OVERVIEW
Besties
I designed Besties, a women-only friendship app that connects users through shared interests and authentic values. I was the solo product designer for this project, which included designing the onboarding experiences, the event browsing and RSVP features, and post-event connection flows. I also spearheaded user research and created Besties’ design system.
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
January 2025 - May 2025
TOOLS
Figma
SKILLS
User Research
Wireframes
Prototyping
PROBLEM
Background
Making friends as an adult is hard. And lonely.
After college, career changes, and moves to new cities, women struggle to build genuine friendships. Existing apps don't provide the safety and intentionality women need to form lasting bonds.
RESEARCH
Target Users
Since young adult women aged 24-35 seeking platonic friendships prioritize authentic connection, I decided to focus on this user segment during user research.
RESEARCH
User Interviews
I launched a survey and conducted interviews to learn more about what factors contributed to women feeling socially isolated and what they looked for when making friends as an adult.
Physical distance
Respondents mentioned physical distance from existing friends made the feel lonely and isolated.
Hard to Meet People
Respondents mentioned physical distance from existing friends made the feel lonely and isolated.
Safety Concerns
Respondents mentioned physical distance from existing friends made the feel lonely and isolated.
I found that the majority of respondents prioritized shared interests and authentic values as key factors when finding friends over other factors like age and location.
How Might We build a community for women navigating adult friendships through shared interests and experiences?
RESEARCH
Seeing What’s on the Market
I launched a survey and conducted interviews to learn more about what factors contributed to women feeling socially isolated and what they looked for when making friends as an adult.
Bumble BFF
Making friends through 1:1 matching based on swipe decisons.
MeetUp
Attend local events with shared interests across all demographics
RealRoots
Builds deep community through structured 4-6 week paid programs
Bumble BFF: The swipe-based matching felt transactional and did not facilitate natural community building. Quick connections feel superficial rather than intentional.
Meetup: While event-based connections were promising, the platform lacked the safety and intentionality women want. The broad demographic wasn’t optimal for women’s connection building.
RealRoots: The structured commitment created meaningful connections, but 4-6 week long programs were intimidating and preventing spontaneous connections that fit busy schedules.
RESEARCH
Target Users
Since young adult women aged 24-35 seeking platonic friendships prioritize authentic connection, I decided to focus on this user segment during user research.
IDEATION
Narrowing down the solution
Through the user interviews and journey mapping , I found that women valued both activity based connections and intentional matching. Leading to the decision to a friendship app that prioritizes safety and authentic connection for women.
FINAL TOUCHES
Testing with users
Through the user interviews and journey mapping , I found that women valued both activity based connections and intentional matching. Leading to the decision to a friendship app that prioritizes safety and authentic connection for women.
Iteration #1
Iteration #2
Iteration #3
The Solution
How Besties works
Create Profile: Users share their social preferences, love languages, and friendship priorities to connect with women who truly get you. I wanted to build authenticity from the start.
Onboarding
Create Profile: Users share their social preferences, love languages, and friendship priorities to connect with women who truly get you. I wanted to build authenticity from the start.
RSVP
Users can RSVP to local events. A seamless way to discover activities and connect with women attending before the event begins
Post event connection
After the event, users can continue building connections with people they met. Browse attendees, send connection requests, and turn a one time event into lasting friendships
LEARNINGS
Key Takeaways
Safety is a Feature — Not a Constraint
Designing for women means prioritizing emotional and physical safety.
Trust signals matter more than aesthetics.
Verification flows affect conversion.
Friction is sometimes intentional.
This shows mature product thinking.
Community Design Is Different From Social Media Design
Besties is not about engagement loops — it’s about meaningful connection.
Depth > volume
Events > endless scrolling
Shared activity > passive liking
This separates you from “Tinder for friends” comparisons.