Consultation study for Customer Portal & Exhibitor Portal — hybrid trade, clearer goals

How we learned — and what came out of it

Before redesigning anything, we ran a User Interview Study for the Customer Online Portal consultancy (Jul 2023). The goal was not UI polish opinions — it was to learn what users need, which functions they expect and prioritise, and where current flows break when walked through in detail.

Research questions were set by segment. Interviewees often drifted into exhibition, sourcing, and business matching. This study kept focus on findings most relevant to Customer Online Portal, Company Space, and Exhibition Online Application. Advertiser and Participant samples were small (two each), so we developed full personas only for Exhibitor and Buyer. Many participants were long-term / “VIP” relationships with HKTDC — findings may lean toward experienced customers. After interviews, we used affinity diagrams to cluster raw notes into patterns, then into insights and recommendations.

The Conflicts

Small fixes that unlock the whole journey

Proactive information search

We proposed a smarter way to search and find resources. We recommended adding an “I want to Find” bar on the main page so users can quickly choose their specific industry or the type of data they need instead of searching through everything. To make results even better, we suggested using OpenAI to suggest more relevant keywords based on what the user types in, to help user to reach more relevant result.

Number of Deals to build trust

We recommended making company and user profiles much more visible by showing their actual business history on the platform, like numbers of deals they made in HKTDC, to prove a partner's true reputation.

Push Message at the right time

We proposed sending the right notification at exactly the right time. We suggested making these reminders match how users already manage their time by allowing them to add every event to their own most-used personal calendar. Moreover, within the calendar event, we should allow user straight to the meeting details and the other party’s profile, to easier prepare the meeting they are going to have.

Paid Matching System instead of traditional Ad material

We proposed an extra idea that went beyond the original project scope. We recommended allowing companies to upload their own Sales Decks or promotion materials directly to the platform. By using these materials, we can build a much smarter and better matching network. In this model, advertising would not just be a banner; it would target specific requests based on exactly what kind of companies a buyer is looking for. This helps companies have a much better “matching” experience in the HKTDC system, ensuring their brand is shown to the most relevant buyers at the right time.

Design direction

Breakthrough named the product moves. Design direction is how those moves should feel in the interface — four lenses we used when shaping screens, without re-listing the recommendations above:

Goal-led entry

Open the portal on what the user wants to achieve — industry, resource type, event — so the first screen reduces overwhelm instead of exposing the full information tree.

Trust signals

Make credibility scannable in profiles and cards: history, participation, and who you will meet — so verification happens before the conversation starts.

Actionable timing

Treat reminders as jobs in the user’s own calendar: right moment, clear next step, and a path into meeting detail or the other party’s profile.

Self-serve events

Give exhibitors and participants dashboards to manage applications, milestones, and activities themselves — less chasing support for routine event ops.