mobile app
Sincerely: A mobile app enhancing personal connection + storing multidimensional memories in the digital age
roles
UX Designer
Researcher
tools
Figma
team
1 Business Analyst
2 Developers
1 UX Designer
overview
Designing a relationship-centered app in 2 weeks
For XHacks, Pittsburgh’s largest designathon, my team designed a social app focused on maintaining relationships.
Over 1 week, we moved from concept → research → wireframes → prototype, and presented our work to industry judges from companies including Duolingo and UPMC.
After the event, I independently revised the product for an additional week based on in-competition feedback.
the future
Packets Create Moments of Shared Joy
Users schedule-send packets containing movies, audiobooks, photos, messages, or music to others or themselves in the future.
the present
Build Events Together— they're not shared with the Public
Store events with candid photos, music, an auto-generated map of your journey, and more!
All events are automatically saved to you + your friend's Shared Journey. No need to send images, update photo albums, share permissions, or more after a hangout.
the past
Your Home Screen: Journeys synthesize Packets + Events into Shared Narratives
Combines packets and events into one scroll per friend, turning fragmented interactions into scrollable collections you can both review and recall :).
Before the Design...
How did I get there?
Insights + Research
The Common Issue: Burnout, authenticity, and social pressure combat trust
To investigate the problem space, I conducted market analysis on existing connection apps and how much time was required per interaction, synthesizing research articles and social takes across Instagram for 1 week.
1:. User burnout
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Market research indicated burnout as a cohesive issue, but also that it can be combatted: the more value each interaction delivers, the less total interaction time is needed.
Traditional gifts
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Deco My Tree
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Bereal
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Discord
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2:. GenZ users are viewing authenticity differently
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3:. Social pressure
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Ideation
Concept Ideation to add sincerity to the digital world
We can't separate our generation from the digital now. But we can use it to enhance connection. With this in mind, I whiteboarded ideas + sketched initial prototypes-- considering marketing, retention, and how we communicate care.
Our initial idea became a mini delivery app that sends letters to the future. Send it to yourself or a friend, as early as tomorrow or as far as 10+ years.
User Testing + Pivot
Initial feedback became an opportunity to pivot into multidimensionality
User testing revealed confusion about our mini delivery app's function in 2 ways:
a.
Visual miscommunication: Users wondered if we sent physical mail based on our mid-fidelity design. Sincerely is intended to be fully digital.
b.
Missed connections: Users found the idea of future gifts endearing, but wondered if they would remember to use it— there's not always an occasion to give gifts.
c.
Hesitations to Act: Users stumbled the most on the delivery flow, and I realized 1) touch targets were too small, and 2) Sincerely's flow didn't match users' mental models of what digital delivery looked like.
Iteration
Pivoting design of brand and features
Based off of the feedback, I 1) redesigned the visual brand to differentiate product function from mail, 2) built out other features to bring users back into Sincerely without becoming taxing, and 3) reworked the delivery flow to match existing industry flows.
1:. Rebranding to differentiate Sincerely
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I also redesigned screens to emphasize collage and digital communication
To avoid confusion about physical mail, I introduced "packets" to carry gifts and digital messages rather than envelopes. Packets show users changes in delivery state over time.
2:. Added a widget + nudges to help users document their memories without taxing their attention
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3:. Maximizing readibility
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Design System
Crafting a blank slate for you to add onto.
I built the design system in Figma. Organic, textured lines and clear icons give users space to imagine.
Reflection
Balancing Speed + Organization
I enjoy conducting in-depth planning prior to executing projects. But this wasn't as possible in the context of a designathon.
I found myself constantly asking questions to weigh the options, determining which tasks were higher priority in order to complete my work. I realized the value of translating this thinking over to any typical project as well, increasing the speed at which I could contribute.
As a result, I've adapted this pattern of thinking in my workflow, blending thorough planning with adaptive, constraint-based judgement.
