FOMO was designed to support large-scale events, starting with Melbourne’s Moomba Festival, where over 3 million people attend across three days. As co-founder and product designer, I worked alongside our CTO to build a web app and live-screen campaign that made it easy for event-goers to donate to teams participating in the annual Birdman Rally, while also delivering helpful event information in real time.

Deliverables: Product Strategy, UX & UI Design, Prototyping, Feature Validation, Stakeholder
Project Type: Web App, B2C, Omnichannel Experience, Event Fundraising
Team: Founder & Product Designer (me), CTO/Co-Founder, Marketing & Event Team

Business goal

The goal was to provide festival organisers and charity teams with an effortless way to collect donations, while engaging a large, diverse audience in real time. Organisers wanted a solution that could scale across thousands of attendees, reduce manual fundraising friction, and amplify visibility for participating charities. The broader aim was to transform how large-scale community events drive social impact.

User goal

Participants and attendees faced challenges in donating quickly during live events: long queues, lack of clarity about how to contribute, and limited visibility of fundraising progress. The solution needed to:
- Allow attendees to donate instantly from their phones.
- Promote fundraising teams and live progress in real time.
- Deliver festival information, schedules, and safety alerts seamlessly.
- Make giving fun, social, and shareable.

Design process

As founder and designer, I worked closely with our CTO to validate the concept, design the app, and orchestrate the live-screen experience.

01. Market Discovery & Feedback

We interviewed organisers, charity teams, and attendees to map live fundraising pain points. People wanted fast, mobile-first donations, visible team progress, and integrated event comms. Organisers needed something that could scale to thousands of participants.

02. Collaborative Ideation

We brainstormed concepts for a web app and live-screen campaign that leveraged QR codes on festival screens, signs, and merchandise like t-shirts. We mapped the attendee journey from discovery to donation, ensuring the experience was seamless, fast, and engaging.

03. Feature Validation & Rapid Prototyping

Early prototypes were tested with festival-goers, charity team members, and event staff. We validated features such as one-click donations, live team leaderboards, and contextual festival updates. This feedback informed iterative improvements to UX and UI, ensuring accessibility, clarity, and excitement for users of all ages.

04. Experience Design & Implementation

I designed the web app interface to be mobile-first, highlighting live donation progress, individual teams, and recommended charities. The design included:
- QR codes linking directly to team pages and donation forms.
- Live leaderboard screens updating in real time.
- Contextual alerts for safety, event info, and schedules.
- Our CTO integrated the backend with secure payment gateways and live-feed dashboards to enable instant updates.

05. Launch & Live Engagement

During the Moomba Festival, our web app and QR-code screens were deployed across multiple festival sites. Attendees could donate in seconds, see team rankings in real time, and access helpful event information on the go. The campaign also ran on social media and printed materials, driving registrations and awareness before the festival.

Result

FOMO delivered outstanding results in its first year:
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- Raised over $600,000 for Australian charities during the Birdman Rally.
- Over 180,000 unique web app users registered during the festival.
- Average donation completion time under 30 seconds, reducing friction and boosting participation.
- 92% of festival attendees surveyed found the donation experience easy and enjoyable.
- Live leaderboard and QR-code screens drove a 48% increase in repeat donations and social sharing.
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The project demonstrated how integrated digital experiences can amplify social impact at scale, blending real-world events with seamless, mobile-first technology. FOMO not only facilitated fundraising but also enhanced the attendee experience, providing timely information and safety updates while creating a sense of community and friendly competition.