Bee Hive animation of Shedd Homepage
Candid Moments Posed a Tricky Problem for Partiful's Party Photos
Conor Mack
Ha Do
Claire Jen
UXATHON Grand Prize Winner!
During UXPA Pratt's 2025 UXathon, Partiful, the sponsor of the event, asked us to bring back the joy of unfiltered party photos. This is a story of how three random designers worked together to be the grand prize winning team.
Results at a glance
Grand Prize Winner at the UXPA UXathon, sponsored by Partiful.
Unanimous Judge Approval for its simplicity, nostalgia, and community-driven design.
Praised for Storytelling and Execution, aligning perfectly with Partiful’s mission of spontaneous, unfiltered experiences.
Post winning photo of team User Glows and the judges at the event. (Thats me on the left!)
A modern take on candid party photos
The Partiful Event Baton
What it is
A playful and community driven way to bring back the joy of unfiltered party photos. The Baton creates a rotating role of event photographer, passing from guest to guest. With a nod to the past, this feature leans into it's limitations to better match the party goer's wants and needs.
Guests RSVP to a Partiful event and choose to opt in
Once the party begins, the Baton is digitally passed to one guest at a time.
When you receive it, you have 5 minutes to take 5 unfiltered photos.
Then you pass it to someone else and the cycle continues.
Five devices with mockups showing the main screens of the proposed Baton feature.
What makes the Baton unique?
Embracing Limitations to Fuel Creativity
Camera Features
0.5x Wide-Angle Only: Capture the entire room, no matter how small the space may be.
Flash Always On: Ensure you can see the essence of the party, even in low light.
Small Preview Window: See just enough to aim, but not enough to overthink.
Host Controls & RSVP Integration
Built in from the Start with RSVPs
Four devices showing the
Features that span the life of the party, from creation to distant memory. Baton features start in the RSVP and continue into the party.
Control the pace of Baton handoffs.
Choose when it starts and when it pauses.
Assign the first participant to kick off the photo-sharing experience.
Baton Features Made Easy
Features that span the life of the party, from creation to distant memory. Baton features start in the RSVP and continue into the party.
STAND IN TEXT
Users can
Opt in when RSVPing on Partiful
Watch the party story unfold, even if they opted out
Research & Strategy
One of the things I am most proud of is how my team got to our solution. We stayed laser focused on the user and used research to inform our next steps. Read on if you want to understand our approach.
Partiful's Prompt
How might we encourage spontaneous, unfiltered photo sharing at Partiful events?
"Nobody likes posing. It feels unnatural and uncomfortable in a party setting."
Gaze map and heat map showing prices aren't noticed.
Research Questions (RQs)
How might we create a party photo experience that is spontaneous, inclusive, and unfiltered?
Furthermore
What role do nostalgic technologies play in encouraging authentic photo-taking?
How might we create low-pressure, high-reward ways to encourage guests to document their experiences?
Hypothesis
If we discover and simulate what people miss about previous technologies, we will find a more impactful product then simulating previous technological limitations.
Furthermore
If we can identify why users aren't currently taking more pictures, we can create a more targeted and impactful user experience.
A hand drawn comic showing the user journey throughout the lifecycle of an event.
So we started by calling party people
We conducted a series of quick, focused phone call interviews with party-goers to understand their behaviors and challenges with photo-sharing during events. These interviews surfaced five major insights that directly influenced the design of the Photo Baton.
Image from event of some notes and brainstorming materials.
“Puts them in a fun headspace, like you’re stepping into a different world.”
One participant shared how the idea of themes puts people in a different headspace. A structured theme can give them direction during events, making it easier to participate and stay engaged.
"Natural photos at the event are kind of the dream."
Multiple participants noted how posed shots feel forced and disconnected from the actual experience.
“If I had a good photo for the event, I think adding it anonymously to an album would probably be better.”
Participants expressed concern about being the focus or breaking social boundaries. Anonymity lowered the stakes and made them more willing to contribute candid content.
“I want to see mine with everyone’s. Comparative style. Competitive.”
There was a clear interest in seeing how their moments fit into the larger event story. Some even framed it as a fun competition—whose photo captured the vibe best? This idea informed the story-view gallery and potential post event features.
“I used to always have a camera on me. It was easier because it wasn’t a distraction like a phone.”
Several participants described phones as disruptive for pulling them out of the moment. They missed the simplicity of older cameras that captured memories without tempting them to edit, scroll, or retake.
The insights gathered from party-goers reveal a desire for authenticity, spontaneity, and community-driven experiences during events. Traditional smartphone photography often feels too curated, detaching people from the moment. By introducing themes, reducing technological barriers, and providing anonymity, we can create a more engaging and pressure-free way to capture event memories.
Our solution, the Photo Baton, directly addresses these gaps by:
Embracing the spontaneity of disposable cameras, allowing only brief time windows and uneditable images.
Ensuring privacy and anonymity to encourage more widespread sharing.
Wrapping the experience with a post-event collective gallery, reinforcing community and shared memory.
This led us directly to the Photo Baton. A feature that captures the chaos and joy of spontaneous photos while enhancing community storytelling.
If we had more time…
Pushing the Baton further
While the Photo Baton successfully captured the spirit of unfiltered, nostalgic party photos, we did all of this in only three hours. So much more would go into this if it was a normal project. These limitations are fun, and interesting as a designer. Similarly, it can be fun to specualte how we could continue to build upon our idea.
Event image of Figma's cookie station
We identified in our research that this could be an engaging path to go down. It didn't fit within our scope, but I believe it would be a popular and engaging feature.
We focused on the feature during and before parties, but I would love to explore post event features that would enhance Partiful's user experience.
Allowing hosts to preview the Baton’s journey during the party and maybe reorder or edit in some way. Also, the ability to see stats, like who’s captured the most photos, who passed it the most, and which moments stood out.
Guests could vote on their favorite candid moments after the event, leading to interactive storytelling and deeper engagement with the Partiful platform.
Given the constraints of the three-hour sprint, deeper user research and iterative testing would allow us to refine the Baton experience, explore edge cases, and optimize its impact for different event types.
Presentation & Reflections
The team after our final presenting to Shedd, go team 🌊 KelpDesk 🐠
Conclusion & Impact
Our team’s decision to focus on one feature, the Baton, was the key to our win. By committing to simplicity and prioritizing the user, we created a feature that was both playful and communal. The judges loved its clarity and seamless integration into Partiful’s event experience.
The team after our final presenting to Shedd, go team 🌊 KelpDesk 🐠
Judge Feedback
Our team scored an impressive 55 out of 56 points, with judges praising both the concept and the clarity of our storytelling. The Photo Baton stood out for its simplicity, nostalgic design, and seamless integration with Partiful’s platform.