User Experience at Virtual Events

Abstract

Since COVID19 pandemic, virtual events have drastically developed and keep developing. The event world keeps digitalizing and creating new digital platforms, software, and tools that help its users organize virtual events and quality user experience. The virtual events has become a part of people’s daily life. Companies and businesses struggle to create the same level of user experience at virtual events than in – person events. The thesis was conducted to solve problems event organizers are facing when organizing or hosting a virtual event and help them gain deeper understanding from users’ – or in this case – participants’ point of view. To help event organizers and hosts to understand from a participant’s perspective, the author has included all the information and theories to the thesis. The thesis was conducted by collecting information for theoretical framwork from academic articles, studies and literature. The theoretical framework consist of the theories and background information of user experience and events. The two research questions were approached by a quantitative research methodology. The research method was accomplished by using Webropol, a survey / questionnaire tool. The author approached the potential survey respondents through her social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. The survey was open for two weeks approximately from mid-March till the end of March. The recommendations from the survey findings suggest event organizers and hosts different ways of improving user experience at their virtual events. The author listed concrete examples and different kinds of platforms, software and tools event organizers and hosts can use to overall improve their virtual events, increase customer satisfaction, and create user experience.