Festival360°

Current prevention methods may increase drug-related harm rather than reduce it

Despite various prevention methods—police presence, sniffer dogs, and random drug searches—drug consumption remains prevalent at festivals across Australia. Research suggests these methods may increase drug-related harm rather than reduce it (Alcohol and Drug Foundation, 2024; Grigg et al., 2018).

A major contributing factor is the stigma surrounding drug use, perpetuated by mass media and educational narratives. This stigma discourages festival-goers from seeking professional support, leaving them without the tools and knowledge to make informed safety decisions in high-risk, high-energy environments (National Harm Reduction Coalition, 2021).

A centralised platform for safer festival experiences

Festival360° is a centralised platform designed to provide a safe and seamless festival experience. By facilitating easy access to both peer support and professional resources, it aims to promote better long-term health outcomes. The platform integrates real-time health and safety tools through two primary channels: a mobile app and on-site kiosks. I contributed to its overall visual and interaction design.

Understanding the Australian festival scene

Who are we designing for?

The Compassionate Health Advocate

“You can tell someone that drugs might kill them, but some people just don't care. So, you have to find other ways to communicate the dangers and hopefully encourage safer use.”

The Novice Risktaker

“I think banning it just makes people want to do it more because people just find other ways around trying to access it.”

The Responsible Explorer

“I've done my fair share of research on the Internet. The reason why I go to Reddit is because when I search for information on drugs on the Internet, it's heavily based on the really bad sides of the drugs.”

The Cautious Expert

“What doesn't motivate me [to go to festivals] is like everyone's on drugs and stuff, and like, I feel like it can have long-term effects. I wanted to take a break.”

Research Process: Empathy Mapping & Storyboarding

From problem to solution

After reframing the problem, we faced the challenge of developing a concept that leverages self-reliance and peer support to promote drug prevention within festival environments. To aid this process, we first used reverse thinking followed by Crazy 8's to facilitate rapid concept generation.

Here's some process work from a ~pretty~ intensive crazy-thinking session.

Between 3 team members we were able to successfully generate 24 ideas. With consideration for time constraints of our project, we began sketching out and storyboarding some of the prioritised ideas to provide more context and establish common ground for the team.

Here's some of the concept sketches I contributed:

We developed the ideas further through storyboarding exactly how the solution should function:

After developing our 3 top ideas to make them more appropriate for the task at hand, we evaluated them using a 12-point Pugh matrix. We used a list of criteria pulled from our actionable insights and interpretation of the design brief. We scored our ideas against the criteria using a decision matrix, and the winner was: 🏆 Festival360

An iterative process of designing and refining

The team followed an iterative prototyping process—moving from low-fidelity wireframes to interactive mockups, testing with users at each stage to validate usability, privacy, and clarity.

Iteration 1: Establishing Usability

After creating initial low-fidelity wireframes, we conducted usability testing with 5 participants. We made 25+ iterations to our initial wireframes.

• Lack of task completion feedback → Introduced confirmation screens for user confidence

• Privacy concerns in sign-up flow → Limited data collection to essential details (email only)

• Ambiguity in group invitations → Added group previews & inviter identification to invitations

Iteration 2: Enhancing Intuitiveness

After transforming our wireframes into initial mockups, we tested with 6 participants. We made 30+ iterations based on user feedback.

• Error prevention for usernames/passwords → Introduced real-time validation & error messaging

• Streamlined sign-up process → Added a "Generate" button for randomized usernames

• Enhanced map usability → Differentiated people vs. amenities and integrated filters

Iteration 3: Final Refinements

After iterating our mockups based on user feedback, we refined visual hierarchy and cross-platform consistency between app and kiosk.

• Improved UI hierarchy in groups → Highlighted user avatars when updates were posted

• Clarified button labels → Changed "Scan Below" to "Scan My Keypass Below"

• Consistent visual design → Unified kiosk and app UI elements for cohesive branding

Designed to resonate with Gen Z festival-goers

The Festival360° brand identity was designed to resonate with Gen Z festival-goers—balancing approachability with credibility in a sensitive health context.

Design System

Our design system established a cohesive, scalable, and visually consistent framework, ensuring that Festival360° maintains a professional, intuitive, and engaging experience across all touchpoints. By standardising typography, colour schemes, UI components, and avatars, we created a seamless and recognisable identity that enhances usability while aligning with the vibrant, dynamic nature of festival culture.

From concept to implementation

Although Festival360° was developed as a university project, we outlined practical considerations for real-world deployment at festivals.

• Hardware & software specifications to guide development partners
• Setup instructions for seamless deployment at festival sites
• Potential limitations and mitigation strategies to address edge cases

Reflections on designing for sensitive topics

~ Serena