[Case 01]
Hangaroo
Social Networking
Hangaroo
new city, new friends, new adventure
[Project Overview]
Hangaroo is an app concept that helps recent arrivals and locals discover events, make friends, and stay connected to their city. By blending recommendations with seamless onboarding, it reduces the agony of other event platforms and creates genuine social connections.
[Problem Statement]
The majority of people struggle to make friends and find things to do related to their interests, as existing meetup apps focus too much on dating or present users with too large a number of events. Users need an easy, trustworthy way of identifying events, meeting like-minded people, and getting a sense of belonging in a new place.
[Problem Statement]
The goal of Hangaroo is to design a user-friendly app that makes "hangouts easy." With adaptive onboarding, personalized discovery, and a dating-free emphasis on friendship, the app allows users to discover something they are interested in and meet others who share similar interests in an effortless way.
[Industry]
Social Networking
[My Role]
UX Designer
[Platforms]
Mobile
[Timeline]
August 2024- October 2024
[Process]
[01] Discover
Conducted user interviews and surveys to uncover key insights.
Analyzed competitor platforms to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps.
Observed behavior patterns to highlight user pain points and opportunities.
[02] Define
Explored multiple solution paths aligned with user needs.
Prioritized ideas based on objectives, feasibility, and impact.
Created user flows and personas to guide the design direction.
[03] Ideate
Developed initial sketches and low-fidelity prototypes.
Experimented with different layouts and design approaches.
Focused on usability and visual consistency to enhance the experience.
[04] Solution
Delivered a clean, modern visual design that reflected user and brand needs.
Created a UI kit to keep designs consistent and easy to work with.
Conducted usability testing to validate designs and refine interactions.
[User Interviews]
Adrian Wells
“A lot of the times I just look at trending places or even just places people post on their TikTok or Instagram and will go visit it sometimes when im bored, and don’t want to do a lot of research. “
Sophie Lane
“When I was back in school, making friends came somewhat easy, had classes, clubs/events, and even just at my dorm, everything was just built around it, but after graduating and moving I feel like I’m on my own, didn’t expect it to be this hard to find friendships. “
Marcus Roberts
“I enjoy smaller scale social events, with not as many people rather than big social gatherings, because to me I have a harder time making more meaningful connections, when there are so many people.”
Lila Chen
“Sometimes I just go with the flow, and just see where the day takes me. I prefer doing chill stuff where I don’t have to make commitments days in advance. “
[Survey]
62% of participants reported social isolation upon moving to a new location
88% of the participants think it would be useful to have event or location recommendations based on their interests
44% of participants felt that a lot of the exsisting hangout social apps they have used before, were more heavily focused on dating rather than friendship or finidng common interests
[Competitive Analysis]
I examined four websites, Meetup, Bumble BFF, Eventbrite, and Friender to search for patterns, strengths, and vulnerabilities in the marketplace. While each offered elements of event discovery or social connection, none combined all significant features in an inclusive, non-dating experience.
[User Flow]
I created a user flow chart to help improve user navigation, group important features together, and also highlight key actions.
[Persona #1]
Alexa Roberts
Age: 24
Location: Boston
Reason for Moving: New Job
Gender: Female
[Goal]
Meet like-minded people who enjoy exploring the city and finding things to do
Likes a mixture of going to events whether they're planned or even if they're spontaneous
Wants to feel a sense of belonging in a new community/environment
[Pain Points]
Finds it hard to go to events when there is no one she knows
Feels that a lot of the social meetup apps she has tried is more focused on dating, rather than friendship
She feels overwhelmed when there are too many events, and no way to filter what she is and isn't interested in
[Known Habits]
Checks social apps late at night to see what might be going on for the night, or even during the week
Often bookmarks things she wants to try to go to, but often doesn't follow through if she has no one to go with
Goes to events that are easier to ease into the conversation
[Preferences]
Small to mid-sized group events
Events that are artsy, creative, and also casual
Prefers to know who and how many people are attending
[Persona #2]
Jason
Age: 28
Location: San Francisco
Reason for Moving: Joining a Startup
Gender: Male
[Goal]
Make new friends outside of work
Find casual weekend activities that aren't too crowded
Build a new network for his own social and professional growth
[Pain Points]
Has a pretty busy work schedule and often misses out on events because of it
Doesn't enjoy larger networking events, as he feels that conversations are more forced
A lot of other social apps he's tried had a focus primarily on nightlife, which is something he's not that interested in
[Known Habits]
Scrolls through reddit, to look for recommendations
Likes to plan his activities in advance
Watches a lot of Instagram and TikTok videos to find things to do near him
[Preferences]
Small, laid-back vibes
Enjoys events like trivia nights, food outings, and basketball watch parties
[Persona #3]
Amir
Age: 30
Location: Austin
Reason for Moving: New Opportunities Abroad
Gender: Male
[Goal]
Meet fellow creators, and maybe find people he can collaborate with
Get used to the U.S., and the local creative scene in Austin
Build himself a support network in the city
[Pain Points]
Feels culturally out of place and not sure how to really break into the local culture, and its groups
Doesn’t like apps that already assumes everyone has an existing friend network
Gets discouraged when event descriptions are vague to something he might not know
[Known Habits]
Follows artistic creators, and likes to look where they’ve been for ideas
Is very spontaneous, but sometimes plans ahead
Loves to post his videos on his socials
[Preferences]
Events with creative, niche themes
Enjoys meeting up with other creators, whether it be videographers like himself or anything in between
Casual and welcoming environments
[Sketches]
I began using hand sketches to iterate quickly through ideas and get a sense of direction. This was a useful first step to try out different layout, user flow, and interaction arrangements without committing to too much detail.
My sketches were guided by:
User interviews
Survey feedback
Competitor analysis
This allowed me to group features by real user needs and organize them accordingly.
Sketching also allowed me to:
Eliminate unnecessary complexity at an early stage
Make navigation simple and key actions clear
Move rapidly and make drastic design decisions before polishing up further
[Wireframes]
In order to investigate early concepts, I developed low-fidelity wireframes in Figma that prioritized layout, flow, and structure over visuals.
Experimented with various color combinations and screen layouts.
Experimented with several content flows and user experiences
Prioritized quick and flexible decisions to direct the design.
Once the core structure was solid, I progressed to high-fidelity designs that incorporated the visual identity and end experience.
Applied end brand colors, typography, and imagery
Polished layout for better clarity and navigation
Produced a tidy, consistent interface that fulfilled user requirements
[Onboarding]
Signing up for Hangaroo is quick, intuitive, and user-friendly. By following familiar patterns, users can get started in seconds with minimal effort. This seamless onboarding experience sets a strong first impression, reinforcing the app’s focus on making it easy to discover events and connect with others right away.
[Discovering Events & Friends]
A streamlined event discovery experience allows users to quickly find activities that match their interests with minimal effort. By combining intuitive filters, location-based suggestions, and a “Friends Attending” view, the design makes decision-making easier and more personalized. The built-in messaging feature further improves the experience by enabling users to coordinate plans directly within the app, reducing friction and supporting more meaningful social connections.
[Usability Testing]
Usability testing across two rounds with four participants explored how users discovered and joined events. Tasks included browsing events, checking who friends were attending with, and finding last-minute plans.
Many participants felt that the Discover and Trending sections were too similar in layout and content, leading to confusion and a lack of clear purpose between the two. Several described the experience as having a cluttered interface, which made it difficult to focus on individual events or scan the page efficiently.
The absence of filtering options further limited users’ ability to refine results — at the time, there was only a basic search bar with no filtering functionality. These findings highlighted the need for stronger content hierarchy, clearer section differentiation, and more robust filtering tools to support quicker and more personalized event discovery.
[UI]
[Key Learnings]
Personalization is Key
Users feel more engaged when events matched their unique interests
First impressions sets expectations
A welcoming, onboarding experience encouraged users to return and explore the app.
Details Matter
Exploring fresh concepts, even late in the process, often led to stronger solutions.