ethan.h

Blueprint NFC Companion App

Role: Design Lead - Motion & UI/UX

Networking is hard. Through NFC (Near Field Communication) and an integrated software platform, we made it easier for students to connect with professionals and each other at our flagship conference using personalized data and innovative technology.

Branding

Mobile

PROJECT OVERVIEW

This project was spread across 3 months of intensive planning by developers and project managers. Our goal was to elevate the experience of attendees attending our event through a novel and innovative experience that you could not find anywhere else. We aimed to exceed the expectations set for us as a student-run organization by building a large-scale product that had real-world impact.

INNOVATION

This project focused on creating a never-before-seen conference experience, giving each attendee a personalized account on a cloud-based web application that enabled quick and seamless networking. The web app features personalized profiles, venue maps, an achievement system, and a connection journal that allows attendees to track their journey throughout the event.

BLUEPRINT - GETTING YOUR START

First introduced in 2017, BluePrint is UBC BizTech's flagship conference designed to empower students with the tools and connections they need to thrive in the tech industry. It is known as UBC's largest technology conference, boasting 200+ attendees and 80+ delegates, and attracting 40+ companies from the likes of Google, Tesla, and Meta annually. This year's theme revolved around “Getting Your Start”, where our goal was to help student's put their first step forward into the world of technology.

SITUATION

The question was: how do we innovate? Previous iterations of Blueprint had seen "gamified" networking, where attendees had been rewarded for scanning the QR codes of partners through points towards raffle prizes. However, we wanted to get rid of the superficiality of students only talking with delegates to gather more points. We also wanted to polish the networking experience by eliminating the common pain points associated with networking.

RESEARCH + INSIGHTS

We wanted to uncover how people really felt about networking conferences to unveil insights about how we can improve them. In a survey done with 100 previous attendees, we discovered that the issue is not just forming these connections, but also maintaining them long after the event is over. On top of this, students felt as though it was difficult to navigate the overwhelming atmosphere of these events while having these conversations.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Conference attendees come to BluePrint to make meaningful connections but have trouble remembering who they have talked to and where to find them. This leaves negative sentiment towards conferences and networking events, but also leaves an opportunity for us to innovate.

FRAMING A SOLUTION

How might we foster the connections between attendees and delegates made at BluePrint and highlight their personal growth through the event long after it has concluded?

OUR SOLUTION

Our team of six developers, one project manager, and myself built a mobile web app that generates BluePrint user profiles upon event registration for each conference attendee and delegate, and designed a system that keeps track of "connections", which we defined as everyone who visits your profile and everyone whose profile you have visited.

LEVERAGING NFC TECHNOLOGY

We wanted our solution to be functional, easy to use, but still come with a wow-factor that gets people talking - NFC technology presented an opportunity to do all three of those. Each attendees nametag came with an NFC card inside, and by holding your mobile device up to someone's nametag you instantly gained access to their profile which had their LinkedIn, company, and fun facts about them. Any tap interaction between two people would be counted as a connection, and party A would appear in party B's connections journal (and vice versa).

BluePrint 2025 was a resounding success, with over 200 attendees and 80 delegates, and 40+ companies in attendance. The NFC technology proved to be a hit, with attendees raving about how easy it was to connect with others and how they could easily remember who they had talked to. The connections journal had resounding success, with attendees appreciating the ability to look back at who they had met and what they had talked about.