The Brant Hub
Working with Bscene and Grand Culture to provide Brant Region with a central hub for local culture.
Overview
BScene is a local publication in the Brant Region dedicated to promoting community culture, events, and stories. Our challenge was to transform its digital presence into a central, user-friendly hub that could attract new audiences while keeping longtime readers engaged.
We focused on:
Boosting visibility through social media, ads, and community campaigns
Showcasing diverse voices within the region
Designing for sustainability through monetization strategies such as sponsored content and subscriptions
Team
UX Designers: Shaina Gardose, Taha Hayat, Mariko Kitamura, and myself
Target Users
Our design served a wide community, including:
Newcomers to Brant Region (international students, immigrants, Canadians relocating)
Longtime residents and lifestyle enthusiasts
Advertisers, content creators, and event organizers
The broader communities of Brantford, Brant Region, and Six Nations
Research Process
To better understand users’ needs, our team recruited 20 participants and conducted both interviews and contextual inquiries.
Methods Used
Interviews – to explore how participants view Brantford and its local culture.
Contextual Inquiries – participants interacted with both the BScene newspaper and existing website while we observed usability and engagement.
Our research helped us uncover:
How users discover events in the Brant Region
How they perceive community connection
What issues exist in BScene’s current online presence
Key Insights
1. Event Discovery
Most users relied on social media, word-of-mouth, and posters to find events.
There was a strong need for a streamlined, centralized platform to discover local happenings easily.
2. Community Sentiment
Brantford’s reputation felt mixed, some users described it as disconnected, especially commuter students and newcomers.
There was a clear desire for a platform that brings people together and highlights the region’s positive aspects.
3. Feedback on BScene
The website was described as outdated, cluttered, and hard to navigate.
Younger users in particular found it unappealing.
Users wanted:
Clearer event listings
Easier navigation
Stronger social media integration for visibility
Design Goals
Goal | Focus |
Event Discovery | Filtering system, clear event descriptions, and calendar integration |
Community Growth | Showcase local initiatives and strengthen community pride |
Transportation | Add real-time transit info and commuter-friendly tools |
Usability | Clean, mobile-first design with intuitive navigation |
Monetization | Incorporate ads, sponsorships, and subscription models |
User Engagement | Integrate social media sharing, newsletters, and event submissions |
Final Solution
The redesigned BScene platform empowers users to:
Discover events through advanced filtering and keyword search
Switch views between daily and calendar formats
Submit events with a preview feature before posting
Access community updates in a clean, accessible, and mobile-friendly layout
The result is a revitalized community hub that connects locals, newcomers, and creators, strengthening Brantford’s cultural identity through accessible, engaging design.
Impact & Reflection
Through this project, I learned the importance of bridging local identity with usability. By focusing on accessibility, engagement, and sustainability, our design not only modernized BScene’s online presence but also reconnected people with their community.
Prototype
Our interactive prototype was created in Figma, allowing users to explore event discovery, filtering, and submission features in a realistic flow.
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