciate that no design process is ever without its flaws. There were moments when things didn’t go to plan, and deadlines felt overwhelming—but it was in those moments that I learned the most. I developed a stronger ability to adapt, problem-solve under pressure, and remain focused when things felt uncertain. These experiences pushed me beyond my comfort zone and ultimately helped me grow as both a designer and a teammate.
From the very beginning, we understood that our chosen topic came with challenges—it was sensitive, controversial, and not the most conventional choice for a university capstone. There were times we questioned whether we had made the right choice. But we also saw a real and meaningful problem that needed addressing, and thats belief kept us moving forward. Throughout this journey, I learned how to balance ambition with responsibility, recognising that designing for difficult topics requires not just creativity but also empathy, ethical consideration, and a deep respect for the people and communities affected. Finding that balance was one of the most valuable lessons of this project.
Although Festival 360 is not a revolutionary concept on its own, I’ve come to understand that innovation often lies in how solutions are brought together. What makes this project valuable is its holistic approach—combining physical touchpoints like kiosks with a sustained virtual experience to better meet the evolving needs of large-scale music events. Seeing how these elements could work together to create something adaptable and lasting made me appreciate that good design is not always about being ‘new,’ but about being thoughtful, relevant, and sustainable.
~ Serena
