Redesigning a guest management tool

Improving wedding planning by streamlining guest management

Image of desktop and mobile mockups showing guest management project

I redesigned the guest management tool to enhance usability and reduce friction across key functions. Through user research and intuitive design, I simplified the process of managing guest lists and other key planning tasks. Insights from this project have contributed to the development of future wedding-related products.

Company

Minted

Type

Redesign

Timing

January – April 2020

Tools

Figma

Team

1 UX designer
1 product manager
1 engineering lead

Problem

The existing guest management tool was outdated in terms of usability and features, falling behind competitors and frustrating users.

Lack of integration: The tool operated separately from other parts of the website, making it difficult for customers to import guest contacts from previous orders.

Difficult imports: Users couldn’t easily bring in their existing guest list data, and the process to manually add contacts was tedious and error-prone.

Poor usability: Managing guests was confusing due to unclear navigation and hard-to-find features. The lack of useful notifications left users uncertain about next steps.

Annotated screenshots of existing product showing areas of improvement

Goals

1. Streamline guest list management including importing, editing and communicating with guests.

2. Improve usability for better organization and decision-making including clarity, navigation and user flow.

3. Personalize the experience to make it more engaging and enjoyable.

Role

As the lead UX designer, I owned the end-to-end design process, from research through to final handoff. I worked closely with a product manager and engineering lead on the overall project to ensure alignment with business goals and technical feasibility. Additionally, I collaborated with the design team on a comprehensive research study focused on wedding customers, which ran parallel to this project and provided valuable insights.

Given the constraints of limited user access and a rapidly changing environment due to COVID, I adapted my design approach to work with available data, prioritizing usability and simplicity. I designed all the screens, including the dashboard and key elements like notifications, while ensuring the tool fit within the broader product ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities: User Interviews, Competitive Analysis, User Flows, Wireframes, Mockups, Design Handoff

Process

Based on prior feedback highlighting issues with the existing tool, we chose to start fresh with a redesigned guest management experience. A comprehensive research study was crucial to fully understand the wedding customer journey, particularly in light of COVID’s impact on planning.

The "Understand the Problem" phase focused on identifying key pain points and opportunities, while the "Explore Solutions" phase concentrated on refining the design based on insights and user needs.

Research

I built upon existing competitive analysis and led user interviews to uncover pain points in wedding guest management. Working closely with the design team, we conducted five video interviews, including a think-aloud walkthrough of the existing tool. Participants ranged from recently married couples to those actively planning weddings during COVID.

Screenshot showing competitive analysis table

Screenshot showing overview of participant profiles

Key Insights

80% of participants used Google Sheets for guest tracking and budgeting.

60% relied on text messages for RSVPs and communication.

How participants described wedding planning: Frustrating, Exciting, Creative, Fun, Secretive, Stressful, Fast, Difficult, Indecisive (with fun and stressful being the most common)

One participant created a custom numbering system to manage households.

Some users were excited to discover an existing, but hard-to-find feature, reinforcing the need for better visibility.

A quote from participant, Aubrey Watson: “I want to see who opened the invite and RSVPs, all in one place.”

Design

I mapped out key user flows to streamline guest interactions, ensuring the process felt intuitive and straightforward. These flows informed my wireframes and mockups, shaping the dashboard, guest table, event page, and guest addition experience. After stakeholder reviews, I refined the designs based on feedback, prioritizing core features for launch while deferring some enhancements for future iterations based on feasibility.

Flows for streamlining guest management: Early sketches and wireframes exploring a smoother way to import and edit guest data, ensuring a clear and intuitive structure.

Design Considerations

Core Sections

Solution

The redesigned guest management tool addressed key pain points, significantly improving the user experience. A centralized dashboard streamlined event tracking, providing quick access to guest statuses and key metrics. Simplified management flows saved time, while task-driven notifications kept couples on track with timely reminders. Integration with tools like Google Sheets accelerates guest list imports, while WhatsApp centralizes communication.

To enhance personalization, design elements from wedding websites were incorporated for a cohesive, branded experience. These improvements aligned with the company’s goals, boosting user satisfaction and supporting long-term business growth.

Desktop and mobile mockups of final screens

Design mock-ups. Simplified flows and integration: Streamlined flows to easier importing, editing and organizing guests and integrated with tools like Google Sheets and WhatsApp. Resolves the problems of lack of integration and difficult imports and accomplishes the goal of streamlining guest list management.

Design mock-ups. Centralized dashboard: A dashboard that consolidates essential event information, such as RSVP statuses and event countdowns, to help users stay on top of key details. Resolves the problems of poor usability and a dull and unengaging experience and accomplishes the goals of improved usability and a personalized experience.

Design mock-up. Notifications: Automated task reminders and personalized suggestions to keep users on track, ensuring timely actions and reducing uncertainty. Resolves the problem of poor usability and accomplishes the goal of improved usability.

Design mock-ups. Personalization: Integrated design elements from the couple’s wedding website for a cohesive and more visually exciting experience that mirrors their wedding theme. Resolves the problem of a dull and unengaging experience and accomplishes the goal of a personalized experience.

Results

Research informed future products: Our insights helped shape the company’s approach to guest management and other wedding tools.

Designed for long-term scalability: The redesigned experience set a foundation for future improvements, aligning with evolving customer needs.

Improved team alignment: Cross-functional collaboration ensured a well-researched, user-centered approach, positioning the tool for success.

Lessons Learned

Holistic research was overdue: Prior leadership deprioritized wedding research, but this study set a new precedent for user-centered decision-making.

Redesign vs. iteration: A full redesign was the right choice, but hesitation delayed execution—future projects should weigh trade-offs earlier.

Figma boosted collaboration: Adopting Figma improved team efficiency, making remote design collaboration smoother.

Guest Management • Contract Manager • Roadmap

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