Company: Top Hat | Role: Senior Product Designer | Timeline: 6 months | Team: PM, Software Engineers (4)
The Challenge
Imagine stepping into a lecture hall, a conference room, or even a sales demo, and being asked to download an app, create an account, and verify your email before you can participate. By the time you’ve jumped through the hoops, the moment of engagement has passed.
That was the reality with Top Hat. While powerful in classrooms where students had already registered, Top Hat struggled in “ad hoc” environments like the first week of class, guest lectures, faculty training sessions, or public events where participants weren’t yet signed up. This gap sent many instructors and institutions toward lighter, more nimble competitors like PollEverywhere and Kahoot. Even in single sign-on (SSO) environments, there was no simple way to participate in spontaneous sessions without barriers.
My Role
I led the end-to-end design of Guest Mode, from research and exploration through iteration and delivery. I partnered closely with my product manager, sales team, and onboarders to design for impact, and collaborated with engineering to validate technical feasibility and ensure polish in the final build.
Our Goal
Create a frictionless way for anyone to join a Top Hat session instantly, removing barriers to participation and making Top Hat accessible anywhere learning happens.
User Research
To uncover the right solution, I focused on the experiences of the people most impacted:
- Sales & Onboarding Teams: Struggled with time-consuming demo prep, often resorting to fake accounts just to get prospects and attendees in the door.
- Event Attendees: Frustrated and disengaged by a clunky mobile web interface.
- Competitor Benchmarks: Platforms like PollEverywhere and Kahoot set the bar for “easy,” offering instant, low-friction entry.
Key Insights
- Simplicity was non-negotiable: Every extra tap risked losing the audience.
- Sales needed impact: A demo experience that impressed without extra setup.
- Guardrails were essential: Prevent misuse and ensure Guest Mode didn’t become a free version of Top Hat.
Design Solution
I designed Guest Mode as a mobile-first entry point that prioritized speed and clarity. Instead of requiring accounts or setup, the flow focused on immediate participation, whether in a classroom, demo, or conference. Key aspects of the solution included:
- Streamlined join flow: Cut out account creation and got guests participating right away.
- Optimized mobile experience: Designed for speed and clarity on any device.
- Polished event mode: Visually differentiated from standard Top Hat, specifically tailored for sales demos, trainings, and large-scale sessions.
- Usage limits: Capped how often instructors could run Guest Mode in class, ensuring it drove adoption without becoming a free version of Top Hat.
Guest Mode Join Screen
Rather than reinventing the wheel, we built Guest Mode on top of Top Hat’s existing Present Mode framework, using it as scaffolding to accelerate development and maintain familiarity for instructors. I designed the Guest Mode join screen to stand apart from standard Top Hat, making guest sessions instantly recognizable and creating a strong first impression. To simplify entry, we introduced QR codes, a first for Top Hat, enabling guests to join seamlessly from their mobile devices.
ransformed the standard join screen into a distinct, branded Guest Mode experience.
Streamlined Participant Join Flow
Instead of requiring sign-up or login, I designed a minimal landing page that guests accessed after scanning the QR code or entering the session URL. In Guest Mode, I advocated for showing only questions and discussions on the device, unlike the registered experience, which also includes slides. This approach kept guests focused on the presenter’s display while still enabling seamless participation in polls and discussions.
Landing page after scanning QR Code
Empty state when no questions are active
Live question
End of presentation screen
My designs were fully responsive, allowing participants to also join on desktop by entering the session URL and code.
Landing page after entering URL
Live question
Safeguards
To balance accessibility with business safeguards, we introduced:
- Usage limits: Instructors can enable Guest Mode up to 5 times per course, preventing it from becoming a substitute for paid Top Hat.
- Eligibility checks: Only courses with 10 or fewer registered students can launch Guest Mode, aligning the feature to its intended use cases (first week of class, small ad hoc sessions, etc.).
- Unlimited internal access: Sales, Onboarding, and executives can use Guest Mode freely to support demos, trainings, and customer events.
- Extended institutional access: Select partner schools receive unlimited usage for campus events and faculty trainings.
Usage limits were reinforced through clear, in-context UI cues.
End-to-End Experience
See how it all comes together in this overview of the Guest Mode experience, from a presenter launching a session to a guest joining and participating.
Figma prototype showcasing the presenter and guest experience.
Impact
Guest Mode launched in a limited release to test adoption, and within just six months it delivered measurable results:
Saved 150+ hours for Sales and Onboarding teams by removing the need for fake accounts in demos and conferences.
Powered 800+ events, including sales demos, faculty trainings, and campus sessions.
Opened a new adoption funnel: 1500+ new customers' first interaction with Top Hat began through Guest Mode.
Drove early instructor adoption: ~25% of active instructors used Guest Mode at least once per semester to engage students.
In only half a year of limited release, Guest Mode proved its value as both a sales driver and a classroom engagement tool, setting the stage for broader rollout.
Next Steps
As Guest Mode gains traction, universities are requesting higher usage limits for campus events and trainings. To meet this growing demand, and unlock greater value for both users and the business, our next steps focus on expanding capability, insight, and adoption.
