Mohae
Mohae, initially kicked off as a passion project, is a community application designed for Koreans living abroad. Making its debut in Vancouver and Toronto, Mohae rapidly garnered an impressive 5000+ user base, solidifying a robust community presence within a span of less than 2 years.
OVERVIEW
Product Design Lead/Cofounder - UX Research, User Survey, User Testing, High Fidelity Mockups, Responsive Design, Design System, Prepare Assets, QA
Collaborated with 1 Engineer.
TIMELINE & STATUS
July 2021, Launched in Feb 2022 and continued to launch more features until October 2023.
IMPACT
5000+ signup users in 1.5 years.
Featured in a local news.
Meeting with South Korean Consulate General.
Mohae is a city-based community platform designed to help Koreans living overseas connect with each other. The app provides a safe space for Koreans to engage with people who are similar to them, share their experiences, and build new relationships.
With features such as chat rooms, feeds, and groups, Mohae enables Korean expats to stay informed about the city and connect with others who share their interests.
MY ROLE
Screenshot of the application
Sneakpeak
Since this app is designed for Koreans, the language is in Korean. To provide better context, I have translated the rest of the mockup into English.
Product Journey
It has been an extensive product journey filled with continuous iteration, ideation, and sleepless nights. But here, I am excited to share some of the key highlights from this journey.
How it all started
But why?
In our initial conversation, co-founder Damian and I identified a genuine challenge that resonated with us personally.
Despite the significant Korean population in the city, there was a noticeable absence of a dedicated digital space for us to come together and foster a sense of belonging. We pinpointed three key reasons why the younger Korean generation (Early 20s to Late 30s) lacked a space for active engagement compared to other existing communities.
Problem space
We focused on three key reasons why the younger Korean generation (Early 20s to Late 30s) lacked a space for active engagement compared to other existing communities.
So… we decided to build one of our own!
1. User Survey
OUR USER GROUP
Discovery
Let’s validate first.
Before embarking on our passion-driven project, we aimed to ensure the validation of our assumptions as we aspire to make a real impact on our society. Consequently, we opted to distribute surveys to the group below.
We specifically targeted Koreans aged 18 to 35 residing in Vancouver, reaching out through various channels such as tech, student, and working holiday chat rooms, which cater to individuals with diverse backgrounds and visa statuses. Ultimately, we successfully conducted the survey with 38 participants.
OUTCOME OF THE SURVEY
The majority of the assumptions we made were validated and we were able to move forward.
HMW
How might we bring younger Korean generation together to build a safe place for people to share information, feeling and interests?
2. Competitive Analysis
To officially start the project, I dedicated my efforts to researching two prominent Korean communities based in Vancouver, where the majority of the traffic is driven. As a designer, my goal was to identify pain points within these communities and reframe them as opportunities.
Reflecting on the gathered pain points, they align closely with our initial considerations for enhancement, indicating a positive sign for our project.
OPPORTUNITY
Crafting an all-inclusive platform for young Koreans living abroad, offering a convenient solution to stay connected, informed about local news, lifestyle activities, and interact with fellow community members.
Within 1.5 years, we acquired over 5000 users in Vancouver and Toronto with WAU of + 600.
Final Experience + Impact
We seized the opportunity to create a new space, and since the application's launch, we not only gained a vibrant user base but also garnered attention from Vancouver local news. Additionally, we had a meeting with the South Korean Consulate General to explore opportunities for future collaboration.
Highlights
Widgets within the posting feature elevate engagement to another level.
Through the use of various types of widgets, users can interact with others by sharing images, voting, recording voice messages, and engaging in one-on-one messaging.
Beyond Text Engagement
Anonymity nurtures a sense of vulnerability and connection.
Without the need for attached identities, users can freely communicate with others. Anonymity brings people together, creating a sense of vulnerability and fostering connections.
Voice to the Voiceless
Subtle prompts and nudges acknowledge users with more content.
The feed is a space where users can organically discover new content through scrolling. With subtle prompts, users can explore updated tabs within the application without having to check each individual tab.
Intuitive Discoverability
Categories and filtering significantly contribute to improved content digestion and discoverability.
The categories in the community section assist users in discovering specific information. Additionally, filters enhance the discoverability of data that is of interest to them.
Information Structure
Customizing the UI caters to individual preferences, creates a more personalized and engaging experience.
Users have the option to choose the type of themes they want to add to their space. This experience provides users with the choice to dynamically change their UI to match their personal characteristics.
Dynamic themes
1. Precedents
We looked into existing community-based platforms to benchmark and leverage insights. While each platform had its unique strengths, we identified common insights that guided our approach.
The process
2. Feature Prioritization
The MVP with a touch of flair
Once we knew exactly what we wanted to build, we consolidated features we wanted to prioritize.
Despite the multitude of ideas discussed in our weekly meetings, our focus for the MVP was to create a straightforward space where users could communicate with a unique flair ‘Meet Up’ experience —an element currently lacking in the existing community space.
3. MVP Design Direction
Warm and Welcoming
When embarking on the design process, our goal was to emphasize a 'warm and welcoming' vibe. With a focus on the younger Korean generation, we delved into a variety of colors and moods for the application.
4. MVP Design
Quick Iterations and Using Familiar Patterns
When diving into the realm of experience design, we faced two constraints:
⏰ time
🧩 resources
As a team of two - a designer and an engineer - we were determined not to compromise on our set deadlines. To navigate this challenge efficiently, I opted for a streamlined approach, conducting rapid iterations through communication with my designer peers. Additionally, I leveraged familiar patterns prevalent in applications commonly used by Koreans, ensuring a swift yet effective design process.
The outcome of the MVP design
Thanks to our constant communication throughout the entire journey, we were aware of the compromises necessitated by our constraints. Successfully navigating this collaborative path, the MVP design was handed off to our engineering partner.
After design
Quality Assurance
Documentation as a QA guidance
In addition to our weekly meetings, the most live communication between the engineer and me took place during the dev handoff and QA phase.
Upon completion of development, I took the helm for QA testing on the entire application MVP, armed with my documented notes. I jotted down all testing points and user stories, checking the user experiences on both iOS and Android devices to ensure a seamless, issue-free performance.
The outcome of QA
Thanks to our comprehensive documentation, my partner and I swiftly tackled issues and bugs, implementing fixes seamlessly as we progressed. This streamlined approach allowed us to maintain a smooth development flow.
Beta launch
Let’s get one last feedback
We were almost there! Before the official launch, we aimed to test the waters with two key goals:
Understanding user adoption rate, satisfaction, and usability.
Identifying sweet spots for improvement and enhancement without introducing new features.
How we recruited the beta users
With the assistance of two external friends, we successfully navigated the beta user recruitment process and conducted beta testing for two weeks. Utilizing a Kakaotalk group chat for communication, we established a community space enabling us to receive feedback at any time.
The outcome of beta launch
Thanks to our beta users, we identified additional bugs that needed fixing. Their invaluable insights also provided us with constructive suggestions on how to enhance the overall UX of the application. While we couldn't implement all of their feedback, we diligently documented every insight, ensuring that they are on our to-do list for future improvements.
Official Launch
We made it!
Following a successful two-week beta-launch involving 24 users, during which we fine-tuned user experiences and addressed bugs, we proudly secured a spot on the App Store on February 8, 2021 along with an official landing page.
What did our users say?
Leveraging our feedback feature, we maintained daily engagement with our users. Two months post-launch, I conducted a comprehensive user satisfaction/feedback survey to validate our initial challenges, and the received feedback was overwhelmingly positive!
What more?
Time to amplify our presence!
Our efforts don't end here. Along with social media ads, we are committed to amplifying our presence through strategic marketing and forging partnerships with local businesses to strengthen our public visibility.
Continue to push engaging user experience
Since the initial MVP release, we've consistently delivered monthly updates, refining specific user experiences and introducing new features. Above, you'll find examples of recent releases, as well as potential features we aspire to incorporate in the future to further elevate user engagement within the app.
Though, I am ending my journey with Mohae as of now in October 2023, I can’t wait to see how Mohae continues to thrive and make Koreans living the overseas live a different daily lives.
