Canvas + Events

Reimagining event discovery at UW through a more intentional, personalized, and socially connected experience within Canvas

UX ResearchProduct StrategyBehavioral DesignConcept TestingSocial Experience Design
Canvas + Events cover — UW students discovering campus events inside Canvas

Canvas + Events — a discovery layer inside the tool every UW student already opens daily.

MY ROLE

UX Researcher & Designer

UX ResearchProduct StrategyBehavioral DesignConcept TestingSocial Experience Design

ORGANIZATION

University of Washington

TIMELINE

8 Weeks, Spring 2025

TOOLS

Figma, Miro, Canvas LMS

TEAM

Angelita Cecilia Anupam Sanidhya Gillian Soekawan Jiawen Hu

BACKGROUND

Project background

At UW, campus events are one of the most meaningful ways students build community. Yet discovering them remains scattered across Instagram, emails, flyers, and word of mouth.

Literature review: Significance of Campus Involvement, Canvas + Events concept, and Core Concept on a notebook page

THE PROBLEM

Discovery shouldn't feel like a scavenger hunt

Through interviews with UW students, we uncovered a consistent pattern: event discovery was left almost entirely to chance, and the emotional cost of missing out was real.

LATE-NIGHT SCROLLING

“Whoa… this event looks so fun! How did I miss this?”

THE DM

“Hey! Where was this? I never heard about it…”

FEELING LEFT OUT

“Everyone went but me. I always find out too late.”

“How might we craft a more cohesive and intentional campus event discovery experience that helps students feel connected, informed, and socially engaged?”

The question that guided our design

DISCOVERY : INTERVIEWS

What students told us

Through interviews with UW students, we uncovered consistent patterns of fragmented discovery.

Corkboard with four sticky-note interview quotes: Reliance on chance, Uncentralized sources, Time-consuming, and FOMO

INSPIRATION

What if event discovery was like Netflix?

Why Netflix?

  • Recommending content you'll likely enjoy
  • Personalizing sections based on your taste
  • Reducing effort and decision fatigue

The “Netflix” Event Discovery

  1. Events shown as large posters with smart visuals
  2. The app learns your interests (UX, career panels, socials)
  3. You see who's attending (like 'Friends watching this')
  4. Timely nudges: 'Starts in 30 min, 3 classmates RSVP'd!'
Based on Netflix’s UX research: 91% of users reject content in < 1 second based on visuals alone.

DESIGN STRATEGY

Applying dual-system psychology

Kahneman’s System 1 & 2 model frames both fast discovery and deliberate commitment.

SYSTEM 1 — FAST

Visual & Instinctive

First impression → visual posters, interest tags. 91% of decisions in < 1 second.

  • Visual-first poster imagery
  • Interest-based feed curation
  • Quick-scan card layout
SYSTEM 2 — SLOW

Social & Deliberate

Deeper info → RSVP, time, who's going. Social cues = more motivation.

  • Classmate attendance visibility
  • Rich event descriptions & RSVP
  • In-app social messaging

PERSONAS

Dual-System Thinking Across Key Personas

These personas capture the different goals, habits, and frustrations of students and RSO organizers at UW.

Wendy Sih — Student Persona. First-year graduate student studying Communication & Media. Demographic, behaviours, pain points, and goals around discovering relevant campus events.
Wendy Sih · Student Persona
Jamie Tran — RSO Officer Persona. Marketing officer at UW promoting events for a Registered Student Organization. Demographic, behaviours, pain points, and goals around event promotion and turnout.
Jamie Tran · RSO Officer Persona
Journey storyboard: Weekend Plans, Checking Into Canvas, Looking For an Event, Interested in UX Design, Decided to Sign Up, See Who's Attending, Reaching Out, Making Plans Together, At the Event, After the Event.
End-to-end discovery journey

Story Board

THEME

Find. Show Up. Belong.

  • Netflix-Style Discovery: Personalized event feeds that feel tailored, not generic
  • Social Integration: “What Your Classmates Are Attending” creates belonging
  • Canvas Ecosystem: Transforms academic platform into social hub — no app fatigue
Netflix and Canvas storyboard side-by-side

EMOTIONAL DESIGN

Emotions & psychological needs

Hover each card to see the design response behind each emotion.

Curiosity illustration

Curiosity

“what’s happening this weekend?”

Excitement illustration

Excitement

“This looks perfect for me!”

Belonging illustration

Belonging

“My classmates are going too”

Confidence illustration

Confidence

“I’m in the loop, not left out”

Be-Goals & Meaning

Students want events that bridge real social proximity — seeing who else from their class, dorm, or RSO is going turns a flyer into an invitation.

Connectedness

Feeling tied to people, places, and shared experiences on campus.

Purpose

Events as small steps toward who I am becoming at UW.

Coherence

A clear sense of what's happening and why it matters this week.

Resonance

Discovery that reflects the student I actually am — not a generic feed.

Significance

The quiet pride of showing up and being remembered.

EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK

Experiencing Self vs. Remembering Self

Experiencing Self

  • Low Effort

    Everything in Canvas — no hunting

  • Positive Emotion

    Delight in personalized recommendations

  • Clear Progress

    Discovery → RSVP → attendance

  • Social Connection

    Real-time friend activity

  • Flow State

    Absorbed in exploring events

Remembering Self

  • Key Moments

    “I found the perfect event”

  • Transformation

    Left out → included & connected

  • Lasting Impact

    “Canvas helped me find my community”

  • Positive Peaks

    Thrill of discovery + attending with friends

  • Strong Ending

    Fulfillment, not disappointment

USER JOURNEY

From problem to solution

Problem JourneySolution Journey

  1. SCROLLING SOCIAL MEDIA

    I do…

    Scroll Instagram/WhatsApp to see what friends are up to

    I think…

    Are there any new events in my area?

    I feel…

    Inquisitive and excited

  2. FRIEND POSTS ABOUT EVENT

    I do…

    See a UW friend posted about an event party

    I think…

    Wait, when was this? Why didn't I know?

    I feel…

    Curious and slightly left out

  3. REACHING OUT

    I do…

    DM friend asking about the event

    I think…

    Maybe it's not too late. Maybe I can still go!

    I feel…

    Anticipation and excitement

  4. REALIZING SHE MISSED IT

    I do…

    Read the reply: "It was yesterday."

    I think…

    Ugh, I missed out again. I always find out too late.

    I feel…

    Disappointed, feels FOMO

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Existing solutions comparison

Luma

Centralized
✓
Personalized
✓
Social
✓
Passive
~
Campus
✕

Partiful

Centralized
✓
Personalized
✕
Social
✓
Passive
~
Campus
✕

Eventbrite

Centralized
✓
Personalized
✓
Social
✕
Passive
~
Campus
✕

Instagram

Centralized
✕
Personalized
✕
Social
✕
Passive
~
Campus
✕

Email

Centralized
✕
Personalized
✕
Social
✕
Passive
✕
Campus
✕

Canvas + Events

Centralized
✓
Personalized
✓
Social
✓
Passive
✓
Campus
✓

WORK FLOW

Find. Show Up. Belong.

Canvas + Events product flow: discovery, find, register, registered, attend
  1. 01Discovery events
  2. 02Find events
  3. 03Register events
  4. 04Registered
  5. 05Attend events & Make new friends

DESIGN ITERATION

What changed through testing

User testing revealed friction points we hadn’t anticipated. Each iteration was driven by direct student feedback.

Standalone event appIntegrated Canvas Events tab

“Students said they were tired of downloading new apps. Canvas was already on their phones.”

12+ category filter chipsAcademic / Social toggle + expandable menu

“Too many options overwhelmed users. Netflix’s genre menu inspired a cleaner hierarchy.”

Full-page registration formModal overlay on event detail

“Students preferred Option #2 — it felt faster and more natural than leaving the context.”

“I am tired of opening different apps for the event… But I already downloaded Canvas.”

— User feedback

Student holding a phone with the Canvas app open
Before and after: standalone event app vs. integrated Canvas Events tab
“I like the filter feature to customize… But, there are way too many options on the top!”

— User feedback

Student on a laptop next to a Netflix-style genre menu reference
Before and after: a row of 12+ filter chips replaced with an Academic/Social toggle and expandable menu
“Option #1 feels like I have to do a bunch of tedious paperwork, while Option #2 seems much easier and more straightforward.”

— User feedback

Student with phone showing the simplified sign-up confirmation
Option #1 (full-page registration form) vs. Option #2 (modal overlay on the event detail)Screen recording

Other features

Other features: Category by organization, Classmate event status, Built-in message, and Message notification

DESIGN PROCESS

How the Design Evolved

User feedback revealed confusion around existing navigation labels, leading us to simplify the structure and make the Events tab easier to find.

  1. 01

    Simplify the top-level navigation

    User feedback revealed confusion around existing navigation labels. We simplified the structure and made the Events tab easier to find from anywhere in Canvas.

    Before and after of the simplified Canvas top navigation

  2. 02

    Redesign the Events surface

    Once students could reach Events in one tap, the next problem was the page itself — dense, hard to scan, with no sense of what was happening this week. We rebuilt it around feeds, time, and visual rhythm.

    Redesigned Events page with feed-style cards and clearer hierarchy

  3. 03

    Personalized recommendations with filter

    Finally, recommendations are generated for you — based on courses you're enrolled in, RSOs you follow, and filters you set. Less noise, more signal.

    Third iteration: personalized event recommendations on a phone, surfaced in Canvas

Personalized event recommendation with filter

Generated and recommended for you only

EVALUATION

What students said

9:41
UWPositive Feedback

What did you think of Canvas Events?

2:14 PM

  1. Integrating into Canvas is so much easier than a new app. Everything in one place!

    2:15 PM

  2. Love the Academic/Social filter — helps me find events fast.

    2:16 PM

  3. Built-in sign-up is great. No separate websites!

    2:17 PM

9:41
UWSuggestions

What would make it better?

3:01 PM

  1. Calendar mode would be amazing — like Ticketmaster for planning ahead.

    3:02 PM

  2. Canvas calendar should highlight my events and send reminders!

    3:03 PM

  3. Feels like Netflix — scrollable and casual.

    3:04 PM

IMPLICATIONS

Impact & considerations

  • Streamlined one-hub discovery for all campus events
  • Personalized feed based on interests and social circle
  • Builds meaningful cross-disciplinary connections
  • Stronger belonging — reduces FOMO, isolation, and stress

NEXT STEPS & REFLECTION

Where this goes from here

1Canvas calendar integration
2Push notification reminders
3RSO event publishing tool
4Desktop responsive design

What the concept solved

Event discovery doesn't need a new app — it needs integration into tools students already trust.

Why it mattered

Campus involvement is linked to belonging, mental health, and academic success.

What I learned

Designing within an existing ecosystem requires balancing innovation with platform constraints.

Find. Show Up. Belong.

Designed to help students stop searching and start showing up.