Enhancing LGBTQ+ resource access and community connections

designing an entirely new platform to boost user activity, revenue, and community value.

Context

Pride Places aims to bridge the gap between LGBTQ+ consumers and businesses.

"Our goal is simple: to build stronger, bigger and better LGBTQ-friendly businesses and organizations, and provide an easy-to-use resource for our community that makes people from all over want to visit, live in and be a part of the LGBTQ community in your town."
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- Pride Places

The Problem

We noticed low activity on the site, and reevaluated how the directory aligned with our core values.

As a passion-driven startup, in order to grow as a business, Pride Places needed increases in sales, users and content. We were in a good position for new ideas!

Defining the Problem Space

Is the platform really addressing the main problems the community faces?

As a passion-driven startup, in order to grow as a business, Pride Places needed increases in sales, users and content. We were in a good position for new ideas!

Site Audit

To validate the hypothesis, I started by identifying the problems users were facing with the current site.

Let’s build a new platform that meets user needs, boosts engagement, and strengthens Pride Places’ business strategy.

Opportunities for Improvement

Concept Testing

What kind of platform would best address these needs?

For concept testing, I explored user preferences, frustrations, and challenges to shape Pride Places’ future. Each designer created wireframes for a concept, which we tested with users.

Goals for Concept Testing

Affinity Mapping

The team took insights and compared them with features shown during concept testing. We then consolidated a feature requirements list.

Major themes from testing

Task Flows

Task flows mapped the account creation process to be fun, inclusive, and natural.

Goal

Encourage user-generated content during onboarding to kickstart platform engagement.

User Account Creation

I played around a more interactive onboarding process. This does extend the process, but our goal was to provide ample opportunities to share their own stories.

Business Account Creation

I designed an in-depth process to help businesses maximize their visibility and reach users effectively.

Wireframes

My designs prioritized user and business account creation while enabling story sharing.

Account Creation Prompts

I designed creative prompts for account creation and proposed content limits to incentivize sign-ups.

Integrating Business Accounts

It was important to create avenues for businesses to connect with potential consumers. I designed an option for businesses to create business accounts.

Importance of User Generated Content (UGC)

To promote UGC, I designed a flow for users to share their experiences publicly. Users can engage with this anytime after finalizing their account creation.

Homepage UI Ideations

I iterated on homepage design structure, shifting from text-heavy cards to image-focused layouts for greater impact.

Variations on topic cards

I explored card designs from text-only to media-rich posts, aiming for clarity without overwhelming users.

Projected Impact

Projected Impact

We designed a mobile MVP social media platform aimed at achieving key goals for the company.

Increased User Engagement

By encouraging user-generated content creation, it's projected to boost engagement and connection in-app and within the community.

Increased Financial Value

This platform pivot is projected to create better opportunities for monetization and revenue growth for Pride Places.

Increased Value for Users

By prioritizing resource access, it's projected to bring more value to the LGBTQ+ community compared to the previous site.

Final Remarks

This was my first time collaborating with a design team to create something tangible, learning from designers, engineers, and a project manager.
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Designing for a community I’m not part of, I prioritized research to understand the diverse needs of the LGBTQ+ community. We made sure not to treat this community as a monolith, but rather as one filled with diverse groups of people with their own identities ♡︎