PRODUCT DESIGN / BRAND IDENTITY / CAMPAIGN

Gather
Circle

Better events begin with
better connections.

A community-centered platform for local vendors, planners,
and event coordinators.

CONCEPT + PROTOTYPE / HOUSTON, TEXAS

GatherCircle symbol: three participants around a shared center
GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY01

01 / PROJECT SNAPSHOT

GatherCircle at a glance.

Role
UX/UI Researcher and Designer
Timeline
February 2025 – February 2026
Tools
Adobe Illustrator, Figma, ChatGPT
Research
4 qualitative interviews
Usability
1 small jewelry business
Status
Concept and prototype — not launched
GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY02

02 / RESEARCH

The same trust gap appeared on both sides.

2 event coordinators

Needed a more reliable way to identify legitimate businesses and reduce follow-through problems.

2 small business owners

Needed consistent event discovery and a clearer way to judge whether an event fits their business.

RECURRING PATTERN

Instagram and Facebook help people find each other, but they do not reliably support fit, commitment, or accountability.

Research base: four interviews. Findings are synthesized from the notes provided; no direct quotes are used.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY03

03 / INTERVIEW ANALYSIS

Four interviews, four views of the same system.

C1EVENT COORDINATOR

Verification

Social channels make it difficult to separate active, legitimate businesses from unreliable leads.

C2EVENT COORDINATOR

Follow-through

Interest can look like commitment. The process needs visible status, confirmation, and accountability.

B1SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

Event fit

Finding events is possible; finding events suited to the business category, audience, and needs is harder.

B2SMALL BUSINESS OWNER

Consistency

Opportunities are scattered across feeds and groups, making discovery irregular and easy to miss.

Participant labels are anonymized. The cards are analytical syntheses, not verbatim interview transcripts.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY04

04 / COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Existing tools solve adjacent problems.

EVENTBRITE

PUBLIC POSITIONING

Event marketplace, ticketing, promotion, organizer tools, and analytics.

OPPORTUNITY GAP

Strong audience discovery; less centered on vendor-to-coordinator matching and reliability.

ZEFFY

PUBLIC POSITIONING

No-fee fundraising and event ticketing built specifically for nonprofits.

OPPORTUNITY GAP

Strong nonprofit value; not positioned as a local vendor marketplace or multi-role work network.

ZOHO BACKSTAGE

PUBLIC POSITIONING

End-to-end event planning, registration, exhibitors, engagement, and analytics.

OPPORTUNITY GAP

Broad organizer suite; more complex than the lightweight local relationship problem in this research.

GatherCircle opportunity: local business fit + shared workflow + reputation signals across coordinators, vendors, and planners.

Sources: Eventbrite · Zeffy · Zoho Backstage
Comparison reflects official public product descriptions reviewed September 2026; opportunity gaps are design inferences.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY05

05 / DESIGN CHALLENGE

A connected industry running on disconnected tools.

Local event work often begins in Instagram messages, Facebook groups, PDF flyers, spreadsheets, payment apps, and word of mouth.

The people involved are collaborative.
The process is not.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY06

06 / THE COMMUNITY

Three perspectives. One connected circle.

01

Coordinators

Create events, publish available spots, review applicants, and keep bookings moving.

02

Vendors

Find relevant opportunities, present their work, apply for spots, and track conversations.

03

Planners

Discover trusted local talent, build a team, and manage outreach in one place.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY07

07 / EVOLUTION

From utility to belonging.

GatherCircle symbol: three participants around a shared center

VENLO

Marketplace foundation

The original name sounded too close to Venmo, creating possible brand confusion.

GATHR

Product prototype

A multi-role interface with clearer dashboards and task-focused flows.

GATHERCIRCLE

Community identity

A warmer system centered on participation, opportunity, and growth.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY08

08 / END-TO-END FLOW MAP

From first visit to earned reputation.

COORDINATOR

  1. Create profile
  2. Post event
  3. Review fit
  4. Confirm vendor
  5. Coordinate
  6. Review

VENDOR

  1. Create profile
  2. Discover match
  3. Apply
  4. Accept booking
  5. Deliver
  6. Review

PLANNER

  1. Create profile
  2. Search network
  3. Shortlist
  4. Send request
  5. Collaborate
  6. Review
SHARED SYSTEM STATES

Onboarding → discovery → fit and trust → commitment → coordination → completion → reputation

A decline or mismatch returns the participant to discovery without losing their profile or history.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY09

09 / CORE PRODUCT FLOWS

Short paths to meaningful connections.

HOST AN EVENT

  1. Create event
  2. Set spots
  3. Review vendors
  4. Confirm team

FIND AN OPPORTUNITY

  1. Browse events
  2. Check fit
  3. Apply
  4. Track status

BUILD A TEAM

  1. Search talent
  2. Review profiles
  3. Send request
  4. Collaborate

Each dashboard prioritizes the next decision: discover, respond, confirm, or coordinate.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY10

10 / INTERFACE SYSTEM

The current host dashboard.

Live GatherCircle interface — host role, event activity, bookings, revenue, and fill rate.

GatherCircle host dashboard showing event activity, 3 active events, 47 bookings, $8,450 revenue, and 89% fill rate
GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY11

11 / IDENTITY

A symbol built around a shared table.

Three participants face the same open center. The circle represents equal participation; the center becomes the opportunity they create together.

CONNECTION
#4E86AD
ENERGY
#D36C49
OPPORTUNITY
#ECA22F
GROUNDING
#1E2C2B
GatherCircle symbol: three participants around a shared center
GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY12

12 / VALIDATION AND ACCESSIBILITY

Trust became a product feature.

USABILITY TEST / N=1

Small jewelry business

The participant wanted a way to rate businesses and vendors or leave reviews after working together.

PROPOSED REVISION

Add two-sided post-event reviews, completed-booking verification, and structured signals for communication, reliability, and professionalism.

Revision is proposed and has not yet been re-tested.

PRELIMINARY COLOR REVIEW

Preliminary color contrast ratios
Ink / paper13.46:1PASS
White / ink14.48:1PASS
Ink / gold6.74:1PASS
White / blue3.93:1LARGE ONLY
White / rust3.49:1LARGE ONLY

Next audit: 44 px touch targets, keyboard and focus order, labels, error recovery, non-color status cues, alt text, and reduced motion.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY13

13 / LAUNCH CAMPAIGN

One promise, carried across every touchpoint.

GatherCircle campaign banner with its community symbol and colorful brand shapes

CAMPAIGN IDEA

Better events begin with better connections.

The product story expanded into social posts, Stories, YouTube graphics, mockups, captions, and a motion teaser.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY14

14 / INTEGRATED SYSTEM

One project. Six connected expressions.

  1. 01Product strategy
  2. 02UX and UI design
  3. 03Visual identity
  4. 04Responsive prototype
  5. 05Social campaign
  6. 06Motion teaser

The same strategic idea moves consistently from architecture to interface, identity, and communication.

GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY15

15 / OUTCOME

A product idea became a complete, recognizable experience.

GatherCircle evolved from an operational marketplace brief into a cohesive product, brand, and campaign system. It has not launched, so no market results are claimed.

KEY LEARNING

The strongest shift happened when the design stopped describing only transactions and began expressing the belonging that makes local event communities work.

GatherCircle symbol: three participants around a shared centerconnectCOLLABORATE / GROW
GATHERCIRCLE / PRODUCT DESIGN CASE STUDY16
Next project: PayLink ↗