mobile design
Gather
Gather is a mobile platform designed to bridge the gap between social intention and action. While maintaining meaningful adult relationships requires significant intentionality, many individuals lack a structured system to facilitate it. Existing "discovery" tools often fail by ignoring specific group dynamics, budgets, and energy levels, leaving the burden of organization on a single social planner who eventually burns out.
ROLE
UX/UI Designer, UX Research, Branding
TOOLS
Figma, Illustrator, Procreate
TIMEFRAME
October - December 2025
The challenge
To lower the activation energy required for human connection by transforming planning from a chore into a low-friction, shared experience. Gather aims to combat the modern "loneliness epidemic" by providing the digital infrastructure needed for regular, intentional connection.
Design process
OVERVIEW
Project Context
Research Approach
empathize
User research
This project is rooted in a widely shared but rarely talked about problem: adult friendships are hard to maintain, and the tools to support them don't exist. Research consistently points to a loneliness epidemic among adults not because people are isolated, but because the infrastructure for regular, intentional connection is missing.
approach
To understand the friction points in social coordination, I conducted qualitative interviews across three distinct relationship archetypes: a romantic couple, a college friend group, and a parent managing family logistics. Despite differing life stages, a universal set of pain points emerged.
main Interview Questions
Walk me through the last time you made plans with someone — how did that actually go from idea to happening?
When you're trying to decide what to do with a group, how does that conversation usually unfold? Who drives it?
Imagine an app suggested three personalized activity ideas for your group based on your mood, budget, and weather. How would you react to that? What would make you trust or distrust the suggestions?
When you're planning something for a mixed group — different ages, energy levels, or preferences — how do you navigate that?
Have you ever felt like a friendship faded not because anything went wrong, but just because life got busy? What did that feel like?
OVERVIEW
Key Insights
User Personas
User Flows
define
key insights
PLANNING BURNOUT
Coordination consistently defaults to one person, leading to decision fatigue and exhaustion.
group chat chaos
Standard messaging platforms become chaotic once a group exceeds eight to ten people, causing plans to evaporate before they are finalized.
group chat choas
reconnection Barrier
Users feel guilt over "faded" friendships but find the perceived effort of reaching back out to be daunting or formal.
privacy
While users value personalization, there is a clear boundary regarding data privacy; any feature that feels like surveillance is a hard dealbreaker.
user personas
I developed two core personas to represent the primary and secondary user segments:
user flows
I designed three simple paths to make the app easy to navigate:
Smart Planning: The app asks about your mood, budget, and energy to suggest the perfect activity instantly.
Easy Group Decisions: Instead of arguing in a chat, friends can vote anonymously on a few ideas to reach a quick decision.
Staying Connected: The app tracks how long it’s been since you last saw someone and sends a nudge to reach out.
OVERVIEW
Information Architecture
Iterative Design
ideate
information architecture
The Information Architecture for Gather is built around five pillars to ensure a streamlined, intuitive navigation experience:
Plan: A contextual input system for individuals or families to generate AI-powered activity suggestions.
Group: A coordination hub for session management and anonymous voting to reach consensus without debate spirals.
Connections: A relationship health dashboard that tracks "last seen" data and provides subtle nudges before friendships fade.
Memories: A gallery of photos and notes from previous hangouts to reinforce the value of quality time.
Profile: A management area for preference defaults, budget limits, and privacy controls.
Ideation & Iterative Design
After the information architecture was solid, I started sketching wireframes surrounding the main navigational items. Spilling initial ideas into pen and paper helped me compile and organize my ideas for the high-fidelity product.
Design System
OVERVIEW
The Final Solution
Core Features
Prototype
prototyping
the final solution
The Gather app provides a seamless, data-rich yet digestible experience, empowering users to move from "we should hang out" to a fully planned, memorable experience.
Core features
spontaneous mode
An AI feature that provides quick hangout ideas for those willing to try anything.
relationship health
Proactively monitors connection health and provides low-pressure prompts to reconnect with friends.
PLANNING BURNOUT
anonymous voting
Eliminates "decision fatigue" by allowing groups to reach a consensus on activities without chaotic group chat debates.
Easy Logistics
Provides a complete plan, not just a starting point, to reduce the mental load on the organizer.
By focusing on usability, clarity, and visual appeal, Gather presents social planning in an engaging, intuitive manner, encouraging users to maintain their connections consistently and take proactive steps toward deeper friendships.
OVERVIEW
Retrospective
Reflect
Retrospective
This project reinforced the importance of user research and iterative design in creating meaningful digital experiences.
If I were to refine this project further, I would:
Expand User Testing: Conduct unmoderated usability testing with a broader demographic to validate the logic of "The Glow Test."
This case study showcases how human-centered interactive design can transform complex data into a compelling, user-friendly experience, bridging the gap between information and action.