creative technologist
Loop
A run-of-show app for teams putting on live events.
Renamed for this portfolio — it was an internal tool.
Scope
Problem framing, information architecture, UI, build, rollout, adoption.
Context
Events were run with numerous spreadsheets and documents, sometimes our team’s template but often times not. Every new event required us to locate disparate documents as we worked to make our template the cross-functional standard.
Challenge
Create an app that honored the current flow of cross-functional work while still establishing an easily adoptable standard. A structured run-of-show with the ability to drop in a doc, a body of text, or a screenshot, and let it populate itself. Shareable links, per-user event views, templates for recurring shows.
Before
These are examples of the types of documents typically used for event support.
| Start | Duration | Segment | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 PM | 0:05:00 | Introduction | Host | |
| 6:05 PM | 0:10:00 | Welcome | Chair | |
| 6:15 PM | 0:15:00 | Goals for the evening | Chair + Deputy | |
| 6:30 PM | 0:30:00 | First item | Lead | |
| 7:00 PM | 0:30:00 | Second item | Lead | |
| 7:30 PM | 0:10:00 | Break | ||
| 7:40 PM | 0:20:00 | Third item | Lead | Keep to time |
In the org, there were a number of them floating around: the one we used, the one preferred by a specific team, the one sent by an outside agency. While we had some success in using our form for a handful of the larger internal events, there was still a lot of friction in getting our process to be the standardized one. My guess was that it was too manual, too slow, and didn’t account for the natural workflow of teams.
How it works
The whole path. One document in — the same run of show out to everyone.
What went wrong
The first version didn’t handle screenshots well - it parsed the information badly. So someone who dropped one in didn’t just have to fill in what it had missed, they also had to find and fix what it got wrong.
What I took from it
That behavioural feedback is the most valuable metric. I built the app on what I could account for in my own understanding of a run of show, but watching partners use it is what shaped it into something useful and worth adopting.
Outcome
Adopted across teams. Runs of show went from taking days to receive to minutes.