The Challenge
Urban professionals in cities like NYC face "Decision Fatigue." They spend 45+ minutes scrolling through static, outdated lists on Google Maps or Yelp, only to end up at crowded venues. The market lacked a tool that could ingest real-time data (weather, crowds, events) and filter it through a user’s personal taste to offer a single, confident decision.
My role
Co-Founder & CPO
Unlike a traditional design role, I wore multiple hats: Product Strategy, UX/UI Design, and Venture Building. I was responsible for defining the MVP feature set, bridging the gap between design vision and engineering constraints, and creating the pitch narrative for investors.
The Process in Action
Phase 1: Strategic Constraints (The "Pure M3" Pivot)
Our early ambition faced a critical bottleneck: the "Designer-Developer Gap." Custom components were slowing down our engineering team.I executed a strategic pivot to a "Pure Material 3" approach. I utilized standard code components but applied a custom "cinematic" theming system. This reduced development scope by 40% while maintaining a unique brand identity, unblocking the build for our MVP.
Phase 2: Defining "Eras" (Identity-Based Onboarding)
Standard personalization (asking for "Italian food" or "Cheap eats") is too shallow. I designed an onboarding flow based on "Eras" (e.g., Health Era, Grind Mode, Social Butterfly).By grounding the UX in the user's current life goal, we create an emotional hook. The AI doesn't just know what you like; it knows who you are trying to be.
Phase 3: Proactive Intelligence (The Nudge System)
Most discovery apps are reactive (waiting for the user to search). I designed Skaify to be Proactive.
Using the "Era" data, the AI scans the user's location and "nudges" them with context-aware suggestions.The Logic: If a user is in their "Health Era," the AI spots a yoga studio near their breakfast spot.The UI Pattern: I designed a non-intrusive "Pssst!" notification card that overlays the map. It feels like a friend tapping you on the shoulder, not a cold algorithm.
The Outcome & Impact
Traction & Validation
The product vision has resonated strongly with the market. We have secured 15,000+ community members and a 90% retention rate among early beta testers.
Status
The MVP is currently in active development with a 3,000+ user waitlist. The design system I built allows us to scale new features rapidly as we move toward our Seed round.
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