Hot Takes

Helping users discover the best spots through reliable tips from their trusted circle.

Leading an end-to-end iOS experience design that aims to provide trustworthy information in an enjoyable way
Hot Takes
12months
Mobile iOS
Design Lead

As the co-founder and product designer of Hot Takes, I drive end-to-end design areas, prioritizing on delivering exceptional user experiences. We adopt an agile methodology, rapidly developing and refining designs based on applied, experimental, and validated research data.

iOS app
Interactive Prototyping
User Research & Testing
Design System
iOS Visual Designapp

My Role

Product Design Lead

Timeline

Jan 2023 - May 2024

Team

1 Product Manager
1 Product Designer (Myself)
1 UX Researcher
2 Developers

Tools

Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Slack, Jira and etc.
About the Service
A social place-review platform that features reliable reviews from friends
Problem Space
Challenging to find great spots with reliable sources using existing platforms.
In big cities like New York, an abundance of experiences awaits, yet current platforms often fail to meet users' needs. Consequently, Users are comparing multiple platforms or relying on friends' recommendations marked on platforms like Google Maps.
Problem Space
Challenging to find great spots with reliable sources using existing platforms.
In big cities like New York, an abundance of experiences awaits, yet current platforms often fail to meet users' needs. Consequently, Users are comparing multiple platforms or relying on friends' recommendations marked on platforms like Google Maps.
Painpoints
Can’t trust outdated or sponsored reviews from strangers
No one is leaving reviews
Burdensome to referencing multiple platforms
We conducted over 70 user interviews to gain a deeper understanding of potential users, their pain points, and needs, focusing on our target audience of individuals in their 20s and 30s living in major cities.
Core Pillars of the Product
Through qualitative analysis of our research, our team identified three core pillars essential to meeting user expectations. These pillars have become the foundation of our product design and iteration process.
Trustworthiness
Users distrust outdated or sponsored reviews from strangers but prefer recommendations from friends. Therefore, building trust is essential.
Simplicity
Fewer than 5% of interviewees leave reviews. To address this, we prioritize ease of use to encourage more user-generated content.
Accessibility
Users often struggle with comparing multiple platforms, none of which provide reliable information.
Solution
A social place-review platform enriched by trustworthy recommendations from friends, that also serves as a personal repository.
Main Situation
As a location review app, user-generated content is key to driving engagement. By focusing on the core pillars of the product, we meticulously developed, designed, and iterated features to achieve our objectives effectively.
Goal
We set goals for users and the product respectively to solve user problems while aligning with business needs.
User Goal
Getting trustworthy ‘Takes’
Share trustworthy location information in a fun and easy way with their connections.
Business Goal
Incentivizing to leave ‘Takes’
Maximize user engagement, which is the most essential key success metric for a social app.
Task 1
Share Takes Flow
To create an experience that encourages users to share their reviews effortlessly, I hypothesized that making the review process straightforward and accessible would significantly increase user participation.
Hypothesis
Users seek the simplest method to share their experiences.
Iteration 01
Strategy
Prominently display the "Record Review" button so users see it as soon as they open the app. Users can easily record a review by pressing the button and speaking their content.
Design Solution
Place a single recording button in an accent color on the landing page, ensuring high accessibility and visibility, so users can start recording their reviews immediately.
User Feedback 01
Users typically think of a location first, followed by their reflection on the experience.
During a "Think Aloud" testing session, we discovered that users naturally preferred selecting a location before recording their review. This insight highlighted the need for a more intuitive user flow.
Iteration 02
Strategy
Revised the flow to allow users to choose the location first and then leave a review.
Design Solution
Replaced the “Record Take” button with a “New Take” button, directing users to the location search screen instead.
User Feedback 02
Users desired to leave reviews from any page within the app, not just the landing page.
Iteration 03
1.3x Content Creation
Strategy
Implementation of a universal access point for review creation.
Design Solution
Implemented a navigation bar and added a centrally positioned “New Take” button, ensuring easy access from any page.
Final Design
V01
V02
Task 2
Save Takes Flow
User research revealed that one of the app’s key attractions was the ability to save locations shared by friends for future visits. To enhance this experience, I formulated three hypotheses aimed at improving the save functionality and overall user engagement.
Hypothesis
Strategy
Design Solution
01
If the Save button is easily noticeable, users are more likely to save locations.
The Save button should integrate into the user’s flow, appearing naturally when viewing location information.
Placed the Save button on the location info card for easy access during exploration.
02
Users often decide to save a place after viewing its full details.
Enable saving after users have fully explored the location information.
The Save button appears at the top of the screen when the user opens the full-screen location info page.
03
Users want the flexibility to save locations at any time while browsing.
Make the Save button accessible throughout the location viewing experience.
Introduced a floating Save button, allowing users to save a location at any point during their interaction with the app.
01
Hypothesis
If the Save button is easily noticeable, users are more likely to save locations.
Strategy
The Save button should integrate into the user’s flow, appearing naturally when viewing location information.
Design Solution
Placed the Save button on the location info card for easy access during exploration.
02
Hypothesis
Users often decide to save a place after viewing its full details.
Strategy
Enable saving after users have fully explored the location information.
Design Solution
The Save button appears at the top of the screen when the user opens the full-screen location info page.
03
Hypothesis
Users want the flexibility to save locations at any time while browsing.
Strategy
Make the Save button accessible throughout the location viewing experience.
Design Solution
Introduced a floating Save button, allowing users to save a location at any point during their interaction with the app.
Hypothesis - Strategy -  Design Solution
01
Hypothesis
If the Save button is easily noticeable, users are more likely to save locations.
Strategy
The Save button should integrate into the user’s flow, appearing naturally when viewing location information.
Design Solution
Placed the Save button on the location info card for easy access during exploration.
02
Hypothesis
Users often decide to save a place after viewing its full details.
Strategy
Enable saving after users have fully explored the location information.
Design Solution
The Save button appears at the top of the screen when the user opens the full-screen location info page.
03
Hypothesis
Users want the flexibility to save locations at any time while browsing.
Strategy
Make the Save button accessible throughout the location viewing experience.
Design Solution
Introduced a floating Save button, allowing users to save a location at any point during their interaction with the app.
Iterations
Throughout the design process, I explored multiple alternatives for the Save and Share button components. Numerous iterations were developed based on user feedback to identify the optimal layout and style, ensuring the solution was both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Final Design
4% Increase DAU
Throughout the design process, I explored multiple alternatives for the Save and Share button components. Numerous iterations were developed based on user feedback to identify the optimal layout and style, ensuring the solution was both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Task 3
Reduction in the Onboarding Flow
To boost user engagement, we added a tutorial to the onboarding flow, ensuring users quickly understand key features like sharing reviews ("Takes"). This guides users through essential functions, helping them grasp how the app works and leading to better overall engagement.
Usability testing
After analyzing user behavior, I discovered a 30% drop-off rate during this process. This indicated that the existing flow was too cumbersome and needed to be streamlined.

To address this issue, I conducted a series of user interviews and A/B tests. Based on the feedback, we decided to condense the onboarding flow, removing unnecessary steps that were creating friction for users. By simplifying this process, we aimed to reduce the drop-off rate and provide a more intuitive introduction to the app’s features.
On boarding 1.0
On boarding 2.0
Takeaways
Listening to users, observing carefully and discovering their needs
Before and after building a feature, we conducted thorough user research and testing to identify user needs and pain points. This process allowed us to deeply understand our users, generate ideas, and effectively validate our designs. Each round of testing and analysis provided valuable insights, enabling us to continuously improve the product and positively impact the user experience, making rapid iterations essential throughout the process.
Collaboration and communication
Throughout the whole design process, I shared my design ideas and plans with developers. By conversing with developers and the project manager about user experience, timelines, plans, and other aspects of the projects, I could make the best design decisions with the best resources.
Personal growth as a designer
Working as a co-founder and the sole designer in a team taught me to wear many hats and gave me a comprehensive understanding of the product development cycle. This experience allowed me to grow as a designer and a strategic thinker who could navigate various aspects of product creation.
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Contact

If you're interested in learning more about my experience, feel free to reach out at

yeunjae.k@gmail.com

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