Events SaaS MVP — vendor planner, offline check‑in

Events SaaS MVP — vendor planner, local payments, offline check‑in

We didn’t just build a ticketing platform. We redesigned how Africa experiences events from the ground up. We made it the Izzy way.

My Role: Product Designer Scope: End-to-end design, product strategy, real-world user testing Platform: Web App + Companion Check-In App

Most African event organizers were still using paper and spreadsheets. Most event apps were designed for ideal conditions. Strong internet, global payment systems, and users who are used to QR codes and long setup flows. These platforms were dumped into Nigeria, and it was chaos. Organizers couldn’t collect money easily. Vendors fought over good stand locations. Attendees struggled to find and book events they cared about. Nothing worked the way it should in our market. Everyone lost money, time, and trust.

Izzy Africa was starting from scratch. We weren’t redesigning something old. We were creating a local-first platform that made sense in Nigeria. That meant rethinking payments, vendor booking, ticketing, and onboarding to reflect how things actually work here.

Make event creation, discovery, and management as Izzy as ordering food online. Solve Nigeria’s toughest payment issues. End vendor stand wars. Help attendees find events that actually match their vibe.

I was the first and only product designer on the team. My job was to help shape the core product from zero. I worked closely with the founder and three engineers to:

Identify why existing tools failed in Nigeria

Design the core user flows and logic

Build components with sun-readable contrast

Ship the MVP

Work iteratively based on feedback from organizers and vendors

I also designed a separate companion app for event teams to scan tickets and monitor performance live, even offline.

Dynamic vendor stand planner with clear layouts to prevent "space wars"

Multi-channel payments, including bank transfer, card, and crypto

Easy onboarding flows for organizers and vendors

Personalized event discovery based on user interests and location

Organizer dashboard with real-time analytics, event creation, and team management

Dedicated mobile app for event organizers to scan tickets and track live performance, with offline scanning support

Pre- and post-event email composer for organizers to connect with attendees before and after the event

We've just pushed this thing live, so we don't have all the hard numbers in yet. But based on how we built it by truly understanding the problems and getting rid of all the extra nonsense, we're really betting on some clear wins. We're confident that our approach is going to make a huge difference:

Vendor adoption: We're really pushing for super high vendor adoption. Because we made it so simple to set up their stands, we're aiming for something like 92% of vendors to jump on board quickly. When you build something that actually solves their pain, they tend to use it.

Payment success: For payments, our design should lead to a super high success rate. We're talking around 97%, meaning money gets where it needs to go, fast, without the usual headaches. That's real cash in organizers' pockets, not stuck in limbo.

Setup time saved: We're also confident that organizers will save a ton of time setting things up. We're expecting something around 40% less hassle for them. No more complicated forms; just straight to creating their awesome events.

These aren't just wishful thoughts; they're what we expect to see because of how we designed every single part of this platform. We believe our honest way of doing things, focusing on what people here actually needed and getting rid of all the useless stuff, is going to really pay off.

Real event environments surface usability issues you won’t find in a lab

Transparent pricing and real communication go further than feature overload

Crypto payments are no longer experimental—they’re expected by many users

Offline capability for tools like ticket scanning isn't just nice to have, it's critical for reliability

We didn’t need fancy animations or trendy UI tricks. We needed things that made sense to our people, and we built that.

We didn’t just solve usability problems. We gave organizers peace of mind and made it easier for attendees to find and enjoy the events they love.

Live website: izzy.africa

Link to full case study will be available soon.