The Collective
A digital third place that helps you engage with the world in a way that feels intentional, seamless, and deeply personalized.
Timeline January to March 2025
Role UX Designer
Tool Figma
Context
Overwhelmed with information.
In today’s digital world, finding what truly matters - whether it’s relevant news, exclusive shopping experiences, or exciting local events - feels harder than it should. With information scattered across countless platforms, users are left scrolling endlessly, juggling multiple apps, and still missing out on the things that align with their interests.
Problem Space
More to see, more to choose, with even more fragmentation.
The current digital landscape forces people to navigate multiple disconnected platforms to discover relevant news, events, and shopping opportunities, leading to fragmentation and information overload, while creating a disconnect with your local community.
Challenge
To create a personalized digital 'third place' that seamlessly integrates discovery across these categories based on users' specific interests, eliminating the noise and saving time while creating more meaningful connections to content that matters.
Process
Research Summary
Social Media Has Shifted to Discovery & Entertainment
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X prioritize algorithm-driven content over friends’ posts.
Users see social media as a discovery tool, signalling a demand for curated, interest-based experiences beyond personal networks.
Fragmentation Causes Frustration
People juggle multiple platforms to stay informed, shop, and find events.
The lack of a centralized, personalized hub leads to information overload and endless scrolling.
Personalization is Expected but Often Noisy
AI recommendations are too broad or ad-driven—users want curation with more control over their interests.
A balance between automation and user input is crucial for relevance.
Users Want More Meaningful Shopping & Event Experiences
Online shopping feels transactional, lacking exclusivity and excitement.
Event discovery is difficult, often relying on word-of-mouth or scattered searches.
Design Principles
Intentional Engagement
Design interactions that encourage purposeful engagement rather than passive consumption. Every feature should help users discover, connect, or take action - not just keep them online longer.
Curated and Simple
Prioritize quality over quantity. Content, events, and shopping experiences should feel personalized, relevant, and thoughtfully selected, avoiding cognitive overload.
Empower
Give users control over their experience by offering transparent recommendations, customizable preferences, and clear pathways to action. The platform should guide, not dictate.
Final Product
The Collective is a "third place" app designed for seamless exploration, offering a curated feed of news, events, and products that keep you connected to the world around you. It fosters a sense of community while filtering out unproductive, fragmented information, ensuring a more meaningful and engaging experience.
The Home Screen of The Collective is designed to be your personalized hub for discovering the most relevant news, events, and shopping opportunities - all in one seamless feed. At its core is the For You page, which curates a dynamic mix of content tailored to your interests. As you browse, the app learns from your engagement, continuously refining its recommendations to better match your preferences over time.
For those moments when you want more control over your exploration, intuitive category tabs at the top of the screen allow you to narrow your focus - whether you're looking for the latest news updates, upcoming local events, or trending products. This balance of smart personalization and intentional browsing ensures that The Collective adapts to your needs, making discovery effortless and meaningful.
Everything, here, all-at-once
Get the latest news without the overwhelm. The Collective lets you quickly glance at AI-generated summaries or expand to read the full article when you want a deeper dive. With built-in tools to save articles for later or share them with friends, staying informed has never been easier - or more seamless.
Latest, greatest, bite-sized
Discover tailored events that fit your lifestyle, from coworking sessions and social gatherings to trivia nights and exclusive experiences. Whether it’s a local live event or a ticketed show, you can buy tickets, save events, share them, and even invite friends - all within the app. Every purchase is secure, so you can book with confidence.
What are you up to this weekend?
Your personal shopper might be jealous
Explore unique products tailored to your interests, whether it's hand-picked recommendations, similar products to what you love, or the best deals on luxury brands. Stay ahead of the curve with exclusive merch drops from your favorite artists and brands. Add items to your cart for easy browsing and checkout - final purchases are always completed through verified merchants, ensuring a secure transaction.
Quick. Fast. Easy.
Gone are the days of endlessly scrolling to find what matters. The Collective offers a powerful, intelligent search engine that indexes both the internet and our curated feeds, ensuring you can quickly locate the exact news article, event, or product you're looking for. But search isn’t just reactive - it’s proactive. Every query helps refine your personalized feed, allowing The Collective to anticipate your needs before you even realize them. Whether you’re tracking down a breaking news story, finding the perfect weekend event, or hunting for that must-have item, search makes discovery effortless.
You are the centre of this
Your profile is your central hub, designed to keep everything organized and easily accessible. Saved items, shopping carts, and event tickets are neatly sorted, making it easy to return to things later or quickly find your ticket while waiting in line. Seamless Apple Wallet and Google Wallet integration ensures that The Collective works for you - not the other way around. Additionally, the Interests section lets you add, remove, and adjust preferences so your For You page stays truly personalized. Unlike traditional platforms that bombard you with generic promotions, The Collective puts you in control, ensuring you only see content that aligns with your needs and interests.
No more digging through emails or scrambling through different apps - The Collective keeps everything you need in one convenient space. Whether it’s a news article you saved for later, a product sitting in your cart, or an event ticket you need on the go, you’ll find it all organized in your profile. With quick access to your tickets, checking in is seamless, and your cart remains ready for whenever you’re ready to complete your purchase. It’s all about making your digital life smoother, more intuitive, and frustration-free.
It works the way you expect
The Collective
Curated for you. Designed for life.
Retrospective
Takeaway and Learning
Takeaway
Personalization is key to cutting through digital noise - users don’t just want access to news, shopping, and events; they want a curated experience that feels intentional, relevant, and effortless. The Collective succeeds by reducing friction and bringing meaningful content to users without overwhelming them.
Learning
User behavior is fluid, and preferences evolve over time. While AI-driven recommendations enhance personalization, users should also have control over their interests to fine-tune their experience. The balance between automation and user control is crucial for long-term engagement.
Next Steps
Enhance Personalization Features
Introduce deeper customization for users, allowing them to fine-tune their feeds by adjusting content preferences, setting priority topics, or blocking irrelevant categories.
Integrate Social Features
Introduce in-app social connectivity, allowing users to add friends, share content, and see which events their connections are attending. This will enhance engagement by making event discovery more collaborative and community-driven, strengthening The Collective as a true digital third place.
The Complete Process
See the research, branding, brainstorming, and the user testing process that led to the final product.