SCREEN TOO SMALL!

Henry Tasset

Virtual Palm Beach
International Boat Show

VPBIBS Screenshot

Context & Challenge

In response to the pandemic, the Palm Beach International Boat Show transitioned from a traditional print guide to a fully digital experience, and I was entrusted with leading this transformation. My role extended beyond UI design—I steered the project strategy, collaborating across teams to build a robust virtual platform that captured the essence and excitement of the in-person show. The digital experience needed to include a wide array of components—such as a welcome page, exhibitor showcases, seminars, a shopping directory, updates/news, and a searchable promotions database—while presenting them as a unified, intuitive interface.

Approach & Process

To ensure everything felt seamless and cohesive, I structured the design process around two guiding principles:

Holistic brand alignment: Every section—from the entry point to booth pages and directories—had to reflect the show’s identity through consistent typography, iconography, and layout.
User-centered navigation: Attendees needed to easily move between components—exploring booths, watching seminars, browsing shopping listings, or checking promotions—without cognitive overload.

I started by mapping out user flows to understand how attendees might navigate through the platform—starting at the welcome page, exploring seminars or exhibitors, and returning to the main directory or promotion listings. Using these flows, I developed wireframes for each module, ensuring shared elements like navigation and page structure reinforced consistency. Regular feedback loops with stakeholders (organizers, exhibitors, content partners) helped refine and validate usability and design intuition before moving into high-fidelity mockups.

Solution

The final platform delivered a multi-faceted, digitally immersive boat show that felt both unified and flexible:

A welcoming entry page: set the tone and introduced key engagement points.
Exhibitor booth pages: allowed over 100 companies in total to present products, videos, and messaging in their own space while maintaining a consistent visual framework.
A seminar hub: enabled attendees to access presentations, register for sessions, and explore content seamlessly.
A shopping directory and promotions database: each designed for efficient search and discovery, making products and special offers easily accessible.
A news section: updated attendees on announcements or schedule changes in real time.

All these components shared a unified design system and layout conventions—navigation, typography, spacing, imagery treatment—creating a cohesive experience that felt like one dynamo platform rather than a collection of isolated pages.

Impact

This digital transformation enabled the Palm Beach International Boat Show to continue engaging with attendees meaningfully, offering them a rich, online exploration that mirrored the excitement of visiting the show in person. The platform’s usability and design consistency helped stakeholders—attendees, exhibitors, organizers—navigate complex content effortlessly.

For me, this project was a defining moment in scaling design across multiple product components. I deepened my craft in maintaining visual and functional coherence at scale, managing stakeholder feedback, and designing flexible interfaces that adapt to evolving requirements. The experience further solidified my approach to holistic system thinking: viewing every page as part of a greater digital ecosystem, rather than a stand-alone artifact.