Social network

Social network

for local business & people

for local business & people

Client

Client

NDA

NDA

Role

Role

Design team lead

Design team lead

Timeline

Timeline

4 weeks

4 weeks

Year

Year

2023

2023

Introduction

During my time at PINKMAN Studios as an interface design team leader, we were approached by a client to improve the design of a social network for businesses and local residents. The client had an MVP web application, but was unhappy with its dull visuals and unclear navigation. He wanted to make improvements without changing the core concept.

The client envisioned the app as a large business center with various organizations where people often meet but don't know each other. His goal was to help these people connect and form communities.

Design a game for a tablet, which visitors to the exhibition on computer security will be able to play

During my time at PINKMAN Studios as an interface design team leader, we were approached by a client to improve the design of a social network for businesses and local residents. The client had an MVP web application, but was unhappy with its dull visuals and unclear navigation. He wanted to make improvements without changing the core concept.

The client envisioned the app as a large business center with various organizations where people often meet but don't know each other. His goal was to help these people connect and form communities.

Examples of client application screens: Homescreen and Community screen

Challenge

The client's primary goal at this stage was to secure financial partners for further development. He had already presented a working prototype to several investors and, based on their feedback, wanted to make the app more distinctive and memorable among competitors.

To support him, we aimed to enhance the visual design by making it brighter and more engaging, while preserving familiar patterns and the existing business logic.

Design a game for a tablet, which visitors to the exhibition on computer security will be able to play

The client's primary goal at this stage was to secure financial partners for further development. He had already presented a working prototype to several investors and, based on their feedback, wanted to make the app more distinctive and memorable among competitors.

To support him, we aimed to enhance the visual design by making it brighter and more engaging, while preserving familiar patterns and the existing business logic.

Process

To enhance more than just the app's visuals, the team set out to find an appropriate metaphor for the app's complex navigation architecture. This architecture included communities made up of people, businesses, events, and places. Within these communities, users could share photos, notes, requests, and resources. By connecting these elements, a large, interconnected community formed around the user.

Design a game for a tablet, which visitors to the exhibition on computer security will be able to play

To enhance more than just the app's visuals, the team set out to find an appropriate metaphor for the app's complex navigation architecture. This architecture included communities made up of people, businesses, events, and places. Within these communities, users could share photos, notes, requests, and resources. By connecting these elements, a large, interconnected community formed around the user.

I suggested conceptualizing each community as a separate application within a common hub, creating a matryoshka doll effect of large communities containing smaller ones. We also kept the familiar feed and screens with interesting content suggestions that helped users discover new local content, which was the primary purpose of the app.

Design a game for a tablet, which visitors to the exhibition on computer security will be able to play

I suggested conceptualizing each community as a separate application within a common hub, creating a matryoshka doll effect of large communities containing smaller ones. We also kept the familiar feed and screens with interesting content suggestions that helped users discover new local content, which was the primary purpose of the app.

We started our work by describing the entities and the relationships between them in the project, as the customer had no documentation of the system analytics

Examples of client application screens: Homescreen and Community screen

The client loved the idea and we started coming up with a visual style for the app that could make it stand out visually and be noticable among other projects

Design a game for a tablet, which visitors to the exhibition on computer security will be able to play

The client loved the idea and we started coming up with a visual style for the app that could make it stand out visually and be noticable among other projects

The team was divided into 3 parts, each collecting its own set of references and drawing several screens of the app, keeping or slightly expanding its business scenarios.

Design a game for a tablet, which visitors to the exhibition on computer security will be able to play

The team was divided into 3 parts, each collecting its own set of references and drawing several screens of the app, keeping or slightly expanding its business scenarios.

Some of concepts created by team

Rollout

Here's what we got after scaling the design concept to the existing mobile app screens

Design a game for a tablet, which visitors to the exhibition on computer security will be able to play

Here's what we got after scaling the design concept to the existing mobile app screens

Start screen where user can see posts from his subscriptions and useful accounts near him. We used classic layout builded around focusing on content that could be interesting for user

Section with posts that may be of interest to the user in city or particular area depends of amount of people around.

It helps people to find something interesting around, especially when they travel around

Community screen — most important screen of the concept. User can find people around, meet a local businesses, find related communities, places to eat, entertain, education events and so on. Communities can be created by users or owners or by moderators of the app

We wanted person to see it as whole thing inside, so people can navigate through sections, use more complicated filters or see people and organisations who associate with it

Some examples of other screens

Results & Takeaways

The design concept proposed by the studio was well received by the client and liked by the investors, however, the client decided to decide to change the key logic of the app and its business goals as it became aware of the launch of a strong competitor

The design concept proposed by the studio was well received by the client and liked by the investors, however, the client decided to decide to change the key logic of the app and its business goals as it became aware of the launch of a strong competitor

Despite the fact it was a small project, it was great to see again how important it is to start talking to the client's stakeholders and technical experts from the very beginning of the project.

This helps to save time and avoid unnecessary work by getting to grips with what the customer wants and what the technical limitations are.

Despite the fact it was a small project, it was great to see again how important it is to start talking to the client's stakeholders and technical experts from the very beginning of the project.

This helps to save time and avoid unnecessary work by getting to grips with what the customer wants and what the technical limitations are.

Let’s make something together

Contacts

Resume

grrrshkv@gmail.com

LinkedIn

Facebook

Dmitrii Gorshkov • 2024

Designed in Figma, developed in Framer

Let’s make something together

Contacts

Resume

grrrshkv@gmail.com

LinkedIn

Facebook

Dmitrii Gorshkov • 2024

Designed in Figma, developed in Framer

Let’s make something together

Resume

grrrshkv@gmail.com

LinkedIn

Facebook

Dmitrii Gorshkov • 2024