Game-changing the friend meetup space
Here’s an understatement: making real friendships in a digital world isn’t easy. Finding new friends and planning hangouts shouldn’t feel impossible, or like herding cats. Back in 2021, Owting’s small but passionate team set out to change that.
As part of that journey, I helped design a platform that combines matching, chat, events, and activity planning All in one place to help people connect deeply and effortlessly. Being part of the early design team meant focusing on intuitive onboarding flows, seamless event discovery, and in-chat planning features, all while prioritizing inclusivity, privacy, and genuine connection.
My work included crafting experiences that feel natural and welcoming, using thoughtful copy, smooth interactions, and community-focused design to make socializing easier and more joyful. Whether you’re the planner, the show-up-and-go type, or the lone wolf, Owting has you covered.
Want to see how it ended up? See the mobile app here and more about Owting here!
The Team
1 Product Manager
1 Product Designer
4 Engineers
2 UX Designers
My Role
UX Designer
Collaboration, Research, Strategy and Decision Making, Interaction Design, IA, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing
Our Mantra
Lessons Learned
Designing with constraints is liberating.
This was my first time working on a socially driven product at scale, and the most challenging part wasn’t generating ideas. It was knowing which ones to let go. With such a broad mission, helping people make real-world connections. It was tempting to build every feature at once. But I quickly learned the value of restraint: scoping intentionally, prioritizing the core journey, and staying laser-focused on the user’s emotional and logistical barriers to making plans.
As Owting continues to evolve, I’m excited to explore deeper community discovery, context-aware planning, and more personalized matching systems that adapt to how users socialize, not just how we think they do.