Cvent

Business Challenge

As a global-leading event and hospitality technology company, Cvent's SaaS platform offers a robust portfolio of solutions that have evolved and expanded over the years through both organic software development and strategic acquisitions. To improve the user experience, Cvent was looking for a better way to design and integrate these solutions into one cohesive, easy-to-use, powerful platform.

A study done in 2023 found that event planners have the third-most stressful job in the world. In order to develop the best products to help these busy professionals, a panel of event technology users was needed to expedite informed research to enable data-driven product decisions. However, given the high demand and high stress nature of the event planner role, engaging them to participate in research interviews was a challenge. 

Despite this challenge, Cvent recognized the importance of developing a community that provides relevant insights and opportunities based on the event professionals' unique product needs to better support continued product innovation.

Solution

With the help of Alida, Cvent's User Experience Research team launched its UX Research Panel in 2018 to empower UX Designers and Product Management to make informed decisions based on real-time customer feedback. Users are encouraged to participate in studies based on their product usage; they receive sneak peeks in the early design phases and have an active hand in helping shape the overall product experience.

Usability insights data is shared with Product Management and Development teams throughout the agile process, improving Cvent’s confidence in product and development decisions. Teams can develop a solution, test it, refine it based on feedback, and go back to the panel to ensure the product is still consistent with customer expectations; ensuring customers feel heard and involved in creating the products they use every day.

Since launching the program, Cvent's User Experience team has continued to grow, and the volume of research being conducted and shared within the organization has expanded significantly. In the near future, the team hopes to expand into other business areas for deeper insights and add more users to the panel to represent more of Cvent's robust portfolio of products.